This article was downloaded by: [Temple University Libraries] On: 22 November 2014, At: 00:34 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Hospital Topics Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vhos20

What is this Thing Called Human Relations? Published online: 13 Jul 2010.

To cite this article: (1976) What is this Thing Called Human Relations?, Hospital Topics, 54:4, 19-21, DOI: 10.1080/00185868.1976.9950351 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00185868.1976.9950351

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

What is lhis nting Called Human Relations? Humarl relations always exists in some form. . .good or bad. whenever two or more people get together.

..

Downloaded by [Temple University Libraries] at 00:34 22 November 2014

~~

oday w e hear a l o t about human relations, humanics, humanization, relating with others, working relationships, interactions, articulations. .and th e beat goes o n with fancy words. We hear a great deal about this thing called human relations. .but there are only t w o kinds w e k n o w about. .and as simply as w e k n o w how, we'll describe t hem a s g o o d human relations.. .and bed human relations. In our travels t o various parts o f th e country, w e have listened t o many concepts o f human relations. .and, o f course, many misconceptions o f it. It has been "cussed" and discussed. .and some f e w describe it as "hogwash". It has been maligned, benigned and defined and believe it or not, it seems th a t human relations means something different t o everyone w e ask. It's very true meaning is misunderstood b y more supervisors than one would imagine. If the above statement seems ridiculous, ask six of your associates in th e hospital t o define human relations o n a sheet of paper. ..then compare their papers. It doesn't alarm us anymore when w e hear a supervisor say "I don't believe in. .nor do I practice human relations w i t h m y people."Today, i n our age of enlightened management, such supervisors should realize that th e choice o f practicing or n ot practicing it is not theirs. They have n o other course but t o practice some sort o f human relations because all o f their dealings are with people. Would you believe that some people serving in supervisory roles will tell you that t o practice good human relations is a definite sign o f weakness i n the supervisor? Common rationalizations t o support this belief: "You treat people well. , .they'll take advantage o f you" or"They won't respect you. .but they do respect sternnesss and authority".

T

.

.

.

.

.

T o m P arker is president, Tepee Associates, Inc., North W i l k e s b o r o , N.C., a firm s p e c i a l i z i n g in m a n a g e m e n t - s u p e r v i s o r y t r a i n i n g a n d personnel servi ces t o industry, business, education, hospitals, a n d governm e n t agencies. H e i s t h e a u t h o r of t h e Science o f Human Relations, which i s w i d e l y u s e d in s u p e r v i s o r y t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y . Mr. P arker w a s responsible for establishing supervisory d e v e l o p m e n t p r o g r a m s in both N o r t h a n d South Carolina. H e i s a regul ar leader o f National w o r k s h o p s in Hospital Supervisor Management Conf e rences.

Just recently in a six hundred bed hospital a thirty eight year old man, in supervision less than six months, expressed his beliefs t o sixty of his colleagues in a supervisory session declaring he didn't care whether his employees liked him or not. .so long as they g o t the j ob done. Isn't this sad? Sadder still is t h e fact that he doesn't believe in apologizing t o employees.. .because it is a sign of weakness. It will be interesting t o pl ot his progress, as a leader.

.

.

.

JULY/AUGUST 1976

In the early fifties, human relations programs sprang u p all over the country. Some organizations arranged programs for their supervisors because t h e organization next door was grooming their supervisors. It was in vogue. Many philosophical views were given i n those years, many of which are still making t h e rounds. Some o f these beliefs are misconstrued today. Practicing good human relations does not mean that w e will have good interchange w i t h everyone. We may co-exist with everyone but there may be t w o or more people in the hospital with w h o m w e will not "gee-haw". Some call these personality

19

conflicts or "hang-ups". We have never seen a personality conflict resolved. Perhaps you have. Some people feel that good human relations i s designed t o make and keep people happy. We feel this is absurd if w e use Webster's definition o f "happy". We f i n d it d i f f i c u l t t o keep members o f our o w n families happy.. .and h o w could w e possibly keep our employees happy? Besides, w h o w o u l d w a n t t o be happy all t h e t i m e anyway? What w o u l d w e have t o look forward t o ? We suggest you be concerned about your people, b u t you're apt t o g o insane if happiness f o r every employee is your goal. Still another misconception w e hear often is that human relations means that w e must treat all individuals alike. .or t h e same. This is nonsense, too. If it were true, w e could give everyone t h e same dose o f medicine. We can't treat everyone alike because everyone is different. If w e b u t admit it, w e are w a r m blooded beings subject t o emotional.. rather than logical actions and we f i n d it extremely difficult t o treat all our employees as fairly as w e would like. Yet, w e must make every effort t o be fair. .to give employees t h e benefit o f a doubt. One o f t h e classic expressions w e hear regarding human relations is that it means "getting along well w i t h others". This isn't necessarily so either unless w e describe t h e type o f human relations we're defining. Remember, there are t w o types . .good and bad.. .and you're likely t o see b o t h there today in t h e hospital. Have you ever heard human relations described as "being truthful w i t h people" or "leveling w i t h people" or"telling it like it is"? Think long and hard for a minute. .you k n o w you can hurt people's feelings b y being truthful. , .by "telling it like it is". Don't misunderstand us, we're n o t advocating t h a t you tell blatant lies.. .we're just saying that in many instances, w e should say less than w e think especially if it means hurting someone needlessly. For instance, an employee asks you, "Do you like m e i n this outfit?"The t r u t h may be that you don't like the employee in any outfit. Another person m i g h t ask you, "Do I look as healthy as I used to?"You could stop with a "yes" b u t you m i g h t be thinking t o yourself, "You've never looked healthy t o me." Or a proud employee may shove a picture of her very homely child in your face and ask, "Isn't she pretty?" You've o n t h e spot if you tell her t h e t r u t h . .so there are many times when human relations mean being less truthful, less frank than you should be. Don't you agree? Being aware and using discretion are common sense approaches w e should consider before commenting. Tact and diplomacy are common sense tools. We have mentioned these misconceptions.. .not t o be negative.. .but t o provoke thinking.

Your actions are but a reflection o f your values and philosophical views. You m a y n o t be w h a t y o u truly reflect t o others.. .but if these reflections are unwholesome t o t h e m .it i s only natural that you are t o them w h a t you reflect and they will act and react o n t h e basis o f what you cause t h e m t o think. We offer these misconceptions because w e k n o w some supervisors take t h e m literally. .they practice t h e m literally. If w e don't k n o w w h a t human relations really means, then h o w can w e practice effectively? Just remember w e can't practice w h a t w e don't know, anymore than w e can go back t o a place w e haven't been.

..

.

Downloaded by [Temple University Libraries] at 00:34 22 November 2014

.

.

.

.

.

20

Do you practice human relations? The answer i s no1 You live it.. .one w a y or another. Human relations i s really very simple. Visualize if you can a bunch o f proper fractions t h a t w e must add together. What must w e do hefore adding them? W e must f i n d a common denominator. People are like fractions.. .proper and improper fractions. Some are outstanding. .some not. They are n o t alike in value, effort, skill, education, age, sex, etc., b u t all are human beings. The common denominator t o w o r k i n g with people is this AWARENESS t h a t all are different and m u s t be treated differently. Practicing good human relations demands an AWARENESS each o f us must possess.. .an awareness that as supervisors, w e m u s t w o r k with and through people everyday. We must realize too, that people are n o more dependent o n us than w e are o n them. As supervisors, our chief responsibilities above and beyond everything else are: Good Patien t Care(Service) Quality Work and Cost Consciousness We get them only through our people.. .and whether w e care t o admit it or n o t . . .our people control service, quality and costs m o r e t h a n w e think. They can speed u p or slow down, d o t h e job with "gusto" or lack luster, check costs or send t h e m skyrocketing through waste and indifference. Now, t h e degrees or amounts o f Service, Quality and Costs w e can achieve are governed b y many things.. m o s t o f w h i c h relate directly t o human relations i n some fashion. Let's mention a f e w o f these things:

..

.

Safety Morale Loyalty The Will to Work The Extraordianry Effort Respect Trust and Dedication

HOSPITAL TOPICS

Just h o w many o f these things can w e order employees t o accept? The answer, of course, is very few. You can't even buy them with raises. N o w another question. .how many o f these things will employeesaccept? Most of them, with some effort o n our part. Common sense tells us that people will treat us about the same way w e treat them. It's a natural reciprocal action. Human relations is composed of little things: We do, We say, and Weshow to others every single day. If w e are AWARE of these little things w e do, say and show t o others i n our day t o day relations.. using large helpings of common sense.. .we are living human relations t o the fullest advantages o f all concerned. Are you asking yourself, "If this is true, h o w can I be expected t o practice good human relations everyday?" Let's compare t w o supervisors. .then pick your choice, You k n o w a supervisor w h o is unpredictable .one day pleasant, next day unbearable. . inconsistent. You also k n o w a supervisor w h o epitomizes ideal behavior. .who is consistent. .who is bascially t h e same day in and day out. The first one keeps employees guessing, uncomfortable and less productive. The latter is pleasant and warm, b u t i n control. Most o f us just naturally like t o be around this type person. The main difference in these t w o personalities lies i n degrees of maturation. .one has learned t o control himeself/herself. . .the other hasn't. It would be illogical t o assume that thesecond supervisor feels good all t h e time. This person has ups and downs just as does t h e first. This supervisor is merely AWARE of these little things he or she does, says and shows. They have learned ideal behavior pays greater dividends. It is absolutely true supervisors can make their tasks easier, gain almost unlimited coperation f r o m others and create a wholesome w o r k climate by behaving ideally.

.

Downloaded by [Temple University Libraries] at 00:34 22 November 2014

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

Here are t w o simple keys you've n o t likely t o f i n d in a textbook - guaranteed t o work. They are:

1. THINK,and 2. PRACTICE, EMPATHY What is there t o think about? -Think before you say Words can be like arrows.. .they can't be recalled once sent. Some words are very piercing. .can leave scars. . . hurt. .resentment .and sometimes harm innocent people.

..

.

JULY/AUGUST 1976

Apologies don't always work.. .after three or four o f them. -Think before you s h o w You are constantly on exhibition. Someone is always appraising you. A w r o n g move o n your part, especially a stupid one is embarrassing. Those observing you may question your judgment. They may even question your ability t o lead. -Think before you assume Assumptions are one o f your m o s t dangerous actions. A t best, they are guesses . .many of w h i c h are unsound. The worst thing about assumptions is that they may be habit forming. -Think before you pass-the-buck This is one o f our oldest f o r m s o f defense mechanisms. . .it's looking after old number one. We use it because w e don't w a n t t o look bad and i t s easier t o blame someone else.

.

.

-Think before you jump-at-conclusions This action is a first cousin t o assumptions. It adversely affects good human relations because it calls f o r rapid actions without study or thought o f consequences. -Think before you t a k e a c t i o n You area problem-solver.. .a decision maker. To be effective you must be right more often than wrong. So t h e first key is t o THINK. .but there are many things t o think about.. .agree? Ignoring these six little factors. .all of which are loaded w i t h action, can bring us crashing down. The second key is TO PRACTICE EMPATHY Empathy means simply that w e t r y t o put ourselves in t h e other fellow's shoes, then determine if w e w o u l d probably act and react about t h e same way he does, given t h e same set of circumstances. Finally, there is n o such thing as f i f t y - f i f t y human relations. We can't always assume t h e other fellow will meet us half way. When a supervisor and an employee are at odds . . .they will remain at odds u n t i l someone unfreezes. Guess w h o is charged w i t h running t h e department, getting out good service, good quality at reasonable costs? Guess w h o should unfreeze first? Think about it. Good human relations practices call f o r ideal behavior. , .and ideal behavior is a combination o f knowing t h e proper thing t o do.. .and doing it fairly, considerately and graciously. After all, w h a t is a supervisor? It's anyone w h o leads or directs t h e w o r k of others. What is t h e supervisor's chief t o o l ? Human relations.

.

.

.

21

Fundamentals of hospital safety in the operating room.

This article was downloaded by: [Temple University Libraries] On: 22 November 2014, At: 00:34 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England a...
296KB Sizes 0 Downloads 0 Views