Organisational Structure and Nursing Leadership - Article Example

Introduction Nursing is a very complicated undertaking and profession which call for sound leadership and management principles and more especially if it is within a hospital environment. Leadership and management in a health care organization entail the interaction, understanding and accepting that we get sick and there should be some form of care. The practices within this organization are that there is a sense of restraint, logical approach, and creativity based on interactions with communities, families, and personalities. Leadership and management are therefore very important in this organization for effective running of processes. As Groham-Murray and DiCroce put it, there is no success in an organization without the blessings of a good leader that comes in terms of restructuring, guiding, and solving problem within the organization. This essay will therefore examine the aspect of organizational leadership, management, structure, organization and management theories, organizational characteristics, types and overall practices in a hospital setting. It will look into the leadership practices within a health care environment and how it actually affects service provision. Thesis statement Leadership in every organization is crucial for maintaining a health organizational culture within it. It involves how people are directed to perform specific tasks within the organization and this can be done if the following aspects of the individuals are influenced; individual dynamics, motivation, discipline and teamwork. Good leaders are hence good learners within the organization Scope of the problem There has been a proposition that made people believe that leading comes directly from those in power and especially the rich in every organization and that is the origin of many tribulations. This is just but a mere hypothesis that has not been proved in any way but leadership as a concept can be provided by any individual who provides guidance, information and suggestion on the way things can be handled within the organization. Since decision making processes usually lie on the shoulders of mangers and directors within the organization, there is need to have an inclusive process that permits all individuals within the organization to make their contribution. (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1976) Management practices by the managers are responsible for monitoring the results of any event and thus can make any improvement or modification if there is need for it. This organization can employ internal auditors to check the financial statements of the organization and verify if there is any misappropriation of resources. Nursing managers can also determine how the productivity of the nurses within this organization can be achieved especially by scrutinizing the efficiency of personnel through their actual output for example; each member of staff in the hospital may be required to ensure that there is sanity in where he or he works. It is therefore paramount that any organization employs various strategies and approaches in order to have things done the way it should be done. (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1976) Organizational chart for this organization Mission statement for this organization The mission of this organization is to deliver affordable, effective, and universal nursing care to all people especially those people whose welfare needs have been neglected for a long time by the society and the government. Value statement for this organization This organization commits itself to nursing excellence which goes with one accord with the institutional core values of integrity, respect, stewardship, and togetherness. In this organization therefore, there will be guidance of professionalism and compassion for human worth, dignity, and respect of every human being regardless of their color, nature of the health need, financial status, social class, or any other human diverse considerations. Characteristic and type of structure for this organization This organization has been able to utilize the global matrix model as its type of organizational structure. In this structure, each manager is responsible for each specified section of the organization. Whenever there is a problem, there is a point where the management can get answers from or any kind of clarification. The channel of communication in this type of organizational structure is almost simple because only complicated issues are taken beyond the departmental head to the director. In some cases, the nurses can handle small issues by themselves making the leadership process simple and effective. Organizational culture Organizational culture within this organization has been a core aspect of management practice in which the staff and the management have been able to work as a team. Organizational culture entail the living togetherness spirit within the organization and thus the organization turns to be a ‘society’ where norms and other beliefs are clearly entrenched in the lives, and day to day activities of the employees. Where there is a lot of enthusiasm and encouragement, the management practice is excellent, and therefore, the organizational culture that is adopted help the organization grows up. Organizational culture within an organization assist it bestows the employee with humble time to balance work life duties (Grohar-Murray & DiCroce, 2003) Organizational climate Organizational climate on the other hand describes the workplace environment which concerns how people interact, how duties an\re done and if there are any interrelationships that may be formal or informal among employees. Organizational climate is usually determined by the policies and decisions that have been put in place in the organization. Whenever the organizational climate is positive towards the prosperity of the organizational a lot of developments can be achieved thus translating to growth and development. However, when it is negative, the organizational growth is retarded (Herbert & Matthews, 1977) Strategies for improving organizational climate The best approach to strategically improve organizational culture is team leadership. Team leadership entails a situation where every individual is expected to have high degree of interdependence geared towards achievement of complexion of duties given out. Leaders within a team are expected to stand apart from the team by virtue of status held and help team members in clarification of any matter that arise by advocating for cooperation between members where there is prejudice. While looking for solutions, a team leader is supposed to clearly understand the issue and its possible elucidations for them. Issues are then addressed and passed over to the relevant authorities for action to be carried out and if there is a problem, involved parties are called upon to resolve it. The characteristic of team leadership where a leader gets assurance from members to take act on matters affecting the organization (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1976) The systematization of tasks of any organization has to deal with the issue of allocating the tasks to the employees respectively according to their competences and setting the time limits of the tasks to be undertaken within the working environment. For example assigning a nurse the duty of ensuring that the medicines required by patients are availed whenever needed and assigning other supervisors the task of ensuring that workers facilitate the operations of the organization and it becomes easier for the management of the organization to achieve its policies, mission and value statements in the process(Grohar-Murray & DiCroce, 2003) Management and leadership theories Management theory The inception of management theory begun in the 19th century as an idea of civilization from the people who have witnessed revolution in management theory in the past two decades. The management theory ranged from Asian management approach to classical theory in the administration of businesses since the nineteenth century. As a result of interdisciplinary efforts from many people, it is possible for modern organizations to adopt a new advancement in the area. With the rise of the factory system within our organizations especially during the nineteenth century, management theory has come of age today. Fredrick Taylor who has been described as the father of scientific management by many people including sociologists and theorists was instrumental in the development of management theories in the twentieth century. Taylor has developed incentive systems for development of standard productivity at the organizations. He had stressed the goodness of ascertaining the common goals for the development of hierarchical organizations that allow employees to engage with the administration in decision making processes within the organization. (Lee & Kim, 1999) Delivery of services in the organization may be influenced by the mode or style of leadership adopted and as a matter of fact, it has become a challenge for many management theorists who needed to define management thinking in relation to improving productivity and choosing the best leadership style for a specified organization. The common pre-classists of management reflection has been necessitated for instance by the emerging globalization and diversity in most organizations today. The well-known management theorists of the 19th century who included Charles Babbage and Robert Owen helped concentrate on the development of managing theory as a social and entrepreneurial management reforms. While Babbage noted the importance of strong managerial interests in our organizations at this time of globalization, Owen helped outline his vision for the society through child development initiatives that he believed would assist them in future management roles. He believed that development was directly proportional to the management (Grohar-Murray & DiCroce, 2003) At the beginning of this century, tremendous management theory became a comprehensive classical tool for many managers who believed that it was a good idea to improve management effectiveness within many companies through the use of reliable approaches in management. The theorists did not stop at this quest but they continued to develop new concepts for comprehensive theory for management. In addition, they needed to provide tools for new managers to that are required to deal with management challenges and possibility with opportunities that come once in a while. These tools include scientific management branches, administrative management, and other bureaucratic progresses. (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1976) The major contributions that came from the two contributors were the modern profit-sharing plan through effective management. Although the two theorists developed the ideas in the 19th century, they are still being used until today. Their theories were however lacking doctrines that were to be credited for human relations and specialization. The contingency theory is another theoretical paradigm that utilizes the management principles for recognizing the importance of individual efforts in management. The extent that power and control is the basis for appropriate management solutions for contingency theory in that within the organizational environment, there is some devoid of management ideologies and values. The contingency theory is also heuristic in nature as a management paradigm for distinct control of challenging circumstances within the organization. (Lee & Kim, 1999) Cognitive theory The development of cognitive theory relating to management has been proportionate to society trends in the past because of the progress of social integration. The administrative theory of management as applied by many organizations has been undertaking different dimensions with advances in hypothesis development. Profound influence on management theory has been revolutionized by management approaches within the context of experiments in ushering the administrative proverbs. As a major landmark in human management, the demise of classical school behavior is prompted by organization theories. The classical school of management in relation to classical management theory used in the 20th century has revealed hidden problems that ensure that managers discharge their duties for increased performance. This management classical theory provides a test for solutions that is needed for classical and scientific administration in the societies/organizations today. (Grohar-Murray & DiCroce, 2003) Management and leadership theories have been taken into account by many theorists and some of them are the cognitive, authoritarian and leadership inclusive theories. Things about power, leadership, ethics, and management are all related to theories that pioneer to the management approaches developed theorists in the twentieth century. The twentieth century is also accredited with the huge developments that correlate with cognitive, behavioral, and classical management theories. Gratitude is therefore given to the theorists that helped coin the management techniques that are applied in the society today Communication channels Organizational culture and climate both describe how the organization can directly benefit from the organization’s developmental management approach in which the organization is able to ensure that there is a smooth communication channel. If there is some form of misunderstanding and poor interrelations within the organization, it will be difficult to convey information smoothly in this organization. Whenever the communication channel is distorted for some reason, its consequences are usually harsh and deadly for the offering of service within the organization. Communication therefore link very well organizational climate and its culture not only for this organization but also for other organizations (Herbert & Matthews, 1977) Nursing leadership For any organization to succeed and more specifically in the area of health care provision, nurses and other human resource personnel become the most important asset in an organization and the purpose of managing these employees is usually geared towards the enhancement of the speed and efficiency of the employees responses to a particular circumstances e.g. handling of emergency actions within the organization, for example nursing managers should respond to grievances from patients in order to be able to ensure that things run smoothly within the organization. Absence of good administrative skills may cause problems like uncertainty about the level of influence, affair relating to the compensation structures, issues of work specifications and other subjects of concern within the organization that need to be addressed. (Lee & Kim, 1999) Nursing care delivery systems and leadership Management and leadership functions are employed by managers in order to enhance the effectiveness of any department rationale within the organization which includes policy making line principles among others. When managers are equipped with good managerial skills they will be able to co-ordinate the activities of the health care organization without contradicting job descriptions thus employees become motivated to work. Leaders and managers are responsible in coming up with suitable plan of actions which if implemented will result to attainment of the set goals. For example allocating resources to the various departments e.g. home care service, maternity etc to meet the target of the organizations production. Another example is designing the organization’s mission statement and how it can be achieved together by both junior employees, senior employees and the management. (Herbert & Matthews, 1977) Leaders in this organization provide the direction but are faced with the tasks of demonstrating to employees how to do various activities and also involve the employment of charismatic leaders in form of competent managers who can influence the nurses towards positive attitude of performing their work and also capture the attention of the top executives. A manager should lead by example by arriving at the place of work on time so that his/her juniors will be motivated and also directing the workers to do specific jobs within specified times in order to meet organizational goals. (Grohar-Murray & DiCroce, 2003) Conclusion Leaders are the most important and powerful resources in this organization and they are useful for influencing on the culture and climate of an organization and are responsible for creating a good working environment in the organization. . Previous research ha indicated that employees contribute more when they are working for something they believe in and especially if the leaders within the organization cherish them up. Although various theories and practice have been developed in order to guide organizations such as this one to meet its goals and objective, there has been limited improvement in this area majorly due to diversity and selfishness in leadership. In the recent past also, there has been poor training for leaders who are really charismatic to offer better services in the field of health care provision. In the health care provision sector for example, most nurses have not been trained further on managerial duties in addition to their medical profession training. Appendix The Health Care Environmental Checklist Directions: check ‘Yes’ or ‘no’ to the list of attributes to determine to what extent your organization/complex is consistent with the stated priorities for today’s healthcare. Attribute Yes No Wellness and Prevention programs are offered to the public - No Patients are discharged in a timely manner Yes - Case management is the system of nursing care delivered Yes - For inpatient and outpatient care Home services are provided - No Ambulatory or outpatient services are offered Yes - Opportunities exist for advanced practice nurses Yes - Standardization of medical and nursing care plans are in effect Yes - Using critical paths and evidence based care Skilled nursing units are available Yes - Staffing requirements are based on acuity levels and optimum - No Staffing models Supervision of non-licensed personnel is by professional nurses Yes - Information systems are in place - No Efficiency methods are sought in departments - No Opportunities exist for nurses Yes - Nursing leadership and management roles are prominent Yes - Read More