Management Philosophy and Guiding Principles

Background and Management Philosophy

The purpose of this communication is to introduce myself and describe the work experiences I have had which have been influential in the development of my management philosophy.  Also, the management principles that I use as a guide will be discussed.  My undergraduate degree is in psychology.  Although initially pre-med, I quickly changed my focus to industrial, organizational psychology.  I studied learning, motivation, and leadership theory.  During college I worked for Eddie Bauer.  My primary responsibilities were selling, hiring, and teaching Customer Satisfaction Selling.  These experiences ignited a passion for teaching and delivering excellent customer service.  When I decided to return to school to complete my pre-med courses, I continued to work full time while attending school.  By the time I was accepted to medical school, I had worked for Eddie Bauer for ten years. 

My school courses, work experience, and supporting myself through school all helped shape me as a physician, teacher, and manager.  I feel that these experiences also helped to increase my “emotional intelligence”(Schermerhorn, p.14, Goleman, 1998).  Daniel Goleman defines this as “the ability to understand our emotions, the emotions of others, and then use this understanding to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively” (Schermerhorn, p. 14).  I consider myself an “employee-centered” manager.  As Pugh and Hickson described it, these supervisors “regard their job as dealing with human beings rather than with the work; they attempt of know [their employees] as individuals.  They see their job as helping them do their job efficiently” (p. 140, Pugh and Hickson, 1989, pp. 156-57).  As a team leader, I view my primary roles as those of facilitator, guide, and cheerleader.  My job is to ensure that those who work with me have the knowledge and tools needed to be an excellent family physician.  I also need to provide a clear vision of what is expected of a physician as well as a military officer.  Finally, constructive feedback and encouragement are my responsibility. As described in Abraham Maslow’s theory of a hierarchy of needs (p. 136), I believe that everyone is striving to satisfy a need through their work.  My responsibility is to determine that need and facilitate the achievement of each employee’s goals.

My philosophy is consistent with Theory Y as expressed by Douglas McGregor in his 1960 book entitled The Human Side of Enterprise (p. 155).  McGregor believed that “behind every managerial decision or action there lay assumptions about human nature and human behavior which were central in determining each individual manager’s style of operation” (p. 156).  The assumptions at the foundation of his Theory X, which he claimed were dominant in the managerial philosophy of his time, were that workers are generally lazy, want to avoid work, and require a firm hand to be coerced into doing their jobs.  On the contrary, Theory Y was based on the assumption that “workers would exercise both self-direction and self-control, provided they were sufficiently committed to the organizational objectives” (p. 159).  Also, given the proper information, guidance, and encouragement, people learn “not only to accept but to seek responsibility” (p. 159, McGregor, 1960/1987, p.48).

A strong work ethic is the foundation for any person’s success in the working world.  This consists of a belief in the importance of following the rules and regulations of the organization.  Also fundamental to work ethic is the willingness to put one’s best effort into the job at hand.  F.W. Taylor, one of the pioneers of management theory, ascribed work ethic to what he calls the “first class man,” one who is “highly motivated and pushes forward with his work rather than wasting or restricting output” (p. 14).  Taylor believed that these men had a “natural desire…for material gain and personal advancement based on their own talents and application” (p. 16).  This is in contrast to “soldiering” (p. 15), or the natural tendency of the average man to work at a slow, easy pace and thus restrict potential output.

 Frederick Herzberg called those with a strong work ethic “motivation seekers” in contrast to “hygiene seekers” (p. 150).  Hygiene seekers are “motivated by the nature of the environment” and “realize little satisfaction from accomplishments” (p. 150, Herzberg, 1966/1974, p. 89).  Motivation seekers, on the other hand, are “motivated by the nature of the task” and find “great satisfaction from accomplishments” (p. 150, Herzberg, 1966/1974, p. 89).  When the going gets tough, Herzberg felt it was the motivation seekers who could be relied upon to rise to the occasion.   These are the type of employees I want to nurture. 

Expectations

1. Timeliness
2. Respect for the rules of both the hospital and the military in general
3. Thoroughness in completing patient care responsibilities and documentation
4. Adequate turnover to the oncoming physicians at the end of each shift

Trust is a key element in maintaining relationships and is no less important in the work environment.  In medicine, gaining our patient’s trust is vital in order to persuade them to follow our advice.  As a team leader, I need to be able to trust team members to be honest about their actions as well as their learning needs.  My responsibility is to build your trust in me by being consistent in carrying out my roles as a facilitator, guide, and cheerleader. As Henry Gantt stressed, I believe in an “aristocracy of the capable which would provide industrial leadership on the basis of fact rather than opinion and on merit rather than privilege” (p. 41).  Henri Fayol believed in the similar concept of “personal authority (which stemmed from such attributes as intelligence, experience, integrity, and leadership ability)” (p. 49).  As such, I understand that I need to work to earn your trust.  William Ouchi describes the ideal Type Z organizations that approach the ideal of making the “connection between an egalitarian style of management and mutual trust” (p.189, Ouchi, 1981, pp. 81 and 83).  This is a worthy goal.

Expectations

1. Consistent work ethic as described above which will foster trust
2. Honesty in communications
3. Willingness to admit limitations and ask for help

Caring for the medical needs of our patients is a team effort and communication is crucial to any effective team.  Communication is also necessary in the learning environment and essential for building and maintaining medical knowledge.  Chester Barnard summarized the functions of the executive and listed “developing and maintaining a system of communication” (p.124, Barnard, 1938, p.233) as the first of these functions.  He “placed a greater emphasis on the networks of communication which he termed the informal organization” (p. 125) than on the formal organizational structure.  “Good communications are, according to Barnard, facilitated by individuals possessing a close affinity of outlook derived from socialization and training” (p. 123).  Feedback is a vital subset of communication.  Herzberg stated “the profoundest motivation to work comes from the recognition of individual achievement and from the sense of personal growth in responsibility” (p. 147, Herzberg et al, 1959/1993, p. 125).  I will work to ensure a respectful environment with open communication and prompt, constructive feedback. 

Expectations

1. Two-way communication of expectations
2. Organized, complete communication when turning over patient care
3. Constructive, thoughtful feedback between team members

Henri Fayol “viewed organizations as akin to living organisms, possessing a life of their own and requiring the maintenance of harmony in order to function satisfactorily” (p. 56).  This is definitely true of establishing and maintaining a team.  Fayol recognized that “real talent is needed to co-ordinate effort, encourage keenness, use each man’s abilities, and reward each one’s merit without arousing possible jealousies and disturbing harmonious relations” (p.53, Fayol, 1916/1949, p. 40).  When he interpreted the Hawthorne experiments, Elton Mayo “placed the maximum emphasis on the correlation between the vastly improved levels of output in the RATR and the development of a highly cohesive working groups operating under a managerial regime that was both enlightened and supportive” (p.112).  Harry Braverman, on the other hand, describes the dissatisfaction and alienation that accompany the “destruction of craftsmanship” (p. 174) and the resulting “decline of community and the loosening of the

former ties of the neighborhood” (p.181).  All of the previous principles described, work ethic, trust, and communications are the building blocks of an effective team.  The team approach is necessary to provide superb care for our patients.

Expectations

1. Respectful attitude toward team members
2. Open communication among team members
3. Clear definitions of the role of each team member

My experience at Eddie Bauer providing and teaching good customer service taught me the importance of this fundamental principle.  Although many physicians are reluctant to think of our patients as “customers,” I feel it is nonetheless vital to provide them with good service.  We also need to be cognizant of our internal customer.  As physicians, many team members rely on us to perform certain tasks.  For example, the nurses on our team need us to answer telephone consultations and refill medications in a timely manner so they can get back to the patient as soon as possible. 

Expectations

1. Timely attention to the needs of internal customers and patients
2. Positive, can-do attitude when dealing with internal customers and patients
3. Willingness to go the extra step to ensure that the patient has a good medical experience

The final principle that guides me as a manager is empowerment of subordinates.  This involves listening with the intent to learn the ideas, interests, and goals of the corpsman, nurses, and residents with whom I work.  Then I work to aide them in implementing their ideas and achieving their goals.  Dave Ulrich coined the term “intellectual capital” (Schermerhorn, p.2, Ulrich, 1998) which represents the “talents, knowledge and experience” (Schermerhorn, p. 2) of people and the contribution they make to the long-term success of the organizations in which they work.  Empowerment increases the value of this human capital. 

Several management theorists understood the value of empowering employees.  In order to meet the higher level needs of self-esteem and self-actualization that Maslow outlined (p. 136), Herzberg understood that “the individual should have some measure of control over the way in which the job is done in order to realize a sense of achievement and of personal growth” (p. 148, Herzberg et al, 1959/1993, p. 132).  McGregor felt it was the responsibility of managers to create an environment “such that the members of the organization can achieve their own goals best by directing their efforts toward the success of the enterprise” (p.160, McGregor, 1960/1987, p. 49).  Finally, Ouchi listed five things that Japanese managers do which contribute to the success of their companies:

1. emphasis on a flow of information and initiative from the bottom up;
2. making top management the facilitator of decision making rather than the issuer of edicts;
3. using middle management as the impetus for, and shaper of, solutions to problems;
4. stressing consensus as the way of making decisions; and
5. paying close attention to the personal well-being of employees.

(p. 187, Johnson and Ouchi, 1974, p. 62)

Expectations

1. Look for ways to improve the work environment and clinic functions
2. Discover your interests and goals
3. Communicate your ideas, interests, and goals

Schermerhorn, J.R.  Core concepts of Management.  John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2004.

Sheldrake, J.  Management Theory:  From Taylorism to Japanization.  International Thomas Business Press, London, 1996.

Secondary References From Schermerhorn (In Order of Citation)

Goleman, D.  Working with Emotional Intelligence.  Bantam, New York, 1998.

Ulrich, D.  Intellectual Capital=Competence X Commitment.  Sloan Management Review.  Winter 1998: 15-26.

Secondary References From Sheldrake (In Order of Citation) 

Pugh, D., and Hickson, D. (eds) Writers on Organizations.  Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1989.

McGregor, D.  The Human Side of Enterprise.  Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1960/1987.

Herzberg, F.  Work and the Nature of Man.  Crosby Lockwood Staples, London, 1966/1974.

Ouchi, W.  Theory Z:  How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge.  Addison-Weley, Reading, Mass., 1981. 

Barnard, C.  The Functions of the Executive.  Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1838/1968.

Herzberg, F., Mauser, B. and Snyderman, B.  The Motivation to Work.  Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1959/1993.

Fayol, H.  General and Administrative Management.  Pitman, London, 1949.

Wickens, P.  The Ascendant Organization:  Combining Commitment and Control for Long Term, Sustainable Business Success.  Macmillan, London, 1995. 

Johnson, R. and Ouchi, W.  Made in America (Under Japanese Management).  Harvard Business Review. 52(5): 61-69.