Yorkville Ambulance Case Analysis: Leadership and Communication Issues

This case study analyzes the Yorkville Ambulance, a public company providing emergency medical services, and its challenges related to leadership, employee communication, and human resources. The analysis identifies issues such as inadequate employee communication due to dispersed workforce and heavy administrative burdens on front-line managers, leading to a risk of disconnected cultures and friction between departments. Key problems include a lack of employee motivation, inconsistent management styles, and resistance to change. The study examines the impact of these issues on costs, quality, and customer service, highlighting the need for improved labor relations, streamlined communication, and a focus on employee engagement to ensure the organization's effectiveness. The case explores the root causes, effects, constraints, and opportunities for improvement within the organization, focusing on the impact on the quality of work and the overall organizational culture. Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments to help students with their studies.

Running Head: AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
Case Analysis:
Yorkville Ambulance

AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
Case Analysis Form – Ivey
In order to deal with the enormous workload in the organization, The Company seeks
assistance in putting together a sustainable human resource plan. This is simply due to
insufficient time to build relationships with employees. There are two main issues here:
Employee communications and personal leadership. The issues are summarized below:
General Information
 AYV is a public company created by the Government of Yorkville in June 2007 to provide
an emergency medical service.
 It unifies all ambulance services under a single entity.
 A total of about 900 employees work for Ambulance Yorkville, including 850
paramedics, 40 dispatchers, and 15 nurses.
Employee communications
 As MCMC and air ambulance representatives are both based in Moncton, they have no
employee communication because their workers are spread out across Yorkville.
 Managers on the front line have a heavy burden of administrative duties, such as
scheduling paramedics. Currently, only email can be used to communicate because it is
the easiest way to get a response.
 The focus of the collective agreement was more on hospital employees and less on AYV.
 Concerns have been raised about the level of engagement by paramedics
 A risk of multiple disconnected cultures emerging exists.
 HR learned about serious issues too late to have an impact and front-line management
has already acted. Occasionally, HR had to change the manager's position after it had
been made. Thus, there has begun to be friction between HR and Operations.
 There are squabbles between dispatch and paramedics. While this is a typical
occurrence in emergency services, it is unsatisfactory and may be getting worse.
Personal leadership
 Since paramedics have little opportunity to advance in their organization, they are not
usually driven by advancement. They occasionally express concern about the new
system.
 Managers who used to work for private companies are aware of their loss of freedom
now that they work for a larger corporation.
 Across the organization, employee experiences vary due to different management styles
among the Operations Managers or Regional Managers.
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
 A lack of motivation among managers to adapt to new and changing standard
procedures.
Assumptions
 Improved consistency of care through a centralized approach to emergency care
protocols.
 In less than a year, the management team has put together a fully functional, highly
professional, state-of-the-art service.
Immediate Issues/Symptoms
Explain (list from most to
least severe)
Who is involved? What is
their role and responsibility
in creating or resolving this
issue?
Impact on costs, quality,
customer service, or
innovation?
1. RHA and CUPE. RHA
managers started to feel
that the union's
perspective on issues
would win out against
management's.
 Regional Health Authority,
CUPE, HR, management
were involved.
 Along with hospital
operations, management
should concentrate on
Para medicine.
 The HR's reactive approach
created a tense situation
between CUPE and RHA.
 Any internal departmental
concerns were forwarded
to the provincial
Department of Human
Resources, which meant
they never had an
opportunity to settle them
and were reliant on the
union's perspective on
everything.
 Their decision-making
skills will be affected, and
they will be less interested
in organizational goals or
functions.
2. The focus of collective
agreement which was
written to cover the entire
health system remained
on hospital operation and
little did they mentioned
about AYV employees
 Employees and HR were
both involved.
 The agreement should
take into account the
employees' needs and
concerns.
 HR should be capable of
understanding the
 This would have an effect
on the employees' attitude
toward their jobs. This
would demotivate
employees, reducing the
quality of their work. This
would have an impact on
the productivity.
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
situation and develop
suitable strategies as a
result.
 Employees that lose focus
on their task have an
impact on customer
service quality.
 Failure to meet the
organization's objectives
3. Employee relations are
hampered by the nature of
the business
(They have no employee
communication because
their workers are spread
out across Yorkville.)
 Senior managers- Due to a
lack of time, they have
been unable to develop a
strategic human resources
plan.
 MCMC and air ambulance
employees- they are
situated primarily in
Moncton, however some
employees are dispersed
around Yorkville.
 Front-line managers-
having a large number of
administrative
responsibilities
 Employees were not
socialized, causing them to
be estranged from one
another, generating an
unwelcomed atmosphere,
and a feeling of
hopelessness.
 Low workplace
productivity and
communication owing to
interpersonal conflict.
 There is no team
communication or
engagement to boost job
morale.
4. Concerns over the level of
engagement by
paramedics
 Paramedics – they are not
generally motivated by
career progression
 As they have few
opportunities to advance
in their companies, they
occasionally voice concern
about the new system.
 If they are constantly
demotivated, they would
have less enthusiasm in
their work.
5. Danger of multiple
disconnected cultures
emerging.
 Managers- feel their lack
of freedom
 Employees- their
experience differs across
the organization, based on
differing management
styles
 They have lost the
freedom which they used
to enjoy while working as
an independent contract,
and they now feel bound
to follow sops and yet no
one cares about their
opinion.
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
 It creates a sense of
discrimination among
employees when certain
employees get information
sessions regarding
policies and others do not.
6. Friction between HR and
Operations
 Front-line managers- They
have shown that they lack
decision-making abilities.
 HR- they discovered the
seriousness of the issues
too late to have an impact.
 Seen as a leadership and
authority contradiction
 When HR has to change a
manager's position at a
later period, it causes a
wedge between them and
the manager, making the
organization unorganized
7. There are quarrels
between dispatch and
paramedics.
 Dispatch and paramedics
employees
 It is unfavorable and is
likely to worsen, causing
delays in action.
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
Root Cause/Basic Underlying Issues
Explain (list from most to
least severe)
Who is involved? What is
their role and
responsibility in creating
or resolving this issue?
Impact on costs, quality,
customer service, or
innovation?
1. Group members'
conflicts and a lack of
communication
 Senior managers- They
are unable to interact
effectively with their
staff due to a shortage
of time.
 Front-line managers-
they are overloaded
with administrative
responsibilities.
 MCMC and air
ambulance employees-
less interaction
because employees
are on the road most
of their time in their
vehicles
 HR- Employees are
usually looking for a
reply from them.
 Organization members
don't get along,
reducing the quality of
work and the
organization's overall
culture.
 Work isn't well-
rounded, and there's
minimal
communication.
 If they put their heads
together, they can
reduce disagreements
and perform things to
the best of their
abilities.
2. Organizational
Inconsistency.
 Rather than focusing
solely on hospital
operations, equal
attention should be
paid to para-medicine.
 Instead than issuing
policies to the
employees, they
should be discussed
first and leaders needs
to ask for the opinions
to generate a vision
 Lack of information
exchange among
group members leads
to a loss of
productivity; there is
no teamwork and
tasks are handled in a
chaotic fashion.
 Meetings essential for
effective
decentralization were
not held, resulting in
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
that the organization
as a whole is content
with
 Organization members
must ask for inputs in
order to improve the
organization and
ensure that everyone
is pulling in the same
direction.
 The union's point of
view on topics should
be given equal merit
with management's.
lower work and
company quality as
everyone is pushing in
various directions.
 Employees lose
interest in work as a
result of a lack of
freedom and decision-
making abilities.
 Inconsistency among
managers reflects
poorly on the
organization, as does
inconsistency among
members of
leadership.
3. Less adaptive to the
changes
 Managers who were
previously private
operators acutely feel
their lack of freedom
now as they have to
adapt to new and
different standard
procedures
 Many former public-
sector executives
believe that "nothing
can be done" about
many HR issues
because their former
bosses frequently
failed to deal
successfully with labor
relations difficulties.
 A feeling of dread that
they must adjust to
new and changing
standard operating
procedures. They used
to be non-union, but
now they must abide
by a collective
agreement which
results in lack of
interest in their work.
 A sense refusal to
listen to new
leadership.
 There is a lack of faith
in management and
are hesitant to try new
things, stuck in their
ways, rendering their
work.
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
Analysis of Case Data
Causes & Effects  Employee communications - less time to interact with team- no team
interaction
 A failure in communication between organizational divisions.
 No hierarchy to be followed.
 Workload overburdened.
 Personal leadership - lack of motivation among employees.
 No planned meetings to keep up with, no process, and no one
asked for the input.
 Management and HR must demonstrate their credibility to the
workforce in order to be trusted.
Constraints  As a government -wide emergency medical service, no proper hierarchy
within the organization
 With so much responsibility, senior managers haven't had the time or
resources to work on a critical HR strategy.
 The organization's struggles to date in providing HR with the resources
that management requires.
 The majority of the policies are focused on hospital operations, with AYV
barely mentioned.
 Geographic Location- The fact that most employees are on the road in
their vehicles limits what the company can do in terms of
communication.
 Small internal departmental matters were also referred to the provincial
Department of Human Resources, leaving the Department of Health with
little decision-making authority.
Opportunities  The climate of labor issues between RHAs and CUPE should be improved.
 Direct responsibility for labor relations should be handed to the
Department of Health.
 The union's point of view on matters should be given the same weight
and consideration as management's.
 Workload should be distributed in such a way that no one feels
overloaded.
 Employee relations should be given additional attention in order to boost
employee motivation.
Quantitative
Data
 Ambulance Yorkville employs around 900 people, including 850
paramedics, 40 dispatchers, and 15 nurses. With such a huge workforce,
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
proper leadership and hierarchy are essential. It's also critical to make
sure that protocols and proper team communication are in place so that
everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Qualitative Data  Its government -wide emergency medical service with 900 employees,
they hired more than 100 new paramedics in their first year.
 Overall they were successful in unifying all ambulance services under a
single body but they started lacking in employee relationship.
 Employees lacked a sense of freedom and deception-making abilities.
 Members felt unwelcomed and disconnected from the organization
because most decisions were made without consulting them.
Course
Concepts
Relevant to
Case
 Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model: theory is “too abstract to be used
for day-to-day organizational behavior-problem analysis” (Nadler &
Tushman, 1983, p. 114).
 The transformation process receives the most attention in the model,
which highlights the essential system attribute of interdependence. It
sees organizations as a collection of interconnected components or
parts. These elements are in a state of relative balance, consistency, or
"fit" with one another. The many pieces of an organization can either fit
well together or function successfully, or they might fit badly, resulting in
issues, dysfunctions, or performance that falls short of expectations.
 Three interventions that need to take place in order to solve these
issues:
 Human Resource Management Interventions: focus on integrated
human resource techniques and how they can be used to help firms
integrate their employees. Also supporting individuals in
organizations (Cummings & Worley, 2015, pg. 160).
 In this Goal-setting, reward systems that connect member
work behavior with business goals, employee involvement,
and workplace technology are all included" (Cummings
&Worley, 2009).
 Human Process Interventions: these are designed to improve
communication and dispute resolution among those who are working
together (Cummings & Worley, 2015, pg. 157).
 Through this intervention we can examine how members of
an organization engage with one another and deal with
interpersonal and group dynamics. The approach
investigates member communication at the group level.
(Cummings & Worley, 2015, pg. 157). Intergroup relations
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
and large-group interventions will aid in the formation of
ties between workforce divisions as well as the explanation
of essential group values and goals. (Cummings & Worley,
2015, pg. 158).
 Strategic Change Interventions: implemented to enhance “business
strategy, organization structure, and the larger environment”
connectivity (Cummings & Worley, 2015, pg. 161).
 Remodeling the organizational design, covering structure,
rules, and management processes, as well as participating in
a cultural shift that involves the creation of new values,
norms, and goals (Cummings & Worley, 2015, pg. 161)
 The theory of strategic change and change management, and manifested
in part in the practice of transformational change, or reengineering.
When a company needs to modify its strategy to be more competitive, it
must make both external and internal changes, as employees must be
informed, involved, and motivated to help achieve the change (Worley,
Hitchin, & Ross, 1996). It is a methodical way to dealing with change, not
only from the perspective of an organization, but also from the
perspective of an individual. Change management is a broad word that
encompasses more than three dimensions, including adjusting to
change, controlling change, and implementing change.
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
Describe alternatives to resolve root cause/basic issues.
Issue Considerations/Support
Organizational Structure or
hierarchy
Within each department, the organization implements the
functions, responsibilities, authorities, relationships, and
communications of individual employees and management. The
organizational structure is a common representation of
management. The structured organizational structure, which
uses organization culture to provide a sense of regulated flow of
departments and jobs that are aligned with individual talents
and knowledge, As a result, the organization chart produced a
distinct line that demonstrated supervisory authority as well as
the communication flow between subordinates and their
immediate supervisors. Everyone will be more likely to stay
engaged and perform to their full capacity if everyone
understands the organization's purpose and values. This will
improve communication while also strengthening connections.
Making team leads HR or supervisors are unable to communicate with teams due to
their workload, which has a negative impact on employee
relations. Team leaders can encourage higher levels of
productivity from each team member, enhancing the overall
efficiency of their organization's operations, by applying modern
management approaches that are intended to improve time
management, minimize employee stress, and increase the
quality of meetings.
Mentoring Partnerships
Place individuals with similar responsibilities and characteristics
in mentoring partnerships to increase communication and
interactions between employees and senior members. This will
ease tensions between the two groups and allow everyone to
benefit from the learning experience. This will improve the lives
of each individual. If this relationship-building effort is
successful, the new leadership figures will have more trust in
one another, which will reduce anxiety and bias.
Distributing
Responsibilities
Instead than relying on a single individual or the management
team, several people assume a portion of the responsibility by
giving as many leaders as much responsibilities as possible
throughout the organization. When more people have the
power to make the decisions that are required. People are no
longer obligated to await the single decision-choice. In this
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AMBULANCE YORKVILL CASE ANALYSIS
instance, they can delegate primary responsibility for labor
relations to the Department of Health, which will encourage
them to work more efficiently. This can help to reduce conflict
amongst coworkers and improve the workplace's overall
structure.
Creation of Cross-Sectional
Teams
Designing cross-sectional teams improves the communication
between members from various departments, promotes
confidence on teams to fulfill tasks, improves the overall quality
and organization of work, and reduces misunderstanding
because smaller groups are more informative. This will have a
significant impact on the culture of the company. Because your
team relies on your input, deadlines are more likely to be met in
smaller groups.
Giving accountability or
distributing ownership
People take more psychological ownership of the work they
accomplish when they are allowed to use their ideas and
experiences to complete their professional responsibilities.
Because of this buy-in, higher-quality results are produced. It
stimulates increased productivity and commitment, which leads
to a long-term improvement in staff performance. Employees at
all levels are more likely to participate, develop, and stay loyal in
this system.
Decision Criteria
What are the criteria that are
important to making this
decision?
Justification for choosing this criterion
Team and individual
development
The Gallup organization has examined a strengths-based
strategy that focuses on team and individual growth (Clifton
& Harter, 2003). In contrast to a weakness-based strategy
to development, which often pushes individuals and teams
to shore up weaknesses, the Involved in the completion
approach (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001; Rath, 2007)
recommends researching attributes where an individual or
team has a talent. The learner should "focus maximal
learning on talents, integrate activities of one's life around
talents, and manage around shortcomings" when
developing adopting a strengths-based approach to make
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