A boss who listens

Summary

Managers enable employee influence by being present, available, and visible, by actively seeking suggestions for improvement, listening to employees and giving them feedback. This case study found that managers have different views on quality management. Some bosses value respect, some create an anonymous box of suggestions, and some use the word “complaint” instead of “suggestion”. This study aims to investigate how managers enable employees' voice in quality improvement in a tight budget organization such as the home care. Quality improvement is a strategy that helps organizations meet the increasing demands from their customers. If the manager allows the employees to influence the quality, the chances of success increases, and the risk of expensive staff turnover reduces. The problem is that organizations with a tight budget have more difficulty succeeding with quality improvement. It is up to managers to balance cost minimization and quality improvement. This study contributes to clarify how a manger can enable employees’ influence as a solution to both reducing costs and improving quality.