You are the administrative supervisor of the hospital’s diagnostic imaging department (radiology).

CASE: AN ULTIMATUM

You are the administrative supervisor of the hospital’s diagnostic imaging department (radiology). The department has been having trouble with the special procedures area; you have had considerable difficulty recruiting and retaining special procedures technologists. You presently have your allotted staff of three such technologists. However, these people are fully utilized, and at least two of them have recently commented about inadequate staffing for the workload.

The senior technologist, Carl Smithers, has recently been vocal about understaffing. Several times, and as recently as Monday of this week, he spoke with you concerning his perception of the need for another technologist. Today, Wednesday, the 9th, you received the following note from Smithers:

“As I suggested I would do in our conversation of Monday this week, I am going on record notifying you that additional technologist help must be available by Monday, September 21. If you are unwilling or unable to provide the needed help, I cannot continue in my present position beyond Friday, September 18.”

You immediately called Smithers and said, “Come to my office right now, Carl. We need to talk”. You intend to develop some course of action to address the department’s needs and keep your senior technologist in place.

Questions:

1. What has Carl Smithers done to his negotiating position by delivering an ultimatum? Smithers has weakened his position by putting himself in a corner, as often happens when one delivers an ultimatum. If nothing happens by the deadline he set to satisfy his demand, he must either resign or back down.
2. Granted, you want to address the problem as soon as possible, but what, if anything, should you have done before sending for Smithers? It would have been wise to take the situation to your superiors or whoever else would be able to say whether increased staff could be a realistic expectation.
3. What are you going to do or suggest doing if available resources continue to forbid adding any new staff? Lay out the (probably financial) truth to your technologists as a group and ask them to participate with you in seeking possibilities for adjusting schedules or smoothing workload. Use your facts and figures about workload and technologist availability to develop financial justification for more staff if that is a proper direction.
4. Is there anything positive to immediately come of Smithers’ ultimatum? If so, what? In instances like those presented by Smithers, there is nothing like a firmly stated ultimatum to get someone’s attention.

Requirements: comment responses should be at least 250 words