Apple Orchard Assisted Living
As the manager in charge of several important projects at Apple Orchard Assisted Living, Janelle Wilkins has confronted some behavior and leadership problems with the project team leader, Emilio Jones, whom she assigned to develop a new staffing plan for the nursing service. Jones has been on the job approximately 6 months, and Wilkins has had several meetings with him. He is leading a team of six people drawn from the assisted-living facility staff.
Wilkins recently sent Jones this memorandum:
Mr. Jones:
You mentioned to me that you have had a difficult time getting people to work as a team on the staffing project I assigned to you. You also mentioned that you feel frustrated because I haven't given you enough direction or backed you up in trying to replace two of the team's members.
The purpose of this memorandum is to strongly suggest that you look to yourself as a source of these problems rather than elsewhere. It is important that you avoid complaining about things that aren't being done for you and start doing things on your own. Don't always look to others as the source of your problems. Working with people is a difficult challenge.
You have to stand or fall on your own. You cannot expect me to settle all the problems that arise. You have to develop confidence in yourself and learn to work with the people on the team you are leading. If your problems persist, it will be necessary to replace you.
Review Case Study 14-1, Apple Orchard Assisted Living, in the Managing Health Services Organizations and Health Systems textbook and answer the listed questions. Questions in all case studies may have been modified from those found in the text; read carefully. Please preface each section of your response with the question number.
As you work through the case, try to consider the perspectives of both Wilkins and Jones.
1. What was communicated in the memorandum? What was not communicated in the memorandum?
2. What effect will the memorandum have?
3. How else might Wilkins have communicated with Jones?