You have learned some management lessons by examining social motivations in the workplace. Review social motivations (Textbox 18-1) and prepare to participate as part of your hospital’s management team in the following scenario to address an impending lay-off. Based on what you have learned about social motivation, you can now make deliberate choices that reduce employees’ stressful and negative feelings, and recommend actions that affirm employees’ sense of belonging and connection.

Given what you have learned, formulate lay-off recommendations for the hospital. Do not simply outline the lay-off procedure. Recommend key principles, actions, and behaviors to guide planning and implementation of this lay-off in a way that softens or reduces potential negative consequences. You are an office supervisor at the local hospital, with a staff of 12 under your supervision. Your hospital has experienced falling patient admissions, declining government and insurance reimbursements, and increased competition. Leadership has taken several measures to improve its financial position in a difficult market: introducing Lean quality methods to improve work processes and increase efficiency, retooling service lines, and partnering with physician groups.
For some time there have been rumors of possible lay-offs. Today your boss told you the lay-offs will take place, and she asked you to participate in the planning process. Planning is getting underway to evaluate the size of the lay-off, including numbers of positions affected and which job classes and departments will be affected. The hospital is committed to transparency in the planning process and one of the key planning tasks will be to develop a communication approach to support all employees and keep them informed. As you prepare for the first planning meeting, you collect your thoughts about the information needs of all staff as they wait to learn whether or not their position will be eliminated. What will be their concerns and their resulting socio-emotional needs during this difficult time? What are the foremost employee concerns that you and other hospital managers must address through personal conversations and written communications as you break the news and develop the details? How can your organization handle this major change with many potential negative consequences in the most positive way possible?
Either individually or in a group, develop three to five recommendations for handling lay-offs at the hospital. Provide a short explanation of possible effects on employees’ social motivations and how each of your recommendations contributes to minimizing potential negative consequences for employees.

Transcribed Image Text:

TEXTBOX 18-1. MOTIVATIONS THAT INFLUENCE MODES OF SOCIAL COGNITION Motives ("Needs") Social Goal or Benefit Belonging Being accepted by other people, being valued by one's group Understanding Sharing understanding, knowledge, and viewpoints with members of one's group Controlling Influencing one's own outcomes that depend on other people Enhancing self Seeing one's self positively or at least Trusting in- group sympathetically, "saving face" in others' eyes Believing others (e.g., organization managers and colleagues) will not act in ways that will harm our own interests Modified from Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (2008). Social agnition: From brains to culture Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, ISBN 978-0073405520, p. 48.