office politics feel like wearing combat gear to work

[maineiac]

Has anybody else tried from the bottom up management?

Was it horrible in the beggining?

I truly believe in personal empowerment and giving staff as much control as possible over their work and enviroment. I am starting to wonder if there are just plain people who are too immature to handle it or if I am not being patient enough.

Summary to date I was hired 10 weeks ago to a 9 provider family practice/psych to replace the current office manager of 7 years who was not fired but moved laterally due to staff and provider complaints about her personality and management style. I have instituded from the bottom up policy for nurses and front office.

There are only 3 staff members from previous group as everyone else quit primarily from politics.Today at our weekly staff meeting I was berated by the cna for "not helping out", with nursing tasks.

I pointed out that we suddenly lost 50% of our staff and that I had been busy intervewing 3-5 people a week trying to reach staffing goals.When I requested she be a liason to transfer info to the other nursing staff she said she wasen't being paid management wages and then suggested the old office manager come back. All this after a one on one meeting in which she requested more autonomy and ridiculed the previous manager.

When the nursing staff meets as a group,I feel like bait with a pack of wolves. I cannot believe my ears that these same people who are so enthusiastic and supportive individually gang up on me when in a group.

In a nutshell should I wait this out? is it backlash from previous mismanagement? am I making myself a target by being so easy and trying to create a team? finally should I quit while I'm ahead and sell Avon/Tupperware?

has anyone else been through this?

[MrsWampthang, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you're working in a kindergarten instead of a doctor's office.:chuckle

Pam

[maineiac]

You nailed it right on the head.

I don't understand why some people seem to be invested in maintaining chaos.

After many years in nursing I have observed that often we don't support each other.It seems quite a paradox that those who care so well for others fail to care for their own.

If nothing else I will stay in this position a bit longer because I feel I'm learning many lessons about communication and community. If an office can't get along is it much wonder about events in africa and iraq?

namaste

chuck