Pros
* job security * secure job * won't lose you job (as long as you show up and follow the dress & decorum policy) * given the low productivity levels (in the non-patient-driven areas), if you're smart about it, you can get by with "working" very few hours. * people are mostly nice and friendly, though backstabbers and passive-aggressive behavior are tolerated * did I mention, that as long as you show up and don't do anything illegal, you won't get fired? dream job for slackers! * access to good continuing education * mediocre standards (in non-patient areas) provide opportunities to achieve great work-life balance by doing just the bare minimum * if you do a great job fixing your own mess, you will be recognized for the extra effort * there are a few rare gems among the middle and even senior managers, but they can't (and don't *want* to be everywhere...) * marketing to the outside (the consumers) has improved 1,000-fold in the past decade. Kudos to allowing forward-looking people to do innovative things (e.g., social media presence)
Cons
* rampant nepotism - promotion based on seniority, not rocking the boat, not challenging those in charge and by getting along well with the MDs * rampant mediocrity; majority of all middle managers are promoted from within, often two or three levels beyond their first level of incompetency (would that be the pointy-haired boss principle?) * great work above and beyond the normal is not recognized, as it threatens to raise the mediocre standards set in place by the middle management * complete lack of strategic thinking, strategic planning by the vast majority of middle managers * every innovative idea only survives once it has been thoroughly bureaucratized (mayo-ized) * the leadership model is a physician/administrator partnership model that would work great if there was insistence by the physicians to put outstanding administrative leaders in place; but most administrators lack basic leadership skills and are mostly strong on operational management; thus the physicians need to step in as leaders - and that's what most of them never were trained for, so they wing it - most better than their administrative partner (for what it's worth) but still way below the potential. You wouldn't let a psychiatrist perform a heart surgery, so why do you let almost any MD be "a leader"? * as long as