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The Enemy of Engagement
September 2012 Vol 96
No 3
old, can be trained in a streamlined way to perform surgical procedures. This book should be required reading for future surgeons and perioperative nurses. It is easy to read but not overly simplified. Medical students will grasp the importance of the author’s compassionate method of treating every patient as an individual. Novice nurses will gain insight into the workings of an OR and the interpersonal as well as professional relationships among surgeons, nurses, and other OR personnel. Readers will enjoy the journey into the author’s world and will likely come away hoping that, when they need a surgeon, that person will be just like the author. SUSAN JENSEN RN, CNOR OR PAT RN GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL GLENS FALLS, NY http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2012.05.001
The Enemy of Engagement Mark Royal and Tom Agnew Amacom Books 2012, 230 pages, hardcover This book is targeted to anyone in management who has direct responsibility for a group of employees and who wants to motivate and inspire employees to perform at a high level by removing organizational obstacles. The authors use the art of storytelling along with research from the Hay Group, a global management consulting firm, to give managers different perspectives and offer recommendations to address and resolve the issue of employee frustration. The authors use their knowledge and expertise obtained from serving as leaders in the employee research division of the Hay Group to illustrate
348 j AORN Journal
REVIEWS how both managers and employees are frustrated with work environments that require people to be more productive and efficient when they are not always provided with the tools and support they need to perform to their potential. The book uses examples from the story of a fictional bank and the authors’ struggles to use research to provide different viewpoints and solutions for managers to follow. The authors define workplace frustration as an engaged employee’s inability to use all of his or her abilities in a job, and they discuss common reactions and responses to frustration, such as finding workarounds, giving up on trying to change things, or simply leaving the company. The authors discuss the results of these behaviors for both employees and the organization, along with the rationale for why managers struggle to respond to workplace frustration. The authors next illustrate the difference between employee engagement and employee enablement. Engagement is inspiring employees to succeed, while enablement is allowing employees to perform their jobs effectivelydboth are needed for employees to perform at their best. The authors describe research that shows employees are not ever again as engaged as they are within the first year of employment. This is because after the first year, employees are more focused on outcomes rather than learning their job roles. After the first year, employees also focus on the organizational limitations that prevent them from doing their jobs well. The authors strive to show managers that the key to this problem is to have employees enabled and engaged. Two key factors that promote a high level of employee engagement are building their confidence in the organization and guaranteeing that they are rewarded for their contributions to the organization’s achievements. The next section of the book focuses on the causes of organizational barriers to engagement and research into helping leaders identify barriers. The
REVIEWS
www.aornjournal.org
authors then gives key considerations for leaders in the areas of performance management, authority, empowerment, resources, training, collaboration, work structure, and processes. They give the leader work environment considerations to monitor and address using research from the Hay Group. This research produced ways to help managers overcome barriers such as failure to ask, inability to hear, and reluctance to know about the real issues and concerns within the organization. The next part of the book gives managers approaches to reduce workplace frustration. Questions are posed that allow managers to assess themselves in each of the areas of enablement. Best practice solutions are also offered as guidance for the reader. The last couple of chapters discuss how middle managers can serve as change agents within an organization to be the voice for employees to upper-level management so that an organization will maintain high levels of both team and individual performance over a long period. The authors focus on the fact that the workplace environment itself serves as a barrier to peak performance. They use research to address and recommend methods to eliminate obstacles in the workplace to improve productivity of both the individual employee and the organization. I would recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position who wants to make a positive change in the workplace environment. The book would be particularly useful for perioperative managers because it would help them deal with the many personalities that exist within their departments and the many concerns managers face on a daily basis. TISA CARLISLE MSN, RN ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF SURGICAL SERVICES WHITE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER SEARCY, AR http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2012.05.006
Improving Quality in Outpatient Services Carole Guinane and Noreen Davis CRC Press 2011, 279 pages, hardcover The authors of this book provide basic but necessary information on all aspects of ambulatory care. They have extensive experience in the health care industry and ambulatory care settings, and the book is factual and forthcoming regarding the elements that need to be present in quality outpatient settings. The authors call outpatient care the future of health care but say that outpatient care is inconsistent and insufficiently regulated. The public has dramatically increased its use of outpatient services, further increasing the need for quality control. Regulatory agencies are now becoming involved in developing metrics to measure quality outcomes. The authors believe that quality starts from the top down. For example, in the chapter about creating a structure for quality and safety, they discuss how facility leaders need to ensure that the mission and vision statements they develop embody the values that the organization and its leaders believe in. These statements reflect the ethical and moral fiber of the organization; they do not need to be elaborate, but they must be intertwined in the daily operations of the organization. This book would be a great tool for an administrator to use when developing a manual. Each of the 12 chapters has a distinct and coherent theme. The themes covered include regulatory agencies and requirements, customer focus, quality, safety, infection control, clinical documentation, and risk management. The organization of these chapters imposes a pragmatic and systematic quality approach on an otherwise fragmented health care delivery system. The
AORN Journal j 349
No 3
old, can be trained in a streamlined way to perform surgical procedures. This book should be required reading for future surgeons and perioperative nurses. It is easy to read but not overly simplified. Medical students will grasp the importance of the author’s compassionate method of treating every patient as an individual. Novice nurses will gain insight into the workings of an OR and the interpersonal as well as professional relationships among surgeons, nurses, and other OR personnel. Readers will enjoy the journey into the author’s world and will likely come away hoping that, when they need a surgeon, that person will be just like the author. SUSAN JENSEN RN, CNOR OR PAT RN GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL GLENS FALLS, NY http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2012.05.001
The Enemy of Engagement Mark Royal and Tom Agnew Amacom Books 2012, 230 pages, hardcover This book is targeted to anyone in management who has direct responsibility for a group of employees and who wants to motivate and inspire employees to perform at a high level by removing organizational obstacles. The authors use the art of storytelling along with research from the Hay Group, a global management consulting firm, to give managers different perspectives and offer recommendations to address and resolve the issue of employee frustration. The authors use their knowledge and expertise obtained from serving as leaders in the employee research division of the Hay Group to illustrate
348 j AORN Journal
REVIEWS how both managers and employees are frustrated with work environments that require people to be more productive and efficient when they are not always provided with the tools and support they need to perform to their potential. The book uses examples from the story of a fictional bank and the authors’ struggles to use research to provide different viewpoints and solutions for managers to follow. The authors define workplace frustration as an engaged employee’s inability to use all of his or her abilities in a job, and they discuss common reactions and responses to frustration, such as finding workarounds, giving up on trying to change things, or simply leaving the company. The authors discuss the results of these behaviors for both employees and the organization, along with the rationale for why managers struggle to respond to workplace frustration. The authors next illustrate the difference between employee engagement and employee enablement. Engagement is inspiring employees to succeed, while enablement is allowing employees to perform their jobs effectivelydboth are needed for employees to perform at their best. The authors describe research that shows employees are not ever again as engaged as they are within the first year of employment. This is because after the first year, employees are more focused on outcomes rather than learning their job roles. After the first year, employees also focus on the organizational limitations that prevent them from doing their jobs well. The authors strive to show managers that the key to this problem is to have employees enabled and engaged. Two key factors that promote a high level of employee engagement are building their confidence in the organization and guaranteeing that they are rewarded for their contributions to the organization’s achievements. The next section of the book focuses on the causes of organizational barriers to engagement and research into helping leaders identify barriers. The
REVIEWS
www.aornjournal.org
authors then gives key considerations for leaders in the areas of performance management, authority, empowerment, resources, training, collaboration, work structure, and processes. They give the leader work environment considerations to monitor and address using research from the Hay Group. This research produced ways to help managers overcome barriers such as failure to ask, inability to hear, and reluctance to know about the real issues and concerns within the organization. The next part of the book gives managers approaches to reduce workplace frustration. Questions are posed that allow managers to assess themselves in each of the areas of enablement. Best practice solutions are also offered as guidance for the reader. The last couple of chapters discuss how middle managers can serve as change agents within an organization to be the voice for employees to upper-level management so that an organization will maintain high levels of both team and individual performance over a long period. The authors focus on the fact that the workplace environment itself serves as a barrier to peak performance. They use research to address and recommend methods to eliminate obstacles in the workplace to improve productivity of both the individual employee and the organization. I would recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position who wants to make a positive change in the workplace environment. The book would be particularly useful for perioperative managers because it would help them deal with the many personalities that exist within their departments and the many concerns managers face on a daily basis. TISA CARLISLE MSN, RN ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF SURGICAL SERVICES WHITE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER SEARCY, AR http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2012.05.006
Improving Quality in Outpatient Services Carole Guinane and Noreen Davis CRC Press 2011, 279 pages, hardcover The authors of this book provide basic but necessary information on all aspects of ambulatory care. They have extensive experience in the health care industry and ambulatory care settings, and the book is factual and forthcoming regarding the elements that need to be present in quality outpatient settings. The authors call outpatient care the future of health care but say that outpatient care is inconsistent and insufficiently regulated. The public has dramatically increased its use of outpatient services, further increasing the need for quality control. Regulatory agencies are now becoming involved in developing metrics to measure quality outcomes. The authors believe that quality starts from the top down. For example, in the chapter about creating a structure for quality and safety, they discuss how facility leaders need to ensure that the mission and vision statements they develop embody the values that the organization and its leaders believe in. These statements reflect the ethical and moral fiber of the organization; they do not need to be elaborate, but they must be intertwined in the daily operations of the organization. This book would be a great tool for an administrator to use when developing a manual. Each of the 12 chapters has a distinct and coherent theme. The themes covered include regulatory agencies and requirements, customer focus, quality, safety, infection control, clinical documentation, and risk management. The organization of these chapters imposes a pragmatic and systematic quality approach on an otherwise fragmented health care delivery system. The
AORN Journal j 349