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CEO Allen's Much Criticized Management Style Under Scrutiny
posted (April 30, 2014)

And, indeed, that sort of thing, going above the heads of others, and keeping them out of the loop is what we have consistently heard about Dr. Allen’s management style. 

Now, don’t get us wrong, we know people always criticize the boss, and if he or she is a tough boss, the criticisms multiply. Â Indeed, running the show – any show - is not a popularity contest. Â That’s accepted, but, in the case of Dr. Allen, what we’ve seen is the mass exodus of a number of highly trained professionals from the ministry – not making a fuss publicly, but privately, complaining bitterly about Dr. Allen’s vindictiveness and micromanagement. Â Ã‚ Again, complaints will come, but these ones just keep coming. Â In fact, Dr Marjorie Parks, on her retirement a year ago, gave a speech right in front of Allen and his minister where she complained about the meddling of the political directorate in the nursing profession, and spoke about, quote, “a system of micromanagement and unwarranted victimization…for any real or imagined infraction against the powers that be.â€￾

Those “powers that beâ€￾ reference is a not so oblique swipe at Allen. Today we asked him squarely about his management style:

Jules Vasquez
"You have a history, it appears, of alienating senior people, isolating them. Many senior people - you know as well as I - have left the ministry because they say that it is hard to get along with you. This Sharon Anderson case comes up, where it is alleged that you have been consistently undermining her, that you have insulted her, that you have accused her of a gross breach of duty. I know you can't speak specifically about that but, have you ever stopped to consider this management style and perhaps you are alienating a lot of people because you are a micromanager and want to control everything?"

Dr. Peter Allen
"Yes, every day I consider what we're doing. Every day I consider how we can do things differently, and of course, everybody has different opinions. Certainly, I don't consider myself to be a micromanager, as you'll see today. I think a couple of the officers that you mentioned have retired, and certainly it's true that I think you could say I cannot accept the status quo. The health system can do better. It does well, but it can do even better."

Jules Vasquez
"You don't have an epidemiologist. The two that I know of are not there. You don't have a health economist; the one that I know left. These are people that I understand - not from them - just anecdotally - left because of your management style."

Dr. Peter Allen
"The epidemiologist is actually on study leave. He's doing his PhD in Canada."

Jules Vasquez
"That is one of 2. The other was Aisha."

Dr. Peter Allen
"Aisha went on a scholarship as well to do her Master in Public Health - an excellent public officer, and we wish her very well, of course."

Jules Vasquez
"We have an internist being the National Epidemiologist right now, Dr. Manza. That's not a satisfactory state of affairs."

Dr. Peter Allen
"It's absolutely as you say, and we've advertised 3 times for epidemiologists, but it's a rare skill."

A check of our records shows that under Allen’s watch: two epidemiologists have left: Dr. Paul Edwards and Dr. Aisha Andrewin who resigned and secured her own scholarship. 

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