CONFLICT CASE STUDY
Ezekiel Ette
The Board of Directors of Heritage Community Health Center passed a resolution to discontinue an affiliation with a local hospital because of the hospital‘s board stance on abortion. Lisa Longfoot, the director of the community health agency who brought the issue before the board was left with implementing the decision of the board. She had to arrange for the case manager to relocate to the health clinic and must also work out the details of the blended funding between the hospital and the center. She needed to make the announcement to the community and helped the maintenance person to arrange a new space for the returning case manager. In fact, the management strategy calls for Ms. Longfoot to get others to help her implement the decision of the board.
However, as the community became aware of the development, some members of the board of directors who did not agree with the majority decision got upset with Ms. Longfoot as the process unfolded. Employees of the center as well as the PSR worker attached to the hospital did not like this new arrangement. Others in the community could not recall a time when there was no relationship between the center and the main hospital in the city. Others worried about the loss of the additional income that the center got from the referred clients. “We have always had a relationship” Mrs. Smith, a community leader noted. “To break off this collaboration on issues involving something this minor does not make sense” she observed. “It will hurt referrals from the main hospital”, another worker noted.
Ms. Longfoot decided to counter this resistance forcefully and pushed for the move. As a result, battle lines were drawn and the issue for the board shifted to supporting the director or not supporting the director.
Discuss this case and the position of the director; also suggest possible approaches to resolving the conflict. Also cite references.
