I have had an experience with St Francis hospital in Tulsa, OK where I noticed communication between employees of different shifts is very instrumental and how this hospital manages to do this very effectively. Most of the shift timings are 8 to 12 hours. So in a typical week you might see 3 to 6 different nurses. Despite different nurses they maintained the patient knowledge and his medications very well. That too if patients are under diagnosis for multiple reasons then also employees manage their service level without any drop in intensity. For the variety of work nurses do and the nature of job where there is ideally no errors, this is best example of organizational communication. On the other hand, I had an experience with a cable company, Wind Stream. I was shopping for triple bundle deal and was checking on Wind Stream website. It said online that prices may vary depending on your area and availability. To know the final price, I have to create an account. After I checked the prices, I decided not to pursue further. But later in a month, I received the payment due statement from Wind Stream. Of course, I called the customer service and explained that I neither initiated the service nor any Wind Stream associate installed any services at my residence. The argument that I got is the service was set up from outside the home. As I never signed any papers that service is installed, I put my case and finally a complaint. But every time, I had to explain the whole situation to the representative. It took me three months to convince them that I am not using their services. There seems like a very ineffective communication in this organization.
While I never thought about it until reading your post, it is essential for hospitals to have exceptional communication channels and skills. Effective communication among nurses and doctors is critical in their positions. I wonder what types of communication programs hospitals have in order to establish and maintain effective communication?
ReplyDeleteIn a hospital, the communication between shifts occurs during the shift transition as policy. When I worked first shift at NCR, I shared a cubicle with a second shift person. At the end of my shift, company policy dictated that I leave the area clean for the next person. Interestingly, when I went to work at a different organization, everyone left things a mess since they were not obligated to clean up for the next guy. Thinking about it, these communication policies can dictate your work ethics.
ReplyDeleteHussain, I like the contrast in your examples. Where lives are at stake, we tend to figure out how to communicate. Where cable bills are concerned...take a number!
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