How to get inside your administrator's head
To get a competitive edge and increase the chances your request will be granted, it's helpful to know your administrator's negotiating style. "Understanding the expectations and value systems of your administrator is key," says Larry B. Mellick, MD, MS, FAAP, FACEP, chair of the department of emergency medicine and director of pediatric emergency medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Here are several types of administrators to be familiar with.
1. Comfortable with the status quo. Many administrators have an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," outlook. "Administrators have so many demands on their platter that the temptation will be to say no just to keep things on an even keel," says Mellick. "Any time they make a decision, there is always a domino effect they have to contend with. So their instinct is to keep things problem free." To prevent this, think through the elements associated with change, he recommends.
2. Wants all departments to get along. Some administrators may be hesitant to grant requests from the ED, fearing that other departments will feel slighted. "Be sensitive to the other departments that will be affected by your request," says Mellick. "Tell the administrator, 'I've already spoken with pediatrics and surgery, and this is the service they desire from us.' The other departments have agreed to support us in this request."
Administrators want to see the ED working collaboratively with other departments, says Mellick. "It's almost like a parent wanting to see the children all getting along," he says. "They know if your department is working interdependently, a synergism will occur that is beneficial to the institution."
3. Over-analyzers. Some administrators analyze a request to death instead of simply denying it. "This is a trick to be aware of," warns Mellick. "It's one of the tools used by administrators to make a request go away."
Administrators don't like to deny requests outright, because there can be a negative effect on their reputation, says Mellick. "They don't want a reputation for always saying no, but they find it useful to make a request simply go away."
Administrators may mention obscure reasons to postpone the request. "Lawyers are often used as tools," says Mellick. "If you find your administrator is continually bringing up other people who need to review your request or other meetings that need to happen, be aware that your request might become the object of a 'paralysis by analysis' ploy."
The best response to this somewhat dishonest tactic is to "call it as you see it," says Mellick. "Ask your administrator, 'Are you trying to discourage this proposal by overanalyzing this?' Tell them, 'I'm an adult, you can say no, it's OK,'" he advises. you don't think this is ever going to happen, please be sensitive of my time."
4. Playing hardball. Some administrators attempt to whittle down everything you request. "They are used to people padding whatever they need," says Mellick. "If you typically wind up with only half of what you asked for, then it's probably OK to ask for more than you actually need." On the other hand, this strategy would backfire with other negotiating types, he notes.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content