Real-Life Communication
You are a contracts coordinator working in a medical research department.
For the last six months, you have been working on writing and finalizing a
contract between a doctor and a drug company. The doctor has agreed to test
a new product that the drug company has developed.
The drug has been
touted as a breakthrough for people suffering from migraine headaches. Dr.
Jamison has agreed to test the product on some patients in an upcoming clinical
trial. In fact, he is quite anxious to try it, as he believes it should produce
excellent results.
Unfortunately, the contract has been delayed a few
times. First it was due to the length of the trial. Then it was due to a sudden
increase in the cost of the drug. Both times, you had to rewrite the contract
so it appealed to all three parties -- the drug company, the doctor and the
hospital where the research work is to be conducted.
The hospital was
not happy with these particular changes, as it increased their cost dramatically.
However, the executives within the hospital agreed to the changes, but made
it quite clear that they didn't expect to see any more.
Now the
contract is almost complete. Or at least, that's what you thought when
you left the office last night. This morning when you arrived, you had a message
from Dr. Jamison explaining that the trial size was going to increase. The
drug company had contacted him and suggested doubling the number of patients
involved in the trial. This way, the trial would provide more detailed feedback
on the drug.
Dr. Jamison agrees with the drug company. He will be able
to use additional patients to test the drug, resulting in more thorough results
and hopefully fewer people suffering from migraines.
Although the idea
sounds great, you know having the contract changed isn't going to be
easy. You know both Dr. Jamison and the drug company will sign it, but you're
doubtful that the hospital will agree to it. While it benefits the first two
parties, it's going to mean additional costs for the hospital.
Before
you call Dr. Jamison to express your concerns, you jot a few notes down so
you have something to refer to.
- Additional dosages of the drug will be required for testing
- More patients will be required
- The doctor will be required to work longer
- More nursing hours will be required to do follow-up with patients
You decide to call Dr. Jamison so you can explain your concerns to
him. Before you even have a chance to begin, he jumps in and wants to know
why you're trying to hold the contract up. You try and tell him that's
not what you're trying to do, but he cuts you off. He really doesn't
want to hear your explanation.
Before he slams down the phone, he says
that he's going to talk to your boss directly. He's tired of you
messing up his plans for the trial. At this rate, the trial will never take
place.
You put the phone down and quickly try to collect your thoughts.
You need to call your boss immediately to arrange a meeting, hopefully between
you, your boss and Dr. Jamison. You must make Dr. Jamison understand that
you're doing what your job requires you to do and that's to protect
the best interests of the hospital.
You dial your boss's number
and he answers. After explaining what you'd like to do, he agrees, but
says he'd like to speak with you first, so he understands exactly what
has happened so far. He asks you to meet him in his office in 15 minutes,
and you agree. You hang up the phone and frantically begin preparing "your
side" of the contract negotiations.
You look at the notes you jotted
down earlier, but you don't think that's enough information to present
a really good case. You need to be more specific, so your boss understands
why you're truly concerned about changing the contract.
Write
down your concerns. The better you explain your reasoning, the better chance
you'll have of keeping the contract as is.