Fairfax Metropolitan Hospital Case Study

Fairfax Metropolitan Hospital Case Study

Considering the issues at Fairfax Hospital, this paper looks at the lack of diversity within the organization and seeks to make some suggestions on how communications issues or lack thereof can be resolved at Fairfax Metropolitan Hospital. And, also understanding and addressing these issues before they occur. In addition, Fairfax Hospital traditionally never had to deal with a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic workforce and therefore may have to deal with the common pitfalls of diversity in the workplace. And also understanding and resolving discriminatory and exclusionary behavior before it occur.

What are the possible communication issues in a diverse organization?

Acknowledging the importance of intercultural communication in the workplace is a vital key to the success of any organization. Many time communication issues arise because of language barrier. For example someone who is Indian and speak very little English maybe trying to express a issue or concern about a project in which he or she has been given to complete. And the person on the receiving end may intern speak no Indian hence the communication problem is created. When misunderstanding or communications issues arise this will become problematic and can result in lack of moral and cause performance issues.

How can these issues be avoided?

Managing communication in a diverse or multilingual organization can be a cumbersome task however, taking the necessary steps and being proactive to prevent diversity issues before they arise is imperative. Basically, every issue cannot be avoided however dealing with the problem head on may prevent some issues from rearing its ugly head again in the future. And of course, having some common understanding and respect of all cultures is the simplest example of avoiding some issues all together. In addition, have diversity training and inter active social gathering can bring a diverse workplace together.

How can they be addressed when they occur?

(Managing Diversity in the Workplace, 2010) Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money, and efficiency. Some of the consequences can include unhealthy tensions; loss of productivity because of increased conflict; inability to attract and retain talented people of all kinds; complaints and legal actions; and inability to retain valuable employees, resulting in lost investments in recruitment and training.

First it is important to understand what causes communication issues in the first place and not just in the area of diversity but, having some type diversity committee with members that represent every ethnic group, culture and segment of the hospital may help avoid some of the pitfalls that are associated communicating in the workplace.

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