Stephen M. Crow

Gender and Values: What Is the Impact on Decision Making?.

In this study we investigated C. Gilligans [(1982), In a different voice: Psychological theory and womens development, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press] suggestion that women and men, due to socialization, develop differently in terms of moral development [L. Kohlberg (1969), “Stage and Consequence: The Cognitive Development Approach to Socialization,” In D. G. Goslin (Ed.), Handbook of socialization: Theory and research, Chicago: Rand McNally]. We also considered whether men and women differ in terms of a related construct, values of equity and equality [K. A. Rasinski (1987), “Whats Fair Is Fair or Is It? Value Differences Underlying Public Views About Social Justice,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 53, pp. 201–211]. It is our expectation that gender influences overall orientation in terms of the two sets of values, and that differences in values lead decision makers to weigh decision issues and to make final decisions differently. Results suggest that there are some gender-related differences in value systems, weights of decision issues, and final decisions.

Attrition in nursing: perspectives from the national survey of college graduates.

Problems with attracting and retaining nurses during a tight labor market are compounded by some fundamental issues related to attrition from the field. It is important to recognize that, of the students who graduate from nursing schools each year and enter the field of nursing, significant attrition occurs during the first 5 years in the profession [www.aacn.nche.edu/media/backgrounders/shortagefacts.htmaacn.nche.edu (2002)]. This article uses data from the National Science Foundations National Survey of College Graduates to examine various scenarios and possible reasons for why some nurses abandon their careers [www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/snscg/start.htm (2003)]. In doing so, we consider entry into, and attrition from, the nursing profession at various stages. Using data from the National Survey of College Graduates, the initial evaluation suggests that, at points during the career, the individual confronts potential problems and issues which can lead to career attrition.

Drugs in the Workplace: Overstating the Problems and the Cures

Generally speaking, the American workforces productivity is not effected by alcohol and drugs. While this statement appears to fly in the face of the prevailing wisdom, we offer evidence that it is true, consider why there is a widespread perception that drugs are a significant problem in the American workplace, and suggest implications for managers and human resource professionals.

Nurse attrition as a process.

Problems with attracting and retaining nurses during a tight labor market are exacerbated by the fundamental issues related to attrition from the field. Many individuals leave the field prior to graduation or between graduation and placement. Significant attrition occurs during the first 5 years in the profession. One out of every 3 hospital nurses under the age of 30 is planning to leave the current job in the next year [Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet (March 2002). American College of Nursing. Available at: www.aacn.nche.edu/media/backgrounders/shortagefacts.htmaacn.nche.edu. Accessed January 3, 2003]. In this situation, it is of concern that we have been unable to identify any research which takes a holistic approach to issues of attrition. Instead, research is fragmentary, anecdotal, and treats problems in isolation. In this article, we take a conceptual approach and attempt to consider what is being said in the literature about the forms which nurse attrition takes at varying stages in the nursing career. Specifically, we begin a step-by-step examination of the process through which the individual first considers nursing as a career, to the application and acceptance processes, through the educational process and the nursing curriculum in general, to graduation and initial placement, and finally, to the fifth year when the nurse is fully engaged as a practicing nurse. At each stage, we discuss potential issues which may lead to attrition and develop hypotheses to guide further research.

Organizational culture: its impact on employee relations and discipline in health care organizations.

Organizations need to examine their cultures at the level of the “shop floor”—in health care, the point where health care workers deal with patients—to determine if the culture is consistent with management policies and will permit an effective program of reward and discipline. This article describes a case where organizational culture was a major imperative in the outcome of an arbitration case. Discussed is a shop-floor situation in manufacturing holding implications for health care, a setting in which management, by countenancing counterproductive aspects of the culture, made it impossible to apply discipline as needed. The conclusion is that health care organizations that neglect the detrimental elements of their culture may find themselves not only at risk of poor employee relations, but also unable to apply discipline effectively.

Strategic analyses in nursing schools: attracting, educating, and graduating more nursing students: part I--strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis.

The shortage of nurses in the United States remains a persistent problem. Faced with this reality, nursing programs in colleges and universities continue to struggle to expand enrollment levels to meet the spiraling demand. This research uses familiar tools in strategic management: the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and stakeholder analysis as initial steps to draw more students to the profession of nursing. In a 2-round modified Delphi survey, chief administrators of schools of nursing identify the main SWOT of schools of nursing and the important internal and external stakeholders that influence nursing school success. The authors of the research suggest ways to use that knowledge to increase the enrollment level of nursing students. Part I of this research focuses on the SWOT analyses.

Drugs in the Workplace: Setting Harris Straight

Harris purports to set the record straight about drugs in the workplace. Instead, he perpetuates old myths and cynicism about the American workforce and gives us no reason to change our original thesis. That is, generally speaking, the American workforce is sober and its productivity is not affected to any great extent by alcohol and drugs. In our original article we made two points. First, we stated that no one has determined with any degree of certainty the magnitude of the so-called drug problem in the workplace. Even if accurate data were available, it would be difficult to determine whether a given level of use constitutes a significant problem. Second, we pointed out that even if drug use does, in fact, constitute a problem, there is little evidence to suggest that drug testing represents an effective solution. Harris offers no compelling evidence to reject those points.

Arbitrators’ characteristics and decision-making records, gender of arbitrators and grievants, and the presence of legal counsel as predictors of arbitral outcomes

Labor arbitration helps define employee and employer rights and responsibilities. Evidence indicates that the advocates at arbitration tend to concern themselves with issues unrelated to the facts of the case or to the rights and responsibilities of the parties involved. More specifically, before the hearing, management and union advocates often dwell on issues such as the importance of the arbitrators’ personal characteristics and their decision-making history, the likely effects of the gender of arbitrators and grievants, and whether the presence of legal counsel impacts the arbitral outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine whether these non-case-related factors actually can be associated with differing awards by arbitrators. This study may be the first in which the arbitrators’ decision-making history (award orientation) is a primary issue. Of all the issues studied, the arbitrator’s disciplinary award orientation is the only one with a consistent impact on arbitral outcomes. We conclude that the energy and resources expended by the advocates concerning non-case-related issues would be better spent in preparing their cases for arbitration and in examining the potential impact of arbitration on the rights and responsibilities of management and its employees.

Managing information technology human resources in health care.

The health care sector has seen a major increase in the use of information technology (IT). The increasing permeation of IT into the enterprise has resulted in many non-IT employees acquiring IT-related skills and becoming an essential part of the IT-enabled enterprise. Health care IT employees work in a continually changing environment dealing with new specializations that are often unfamiliar to other personnel. The widespread use of outsourcing and offshoring in IT has introduced a third layer of complexity in the traditional hierarchy and its approach to managing human resources. This article studies 3 major issues in managing these human resources in an IT-enabled health care enterprise and recommends solutions to the problem.

Harassment: it's not (all) about sex! Part II: plaintiffs, supervisors, and preventive protocols.

Policies prohibiting sexual harassment, although a good start, are not enough to protect health care employers from the risk of significant liability to an employee who suffers unlawful workplace harassment. The purpose of the second part of this 2-part article was to help health care managers introduce new policies, procedures, and protocols to ensure that their organizations are adequately protected from the threat of charges of unlawful harassment.