Seminar

On
Discipline: Service Rules, Self Discipline, Constructive v/s Destructive Discipline, Problem Employees, Disciplinary Proceeding Enquiry

Submitted To
Ms Subavathy Lecturer

Submitted By
Mr. Irashad Sheikh 2nd year M Sc Nursing

SEA College of Nursing, Bangalore

Discipline
The word discipline comes from the Latin word disciplina which means teaching, learning and growing. Discipline means orderliness. It is primary responsibility of management to maintain the discipline. In doing so, it must make its standard When employees are unsuccessful in meeting organizational goals, managers must attempt to identify the reason for their failure and counsel employee accordingly. If employees fails because they are unwilling to follow rules or established policies and procedure or they are unable to perform their duties adequately despite assistance and encouragement, the manager /administrator has an obligation to discipline the employees. One method by which a nurse manger can control subordinates behaviour is to invoke official disciplinary procedure. Discipline can be self-control by which an employee brings his or her behaviour into agreement with the agencys official behaviour code, or it can be a managerial action to enforce employee compliance with agency rules and regulations. DEFINITION Discipline is defined as a training or moulding of the mind and character to bring about desired behaviours. Discipline refers to working in accordance with certain recognized rules, regulations and customs, whether they are written or implicit in character. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF DISCIPLINE The aims and objectives of discipline are:

To obtain a willing acceptance of the rules, regulations and procedures of an organization so that organizational goals can be achieved. To impart an element of certainty despite several differences in informal behavior patterns and other related changes in an organization To develop among the employees a spirit of tolerance and a desire to make adjustments To give and seek direction and responsibility To create an atmosphere of respect for the human personality and human relations To increase the working efficiency and morale of the employees so that their productivity is stepped up, the cost of production brought down and the quality of production improved.

SELF DISCIPLINE The highest and the most effective form of discipline is self-discipline. It refers to ones effort at self-control for the purpose of adjusting oneself to certain needs and demands. When employees feel secure, validated, and affirmative in their essential worth, identity and integrity, self-discipline is encouraged. Ideally, all employees would have adequate selfcontrol and self-directed in their pursuit of organization goals. This form of discipline is based on two psychological principles. First, punishment seldom produces the desired results. Often, it produces undesirable results. Second, a selfrespecting person tends to be a better worker than one who is not. Although self-discipline is internalized, the leader plays an active role in developing an environment that promotes self-discipline in employees. It is impossible for employees to have control if they dont understand the acceptable boundaries for their behaviour, nor can they be self-directed if they dont understand what is expected of them

CONSTRUCTIVE VS DESTRUCTIVE DISCIPLINE Constructive discipline (positive discipline) uses discipline as a means of helping the employees grow, not as a punitive measure. The primary emphasis here is assisting

employees to behave in a manner that allows them to be self-directive in meeting organizational goals. Destructive discipline (also called enforced or negative discipline): If employees are forced to follow the rules and regulations of the organization by inducing fear in them, then it is termed as negative discipline

APPROACHES OF DISCIPLINE 1. TRADITIONAL APPROACH It emphasizes punishment for undesirable behaviour. The purposes of traditional discipline are To implement punishment for sin, To enforce conformity to custom, To strengthen authority of old over the young people.

Here discipline is always applied by superiors to subordinates, the severity of punishments is designed to be proportional to the severity of the offense, and when no single individual admits to the violation, the whole group is punished to motivate group members to identify the violator or punish him or her themselves 2. DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH It emphasizes discipline as a shaper of desirable behavior. The purpose of developmental discipline approaches are: To shape the behaviour of an individual, by providing favourable consequences for the right behaviour and unfavourable consequences for the wrong behavior. To avoid physical punishment, protection of the rights of the accused and replacement of arbitrary individual judgements of guilt. 3. POSITIVE DISCIPLINE APPROACH It is based on the assumption that an employee with self-respect, respect for authority, and interest in the job will adhere to high quality work standards; and when an interested,

respectful and self-respecting worker temporarily strays from his/ her usually highs standards, a friendly reminder is enough to redirect their efforts in the desired direction Organisations that have employed a positive discipline have noted a subsequent decrease in absences, dismissals, disciplinary actions, grievances, and arbitration, along with improvement of employee morale. 4. SELF CONTROLLED DISCIPLINE APPROACH The employees bring his or her behaviour into agreement with the organisations behavioural official code i.e. the employees regulate their own activities for the common good of the organisation. As a result, human beings are reduced to work for a peak performance under self-controlled discipline. 5. ENFORCED DISCIPLINE APPROACH A managerial action enforces compliance with organisations rules and regulations i.e. it is a common discipline imposed from the top. Here the manager exercises his authority to compel the employees to behave in a particular way.

DOUGLAS MCGREGORS RED HOT STOVE RULE

To achieve best effective discipline in organizations, Douglas McGregor introduced an approach known as red hot stove rule. Because it uses the familiar characteristics of a redhot stove to highlight four guiding principles for practising discipline in organizations. This is usually related to disciplinary action in the more limited sense. However, it works equally well in relation to the wider notion of discipline that I have described above. The attributes of effective discipline that the metaphor highlights are immediacy, forewarning, consistency and impartiality, as outlined below: 1. Immediacy

Characteristic: If you touch a hot stove, it burns you immediately, not some time later. Implication for leadership practice: Conversations about performance should take place
immediately after the event that triggers them, not be left until later. 2. Forewarning

Characteristic: As your hand approaches a hot stove, you can feel the heat; so you are forewarned that if you touch it you will get burnt. Implication for leadership practice: People must know in advance what performance and
behavioural standards are required of them. Performance conversations, and any disciplinary measures that result, will be ineffective and dysfunctional if they appear to have been conjured up out of thin air. A clear link needs to be made to recognise standards and prior warning given that sanctions will be applied if certain conditions either are or are not met. 3. Consistency

Characteristic: Whenever you touch a hot stove, it always burns you; it doesnt burn you at
some times and not others.

Implication for leadership practice: For performance conversations and any resulting
actions to be effective, these must take place in a consistent fashion, not in an ad hoc way. If performance shortfalls and/or behavioural issues elicit a response from a manager on some occasions and not on others, this disconnects between words and actions will simply compound the problem. 4. Impartiality

Characteristic: Whoever touches the stove will be burnt. It is the act of touching the stove
that leads to the painful effect, not some characteristic of the person; and it doesnt burn some people and not others.

Implication for leadership practice: Effective and felt-fair performance conversations focus
on the act, not the individual. These are also carried out in an impartial way, not based upon personality or position. Performance management, including any disciplinary action, will be ineffective if it appears to be based upon one rule for some and another rule for others. The above guiding principles help to put "discipline" and "performance management" in their proper places - as aspects of on-going, day-to-day leadership practice. Discipline and performance will never improve if managerial action is limited to periodic set-piece meetings and formal exchanges.

Forms and types of discipline Discipline among employees can be achieved in two ways, either through rewards or through penalties Based on this discipline can be classified in two types: 1. Self imposed or positive discipline 2. Enforced or negative discipline If employees are motivated through rewards, appreciation, construction support reinforcement or approved personal actions to confirm to organizational rules and regulations, it is termed as positive discipline. If employees are forced to follow the rules and regulations of the organization by inducing tear in them, then it is referred to as negative discipline. Negative discipline or enforced discipline involves the use of techniques like reprimands, fines, layoffs demotion or transfers. Acts of indiscipline or misconduct: Misconduct or an act of indiscipline impairs the organization tarnishes its reputation and leads to employee unrest. If not tackled immediately, these acts can leads to discipline problems. Disciplinary problems can be classified into three types they are: Minor infarctions Major infarctions Intolerable infarctions

Minor infractions: these are acts of misconduct that cause very little harm but if neglected can accumulated and result in serious problems for the organizations. Major infarctions: interferes with the orderly operation of the organization and effect the moral of the employees they related to cheating, stealing violating safely regulating etc.

Intolerable offences are those that can cause serious harm and damage to the organization. Causes of indiscipline 1. Faulty disciplinary action taken by the authorities may lead to indiscipline. It has been suggested that disciplinary actions must be consistent enough to provide equal justice to all concerned, for which managerial actions in regard to discipline must be free from any bias, privilege or favouirsm. 2. Neglect of employees grievances: neglecting or deferring the settlement of the employees grievances cause indiscipline such as strike, agitation & others. It has been suggested that the grievances of the employees should be settled by enquiring as early as possible. 3. Wrong placement and promotion or remuneration: Also, lead to indiscipline. Taking prompt decision for right decision for right placement, timely promotion, & proper remuneration helps to reduce such indiscipline. 4. Deficiency of well-defined code of discipline: also lead to indiscipline. The code of discipline should encompass sufficient rules, regulations, customary practices for the guidance and information to employees. Hence, proper code of discipline should be formulated, circulated, and communicated in clear and simple language to all employees. 5. Divide and rule policy: in organization also leads to indiscipline. The type of behaviour in the part the administration or management should not be practice at any cost in the interest of the organization. 6. Improper attitude towards employees problem: leads to indiscipline. Basically attitude influence human beings and their activities, moreover discipline itself is a by-product of attitude. Understanding of the employees personal problems and individual difficulties helps to maintain discipline. 7. Ill-equipped supervisor: may cause indiscipline. As the maintenance of discipline is the case of supervisory responsibilities, indiscipline may spring from the want of the right type of supervision.

PRINCIPLES OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION

1. Have a positive attitude: The managers attitude is very important in preventing or correcting undesirable behavior. People tend to do what is expected of them. Therefore the manager must maintain a positive attitude by expecting the best from the staff. 2. Investigate carefully: The ramifications of a disciplinary action are serious. If a staff nurse is disciplined unfairly or unnecessarily, the effects on the entire staff nurse may be severe. Therefore, managers must proceed with caution. They should collect facts, check allegations, and even ask the accused employees for their side of the story. 3. Be prompt: If the disciplinary action is delayed, the relationship between the punishment and the offense becomes less clear. 4. Protect privacy: Disciplinary actions affect the ego of the staff nurse. Discussing the situation in private causes less resentment and greater chance for future co-operation. However, a public reprimand may be necessary for the nurse who does not take private criticism seriously. 5. Focus on the act: When disciplining a staff nurse, the manager should emphasize that it was the act that was unacceptable, not the employee. 6. Enforce rules consistently: Consistency reduces the possibility of favouritism, promotes predictability, and fosters acceptance of penalties. 7. Be flexible: Individuals and circumstances are never the same. A penalty should be determined only after the entire record is reviewed. 8. Advice the employee: The employees must be informed that their conduct is not acceptable. Anecdotal notes can be of little value if the staff nurse is not informed of the contents promptly. 9. Take corrective, consistent action: The manager should be sure that the staff nurse understands that the behavior was contrary to the organizations requirements. 10. Follow up: The manager should quietly investigate to determine whether the staff nurse behavior has changed. If not, the manager should determine the reason for the nurses attitude.

COMPONENTS OF A DISCIPLINARY ACTION PROGRAM 1. EMPLOYEE CODE OF CONDUCT: The employees must be informed of codes of conduct. Agency handbooks, policy manuals, and orientation programs may be used. Eg. Employee code of conduct.

The basic pre-requisite for effective discipline is employee awareness of agency rules and regulations governing employee behaviour. Behaviour rules should be written in clear and concise language, incorporated in a hand-book and given to new employees during induction, posted in each work unit and discussed with employees by manager of each unit.

The significance of code of conduct is that each employee should behave and perform in a way that preserves the company values and commitments.

2. PENALTIES The agencys disciplinary action program should indicate that the current action is being administered without bias and is directly related to the offense. 1. Oral reprimands: verbal warning is an informal warning given to an employee. It is one of the mildest actions taken against an employee for an act of indiscipline. Such warnings are given in an informal and private environment. The supervisor should explain to the employee, the rule has been violated and implications for violating it. When oral warning is given, the nurse manager is advised to make an anecdotal record of time, place, occasion and gist of the reprimand. 2. Written reprimand: If the oral warning fails or offense is more severe or repeated, the reprimand may be written. This is the second step in progressive disciplinary procedure and the first formal stage of the disciplinary procedure. The written notice should include the name of the employee, name of manager, nature of the problem, the plan for correction, and consequences of future repetition. The employee has to sign it, to indicate that the employee has read it. A copy should be given to the employee and one retained for the personnel file. If again the terms are not met, other penalties will probably be necessary. 3. Suspension- if the employee does not adhere to the rules and regulations of the organization in spite of given verbal or written warning, then the next step is suspension of the employees. However if the act of indiscipline is quite serious then the employee may be suspended without any prior verbal or written warning. 4. Demotion- if no improvement is noticed in the performance of the employee even after suspension and if management wants to strongly avoid dismissing the

employee, demotion may be an alternative way few organizations use this step as a disciplinary action. 5. Pay cut- cutting the undisciplined employees pay is another alternative used in the administering disciplinary action. This approach has demoralizing effect on the employees. But it is considered a rational action by management if the only alternative is dismissal. 6. Dismissal- the ultimate disciplinary punishment is dismissing the erring employee. The action must be used only for the most serious offences or after all earlier steps have failed. The decision of dismiss an employee should be given long and hard consideration before being implemented. Other penalties: Fines may be charged for offences such as tardiness. Loss of privileges might include transfer to a less desirable shift and loss of preference for assignments. Withholding increment

3. RECORDS OF OFFENCES AND CORRECTIVE MEASURES: The personnel record should clearly indicate the offense, managements efforts to correct the problem and the resulting penalties. 4. RIGHT OF APPEAL: Formal provision for right of employee appeal is a part of each disciplinary action program.

DEALING WITH DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS Disciplinary action may be ineffective because of methodological weakness or of procedural omissions by the manager. Methodological problems result from improper documentation of disciplinary interview and procedural problems from failure to apply discipline in a timely fashion and to follow due process. 1. DISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE

It is a group discussion using both directive and non-directive interview techniques. It is damaging to employees self-esteem to receive criticism from an authoritative figure. Thus a disciplinary conference is anxiety provoking situation for both employee and the manager. 2. DISCIPLINARY LETTER It is a letter sent to the nurse/employee immediately after the conference, documenting the interview content from the managers viewpoint. It is needed as sometimes employees anxiety may block perception of the painful feedback offered by the manager. 3. MODEL STANDING ORDERS It specifies the terms and conditions which govern day to day employer-employee relationship, infringement of which could result in a charge of misconduct 4. ERRORS IN DISCIPLINIG EMPLOYEES The frequent errors encountered while disciplining the employees are: Delay in administering discipline Ignoring rule violation in hope that it is an isolated event Accumulations of rule violations, causing irritated manager to blow up Administering sweetened discipline Failure to administer progressively severe sanctions Failure to document disciplinary actions accurately Imposing discipline disproportionate to the seriousness of the offense Disciplining inconsistently

DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS ENQUIRY IN MANAGEMENT CCSR (CENTRAL CIVIL SERVICES RULES) AND KCSR (KARNATAKA CIVIL SERVICES RULES) General Civil Services Rules The essence of Government service is the sense of discipline to which all Government employees are subject and it is related to the employees code of conduct and discipline. Article 311 of the constitution enumerates two fundamental principles upon which the whole procedural law concerning departmental punishments on civil servants rests. The first clause of the article contains the guarantee that no civil servant shall be dismissed or removed by an authority subordinate to that by which he was appointed.

The second clause guarantees to him a reasonable opportunity of defence on the charges against him, supplemented by a second opportunity of showing cause why such a punishment should not be imposed on him, if after enquiry it is proposed to dismiss or to remove or to reduce him in rank. Only the appointing authority can impose major punishment (dismissal, removal or reduction in rank). The power of punishment can never be delegated. Enquiry officer is an officer subordinate to the appointing authority; who conducts formal enquiry about the charges on the charged official. The enquiry report contains findings of the charges, but there should be no recommendations about the punishment.

CAUSES OF DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS A. Acts 1. Acts amounting to crimes Eg. Bribery, corruption 2. Acts amounting to misdemeanour Eg. Misbehaviour, insubordination, disobedience 3. Acts amounting to misconduct Eg. Violation of conduct rules or standing orders

B. Omissions Eg. Habitual late attendance, irresponsibility, negligence etc.

STAGES OF DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDING ENQUIRY 1. Preliminary enquiry 2. Decision to start formal departmental enquiry 3. Suspension 4. Charge sheet and its service

5. Appointment of enquiry officer 6. Written statement of defence 7. Recording of evidence by the enquiry officer 8. Personal hearing of charged official 9. Report of enquiry officer 10. Show cause notice by the disciplinary authority 11. Reply to show-cause notice and decision thereon 12. Review of punishment order 13. Appeal or revision 14. Reinstatement and restitution 15. Show-cause notice against withholding of emoluments for suspension period in the case of a reinstated.

Conclusion Management as a discipline specifies certain code of conduct for managers & indicates various methods of managing an enterprise which an employee should follow in order to achieve the best result. Each organisation should incorporate the code of conduct which contains code of conduct for each employee and policy and regulation of employees conduct in an organization. It should also clearly define the action against failure of employee to adhere against code of conduct which should be consistent with course of conduct and consistent for all employee.

Bibliography
1. D. Elakkuvana Bhaskar Raj & at all management of nursing services and education 1st edition, published by EMMESS Medical publication in the year 2010, page no. 366-369. 2. B T Basvanthappas Nursing Administration 1st edition, published by Jaypee Brother, page no. 333-345.

3. http://informalcoalitions.typepad.com/informal_coalitions/2008/10/discipline-inorganizations-on-hot-stove-rules-performance-conversations-and-anopportunity-to-learn.html