Q. What changes is she trying to make and why?

As the new Nurse Manager, Barbara Norris was trying to make quite a few changes to the way things
happened at the GSU. She decided to run an off-site for her GSU staff to get to know their grievances
and needs and she hoped this would inspire the beginning of a turnaround for the unit. The following
are some of the changes that Barbara felt could be made, based on the inputs received during the off-
site:

Improve the motivation among the nurses: Barbara was moved by the amount of negativity within the
team. After the exercise, several issues were identified that demotivated the staff like lack of
collaboration and teamwork, interpersonal and intergroup conflict, doctors who treated them like order
takers rather than care givers, administrators who cared more about money than patient care,
favoritism, etc. The staff in her old organization, the trauma unit was a close-knit group who worked well
together as a team. They were highly motivated and there was a helping culture within the team. So she
knew what motivation could do to her staff members. Understanding and working on their grievances,
rewarding them for good performance, involving them in some decision making, schedule regular unit
meetings to build a healthier culture, could be some of the steps that could help improve the motivation
among the nurses.

Increase the bonding among the staff: From her experience in her previous organization, Barbara knew
how the working environment at GSU could improve if the bonding among her staff members is
increased. There were issues where some senior nurses complained about the newer nurses behind
their backs instead of helping and mentoring them, which greatly demotivated them. And also there
were complaints that newer nurses were inexperienced and it took a lot of effort by the senior nurses to
balance their work along with training them. So, Barbara wanted to bring about some change that
would not only improve the team bonding but also motivate the senior nurses to train and mentor the
newer staff which could be done by including this to their performance review.

Instituting a fair and transparent review process: There were complaints received during the off-site
that everyone received the same annual salary increase regardless of their performance, which is unfair
and unjust. As the company was in a state of economic crisis and there was shortage of staff, she knew
that she needed to develop rewards that do not involve financial compensation and time off. Providing
recognition and regular constructive feedback on their performance would also help motivate the staff.