Managers I work with occasionally make a distinction between two categories of employees, let’s call them type A (active) and type P (passive) call.

A type P employee work to earn money, wants the job to offer security, is interested in the pension plan. This group talks a lot about the stress the job entails, about characteristics of colleagues and about the fact that senior management does not involve them enough. Group P is usually the largest group, about 80% of people. For them work is a necessary evil.

Group A sees things very differently. Someone in group A is busy with his patients, is working on developing himself and keeps the future of the organisation in mind. group A wants to contribute in several ways. Group A views the work itself, but also training and consulting as an opportunity to get better. To group A, unfortunately, often the smallest group, it is a privilege to be able to do this work.

One of the main tasks of the manager is to get people to move from group P to group A. This has many benefits for the individual, for the patient and for the organization. However, switching to group A only happens if someone sees his work as something that matters. When he sees the bigger picture.

The good news is, I am convinced that in healthcare there are many people who started as type A . They saw the importance of their work when they chose to work in healthcare. After all, who does not see the importance of good care? Because of the way the work is organized, many of them lose their original motivation, however. They go to work and think as type P.

If you help people return to type A, it is sufficient to focus on what is already there in essence. Focus on the recovery of the initial motivation and compassion.

In addition, it is essential to adapt the way the work is organised. Because it is the organization of the work which made people think according to type P, not the work itself. And the other good news is: adapting the organization of work is also one of the tasks of the manager. And it is at least partly in his sphere of influence.

I wonder what type you consider yourself. Have you always worked according to this type? If not, what made you move to the other type?

For maximum results, keep it simple and fun,

Wil Konings