Quest Diagnostics

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the acquisition history and business approach of Quest Diagnostics, the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services. This paper is written from the perspective of an independent consultant hired to resolve conflicts and analyze team dynamics in the company. Some areas considered include work-group productivity, an expanded discussion of social influence within the organization, and the role of the individual and diversity. Additionally, Steven Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" are integrated into this paper. The author concludes that everything comes back to the strength of the organization, and the organization must be maintained and promoted as an overall priority for any firm.

Organizational Behavior-Quest Diagnostics
Overview of the Paper
Work-Group Productivity
Social Influence
Individual Differences and Personality
The Habits of Effective People
Perception, Attribution and Motivation
High Performance, Effective and Ineffective Teams
Quality Management and Teamwork
Conclusion
People
Process
Professionalism

From the Paper:

"When discussing the dynamic of Work-Group Productivity, there are multiple facets of the dynamic itself to consider. Of course, the success of any group is only as good as its weakest member, but from another point of view, the old adage that two heads, or perhaps twenty heads, is better than one. American businesses, Quest among them, have long ago reached the conclusion that the ability to make important decisions is greatly enhanced by having a group of decision makers involved as opposed to one individual (Robbins, 2005). By having a group involved in decision making, the stress of the decisions is spread among many, removing from the equation the possibility of one figure head melting down in the face of the stress of making decisions all on their own. Beyond this, of course, the group is able to provide a great deal of different perspectives, attitudes, and experiences to the table, making it possible for the decisions to not only be made in a time effective way, but also in such a way that allows for high quality decisions that remove much of the possibility of error and poor judgment."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Covey, S (2000). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster.
• Hughes, K. T. (1993, November). A Manager's Guide to the Art of Team Building. Security Management, 37, 20+.
• Landis, B. I., & Scalet, K. G. (1994). The Role of Chance in Employee Disciplinary Decisions: Squaring Attribution Theory with "Just Cause.". Journal of Managerial Issues, 6(1), 119+.
• Pelled, L. H., Eisenhardt, K. M., & Xin, K. R. (1999). Exploring the Black Box: An Analysis of Work Group Diversity, Conflict, and Performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(1), 1+.
• Quest Diagnostics. (2006). Company Information-Quest Diagnostics. Retrieved February 24, 2006, from Quest Diagnostics Inc Web Site: http://www.questdiagnostics.com

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