Case Study 2: A Response to Change As business office manager of Group HMO, Inc.

Question

Case Study 2: A Response to Change

As business office manager of Group HMO, Inc., Dana Smith was responsible for the work of approximately 45 employees, of whom 26 were classified as secretarial or clerical. At the direction of the HMO president, a team of outside systems analysis consultants was contracted to make a time study and work-method analysis of Smith’s area to improve the efficiency and output of the business office.

The consultants began by observing and recording each detail of the work of the secretarial and clerical staff. After 2 days of preliminary observation, the consultants indicated that they were prepared to begin their time study on the following day.

The next morning, 5 of the business office employees participating in the study were absent. On the following day, 10 employees were absent. Concerned, Smith sought to find reasons for the absenteeism by calling her absent employees. Each related basically the same story. Each was nervous, tense, and physically tired after being a “guinea pig” during the 2 days of preliminary observation. One told Smith that his physician had advised him to ask for a leave of absence if working conditions were not improved.

Shortly after the telephone calls, the head of the study team told Smith that if there were as many absences on the next day, then his team would have to delay the study. He stated that a scientific analysis would be impossible with 10 employees absent. Realizing that she would be held responsible for failure of the study, Smith was very concerned.

Questions

1.       What caused the reactions to the study?

Explanation / Answer

Most of the time when people know that they are being observed they do not want to be observed actually. Some of them are actually nervous about the results and some other actually avoid because they feel that post study they would be found as inefficient.

Another important part of the problem was Smith’s control over absenteeism which has to be better, as a supervisor people must listen to you are not only a supervisor but their leader also. One of the way which actually succeeded in management observations and study that the subject was never told that he/she was being observed. If we tell people they than either they make a positive perception or a negative one, in both cases perception impacts the studies.

So in my understanding it was the fear of results which caused this reaction.

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