Shouldice Hospital Case Study

3.5 Branching into New Specialization

Another possible approach to expanding the Shouldice would be to grow out into other procedural types. This seems to be the least advisable approach since it doesn't address support the additional capacity for the procedure that they already have a backlog for. Additionally, considering that Shouldice is beyond capacity on its current procedure, they would need to expand their capacity to be able to support another procedure anyways. Further, Shouldice has no expertise in any other task that would make them anymore attractive than a standard hospital. Therefore, this would require significant additional work over a long period of time to develop a procedure and train a staff to perform it. Even then, Shouldice would need to establish a reputation for that procedure in order to give patients a reason to go there over another hospital. Therefore, this seems extremely unlikely to be successful and considering the large demand beyond their current capacity for their Shouldice procedure, their focus should be on meeting the needs of their current backlog demand.

4.0 Implementing Changes

Due to the strictly defined, regimented work processes and schedule that the Shouldice staff has been accustomed to over the years, the personnel are very hesitant to accept change. This resistance to change has already become evident with the disgruntlement by staff members who have heard the rumors of Saturday surgeries. In a situation such as this, it is important that these rumors are not allowed to linger without being addressed. Otherwise, the continued uncertainty and concern of the staff could lead to a change in culture or reduced responsiveness by the staff.

The staff at Shouldice is already intimately involved in the operation of the facility. Engaging members of the staff in expansion plans allows for an opportunity to gain their buy-in, acceptance and understanding of the need to expand. Additionally, since these people are the most knowledgeable on the inner operations of the hospital, they should be able to provide valuable suggestions that can be used to address the capacity issue of the hospital.