Case1.1

Coach X: Effective Hospital Administrator

Assume that you are a member of the search committee that is evaluating applicants for the position of administrator of a 300-bed, community-owned hospital in your city. In examining the applicants' resumes, you note that most have had experience in health care settings, many having previous experiences as administrators or assistant administrators.

One application, however, is quite different. It is from one of the most successful college football coaches in the country, someone we will call X. Being a sports fan, you have seen this person many times on national television as his teams have consistently placed in the top 10 NCAA ratings. He has won five national championships in the past 15 years. His school leads major colleges in athlete graduation rates; throughout his 30-year coaching career, his programs have not been charged with a single NCAA violation. He has won the national coach-of-year title four times. He has mentored countless assistant coaches, who themselves have become successful. His former players have been among the NFL's biggest stars. He has charisma and is a gifted motivational speaker. No one is more highly respected in the profession. Serving also as athletic director during the past five years, he oversees a $57 million budget and 400 employees, and the university's athletic department is one of the most profitable in the country. His university's sports teams annually win the award given to the university having the best overall team performance across all sports. He has served with distinction as head of the National Association of College Coaches and is often selected to represent his peer coaches on significant NCAA issues.Presidents Bush and Obama have named him to important presidential commissions. He often has been courted by Democrats and Republicans as an easily winnable gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidate. Why is he interested in the position of head administrator of the hospital? In his application, he states that it was always his ambition to change careers by age 55. While acknowledging his lack of experience in the health care field other than through hospital stays with family, players, and friends, he would love the challenge of hospital management.

1. Respond to the following question: Would X be someone whom you would consider as a viable potential candidate for the hospital administrator position, despite his limited technical expertise?blank 1Yesblank 2No Why?
2. Suppose that the position being sought was that of supervisor of the hospital's computer technology department. Would your answer be the same? Why?