Management and Organisational Development Module - Essay Example

Management and Organisational Development Module Summary This question pertains to a discussion of the future management and organisational strategy that Reddix can adopt to aid a successful transition to a better managed hospital. The emphasis is of course upon the role of the senior management in this regard with regard to the development of a coherent and pervasive knowledge culture.It would be worth revisiting a number of organisational difficulties ailing Reddix hospital at the present in summary to discuss the cure of such institutional ailments. Introduction The case study has pointed out that the consultants who have been hired to rehash the managerial structure of Reddix have suggested the promulgation and inception of a knowledge management initiative which would ensure that they are better able to cope with the rapid advances in health care and have to acquire proficiency in understanding and interpreting clinical information and data in to interpret context-based healthcare information. The consultants have already declared that the current IT infrastructure at Reddix cannot cope with this restructuring.It is admitted that the KM system as proposed by the consultants will be immensely beneficial to the patients and management in terms of integrating the electronic patient records (EPR) that are held by the NHS with the process of physicians and GPs ordering medical tests or medications. The main hurdle is thus not technical. Knowledge management is a culture and does not entail a simple change of hardware and software and processes. Thus the suggestion for the inception of a ‘knowledge sharing culture’ which entails management of information as well as the management of people in whose hands this information is. This report focuses on one of major gaps in any Knowledge management Initiative and that is the lack of this Knowledge sharing culture with in the key stakeholders of the Hospitals Organisational structure. Suggested theories The way ahead for an institution which is falling behind in the technological arena is indeed Knowledge Management and as I would like to add to this strategy it should also incorporate the notions of Strategic Information Management and the Business Score Card Approach ,which will allow the strategic management of information to avoid future problems of interoperability. Health care organizations are dependent on the knowledge that can be deployed by their staff, and in recent years the support of such expertise has extended beyond the provision of library services to encompass new technologies, especially those available through the Internet or local ‘intranet’ services. Role of SIM(Strategic Information Management) in the transitory stage of organisational change SIM should be an important s method for Reddix trust because knowledge and information tends to become vague and complicated and very often it can demonstrate a lack of quality in the information. The hospitals transitory system thus can well benefit from a proper Systems Information Management System. A Strategic Information System (SIS) aligns itself with the management strategy and the structure of a Firm and allows the timely response to changes recurring in the business environment and competition issues. Wiseman (1985) has defined the strategic information system (SIS) as, "The information system to support or change enterprise's strategy." The general perspective of Information management involves a reference to the management of any kind of information .This may involve document management, electronic document management records management, document imaging, process automation and digital asset management.(Wiseman 1985).On the facts of the case study all these factors are infact involved in this transitory change of the Reddix trust.The diagram below shows how these knowledge management Gaps can be better managed.(Diagram Adopted from Wiseman 1985) However even though the senior management is relying heavily on knowledge management through a heavy IT infrastructure they will have to be vary of the short comings of a system of Information Systems Management causing an overall failure to communicate within the senior management. This failure to communicate is rampant in newly rehashed technical organisations particularly between the senior managers and technologists. Comprehensive knowledge of technology for organisational managers has become imperative to be able to exploit the benefits of SIM systems and to be able to build upon the analysis and application of information in different organisational contexts. The concept of SIM is still pretty much embryonic and it has emerged along with records and information management (RIM) and knowledge management (KM) while the at times nerving and complicated implications of digital information technology still pester organisations and their management. Earl (1996) has made some interesting observations about the SIM and SIS. He acknowledges the recent spur of IT companies and management consultants for the development of methods and techniques for identifying and agreeing investment in information systems which support business strategy and even create new strategic options. (Earl 1996).However in practical terms, Earl (1996) comments “Business strategies often prove to be a weak foundation upon which to build IS plans, planning methodologies turn out to be too complex or time-consuming or the official IS strategies are not implemented.” Thus Reddix trust will be in need of Knowledge Management based upon the use of information for competitive advantage over other NHS facilities by drawing upon internal and external information resources. Proper management can increase the productivity and creativity of the people in this environment who handle this knowledge as well as an increasingly effective use of information resources within organizations. The Diagram below that has been adopted from Burns (1998) records the levels of information and knowledge integration and how this knowledge sharing culture can be effectively linked within the senior management to produce harmony within the senior management. Overall the a completed knowledge management system should take into account all the ingredients mentioned in the diagrambelow adopted from David Wainwright,Teresa Waring (2000) .It can be gleaned from this model how the Reddix trust should ultimately look like after the gaps in the information and knowledge support culture are dealt with. Before discussing the need for a good business card approach to address the knowledge culture problems faced by the senior management I would like to comment on this stage that Reddix trust will have to approach this transitory stage with caution pertaining to the understanding of the limitations of ICT and effective communication of information, along with the recognition of the importance of managing various pieces of Hospital information like records and financial systems. The business scorecard analysis can help the management of Reddix trust understand the external compulsions ailing their managerial system and to devise internal regulations to manage their practices. .The internal policies and procedures need to be adjusted in accordance with them as is the internal factors that can be controlled, modified and regulated by the board and the management.They are internal when there will be internal system encompassing policies which will help the processes and people and serve the needs of the stakeholders, by directing and controlling management activities with good business savvy, objectivity and integrity. The use of this analysis will allow the Senior managers to assess the external competition form other hospitals ,the better application of legislation, plus a healthy board culture which safeguards these policies of keeping all perspectives before it in its policy making. The business scorecard approach thus relies heavily on its precision and relevance and will ideally be a success where it is possible to deliver information which is the backbone of the strategy, and can function as “ the cornerstone of both the organization’s current and future success by balancing short-term, essentially financial performance, with long-term growth opportunities; balance internal and external perspectives by ensuring that comparison against current competitors is undertaken, in addition to comparison with the organization’s own past performance; highlight performance by adopting a broad perspective: financial, business processes, customer/market interfaces and employee motivation;(Kaplan and Norton 1993, The integration of a better knowledge culture also involves better renditions of a knowledge culture as managers in a newly acquired rehashed organisation have to face issues of corporate governance. Conclusions and Recommendations Open learning mechanisms employing highly individualized decision-making power to support the Senior management of the Reddix trust as Hospital management is a knowledge-intensive industries and there is a dire need of managing the knowledge and culture environment. This can be done internally through the accumulation of knowledge documentations ,thus ensuring their circulation via systematic knowledge management strategies. As evident from the suggested knowledge management diagrams above the highly intensive network relationship can be developed externally to improve the intensity of external interactions with other organizations. This should be aimed at facilitating the interdepartmental resource exchange or knowledge sharing. The post restructuring era of the hospital has to involve safeguards against the dangers of over formalization and complications due to rapid expansion to better manage the internal operations and ensure clear assignment of responsibilities. As far as interdepartmental interaction is concerned however the senior department managers must flexibly find solutions for compromise and balance between formal operation of systems and informal interaction activities. It should be taken into account that there will be conflicts of interest and issues of contingency management between individuals and the organization. On a final note there has to be organizational trust and commitment relationship to promote the knowledge sharing culture with in the Reddix organisation.This has to involve greater use of informal interdepartmental interactions, such as workshops or social activities and are aimed at reducing transaction costs. This will pave the way forward for communication opportunities and enhance the sense of internal identification with the organization.. References 1. Aldridge, S (1995), "Implementing an information strategy at local level", in Sheaff, R, Peel, V (Eds),Managing Health Service Information Systems, Open University Press, Buckingham, pp.104-19. 2. Burns, F (1998), Information for Health, Leeds NHS Executive, 3. Bywater, M (1996), "Big-bang impetus for IM&T strategy", The British Journal of Healthcare Computing & Information Management, Vol. 13 No.1, pp.29-31. 4. Coopers & Lybrand (1994), "HISS Central Team and Darlington Memorial NHS Trust HISS implementation review, final report", unpublished internal report, . 5. Waring, T, Wainwright, D (2000), "Interpreting integration with respect to information systems in organisations image, theory and reality", Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 15 pp.131-48. 6. 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