Negative Staff
One of my own pet issues:
I admit to having little patience with chronic complainers and those who can identify every problem at hand but have no vision for solutions. This is, indeed, an organizational challenge as we must get everyone on board.
It is truly demoralizing when one is confronted with a group of people with whom even the most creative and motivating strategies do not work. One thing I find helpful is to stack the deck and bring in new members to the team who may be less fearful of challenging the existing culture. But I also need to share that I left my last administrative position (one at the executive level with a great deal of responsibility) because I believed, after implementing many new ideas and projects, that I had reached the limits of the system's ability to change.
Our best efforts often fail because the forces opposing us are just too strong...and this does not represent a failure. It is important for us to realize when it is time to move on to an opportunity more synergistic with who we are and what we wish to achieve for the betterment of patients, staff, and the organization.
I have found it is possible to eliminate many of the most negative staff, though it requires the patience of a saint, a great deal of time, and a tremendous attention to the detail of tracking lack of cooperation and teamwork. I start by creating operational definitions of job description and performance appraisal standards and expectations and then begin to document deviations from these.
It takes a year or more, but eventually they begin to see that they no longer fit into an environment with a culture different than it once was. I work closely with Human Resources (they will become your best friends) and eventually facilitate them out of their jobs...not fire them, as I truly believe they fire themselves through continuing to do the things that get them into trouble. Often they see the handwriting on the wall and resign.
How many of you have observed or been part of a situation like this?
Resources:
Negativity in the Workplace. AJN, American Journal of Nursing. 107(3):72D-72G, March 2007.Reynolds, John J. LCSW, CCM, CPUR
Developing Collaborative Nurse/Physician Relationships. Nurse Leader, Volume 5, Issue 5, Pages 43-46 C. Gegaris
Further Reading:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/negativity.htm
http://ccfbest.org/worklife/confrontingnegative.htm