Managers Responsibility in Setting Tone and Expectations in Hospital Setting - Assignment Example

? Managers Responsibilities in Setting Tone and Expectations in Hospital Setting Managers Responsibilities in Setting Tone and Expectations in Hospital Setting Introduction A hospital refers to an organization where the sick or the injured are treated. The hospital like any other institution is established to pursue certain objectives through collaborative work. Some of the objectives of the hospital are the provision of adequate health care and treatment to patients. The main products of hospital setting are surgical, medical and nursing services to patients. The main concern of the hospital is thus the health and life of patients. Other objectives pursued by the hospital include its maintenance, growth, surgical institutional stability, nursing education, financial solvency, employee managements and research. A hospital as an institution of health care is complex and exhibits a matrix structure. This calls for a well structured management system under the leadership of a manager who sets the tone and expectations with the collaborative efforts of the board. This paper will provide an interpretation of the role of the hospital’s manager in setting the tone and expectations in the hospital setting. It will also formulate the expectations that the manager should communicate and ways in which the manager should communicate the expectations. The Responsibility of the Manager in Setting the Tone and Expectations in the Hospital Setting Beyond an iota of doubt, the hospital’s success depends on the level of teamwork and participation invested by various stakeholders. The manager, in consideration of the above fact, needs to awaken to his or her duty as the tone-setter for the team. Considering the team, specifically to include nurses, doctors, administrative staff, lab assistants, support staff and other workers in the hospital setting, the hospital manager has a lot to do in respect of setting expectations and the tone. The manager should realize that his/her weaknesses and faults can easily be magnified within the team. Even though the manager should lead by example, this is no guarantee that their staff will behave positively or that performance will automatically be impressive as a result. However, it must be noted that leading by example increases the chances of having positive results and encouraging positive behavior as noted by Schulz and Johnson (2003). The manager should take time to listen to other people’s views and abstain from being judgmental (Schulz and Johnson, 2003). Yet again, he/she should honor their commitments and be interested in his staff members. Furthermore, they should be flexible, calm under pressure, effective in addressing issues, and open-minded and flexible. In addition, they should be respectful to others and work toward increasing productivity and meeting deadlines. Honesty, timeliness, optimism, and integrity should be part of the manager’s delights. The manager should be result oriented, be positively interactive and value meetings and other vital events. By setting the tone in this manner, employees are bound to follow suite, in some cases with a few exceptions. Expectations that the Manager should Communicate Understanding what mangers expect from employees is vital for improved performance, good employee relations and employee success. Saville and Higgins (2010) note that without clear work expectations, employees would waste a lot of effort due to lack of or misplaced priorities, endure a lot of stress and waste a lot of time doing unnecessary chores. They also note that when the manger defines clearly job expectations and communicate this to employees, they get to understand what is expected of them. They also understand the reasons why they are doing the work as directed. Furthermore, they get to understand how work progress and realize at the right time when to ask for assistance. This also helps employees in knowing areas where they need to make improvements (Saville and Higgins, 2010). One of the expectations that a hospital manger should communicate to its staff members is service quality. The hospital manager expects to see quality clinical/medical services from the entire staff members including physicians, nurses, administrative and support staff. This aspect must be communicated to all to avoid incidences of negligence which may cost the organization financially and in terms of reputation (Saville and Higgins, 2010). Furthermore, the manager expects the staff to act ethically and responsibly at all times in the course of executing their duties. Further to this, the hospital manager expects to see members of staff work toward achieving the goals and objectives of the hospital while at the same time acting in favor of patients and their families and friends. Cost containment is also a point of concern for most organizations, hospitals being no exception. Service cost must be maintained as low as possible for the hospital to be profitable. Managers are always concerned with this aspect and must communicate it to all personnel so that as they offer services, they minimize cost as much as possible (Saville and Higgins, 2010). In order for the hospital to gain good reputation, all the services must be administered in time. This will avoid subjecting patients to unnecessary suffering and unwarranted delays. Therefore, observance of timelines and deadlines during service delivery is an expectation that resides with the manager and which should be communicated to all members of staff (Saville and Higgins, 2010). How the Manager Should Communicate Expectations It is important for the manager to communicate expectations effectively for it to be understood well by all members of staff. This has been an uphill task to many mangers. In order to accomplish this task, it is necessary for him/her take caution by setting realistic goals and expectations. Secondly it is necessary to work on ways of communicating expectations. This is due to the fact that some of the manager’s expectations may be behavioral while others are observable. For example, in a hospital setting, expectations may include cost containment, profitability, timeliness and the provision of quality clinical services to patients (Saville and Higgins, 2010). Once the expectations have been worked on, the manager should consider getting a buy-in if possible. This helps in ensuring that expectations are effectively communicated. This in turn ensures smooth relations, less frustration on the side of the employees and the management resulting in greater opportunities for success. The manager may communicate expectations through various channels; in writing, by word of mouth, through emails or through phone calls. The expectations may be passed down the hierarchy through supervisors down to ordinary staff. While communicating in writing works in many cases, meeting with employees is the best way for the manager to communicate expectations (Saville and Higgins, 2010). Direct meeting ensures that all members of staff are engaged in discussing the expectations of the hospital. Areas that need adjustments are noted immediately to ensure that all employees pursue the same objectives. How the Manager Ensures that the Standards Communicated are Observed It is not always mandatory that standards communicated by the manager will be adhered to by all staff members of the hospital. Some may ignore and pursue their own directions, away from the standards set. It is for this reason that the hospital manager should institute mechanisms aimed at ensuring that standards set are adhered to by all (Saville and Higgins, 2010). One way by which the manager can ensure that standards are adhered to is by instituting performance standards evaluations (Schulz and Johnson, 2003). This will help in establishing whether the standard communicated by the manager is being adhered to by all members of the staff or not. Evaluation in this case may involve getting patient feedback with regard to specific employees, doctors and nurses who handle them in the course of their stay in the hospital. Another way of ensuring this is by instituting strong internal control system. This will ensure that all staff members become accountable for whatever they do. This can also be achieved in collaboration with the internal audit system to keep check on whether all the expectations communicated are being adhered to by all (Saville and Higgins, 2010). In conclusion, the manager plays a key role in setting the tone and expectations in a hospital setting. He is considered as the key strategist in the hospital. He sets the tone and expectations by performing a number of functions including planning, organizing, leading, controlling and staffing. Some of the major expectations that must be communicated are quality clinical services to patients, cost containment, profitability and timeliness in administering services. Effective communication of these expectations is important for the successful achievement of organizational goals. It is notable that direct meetings with employees are the best ways of communicating expectations. This is due to the fact that it involves direct involvement of all employees concerned. To ensure that all members adhere to the standards set, the manager may consider using performance evaluation, audit reports and institution a strong internal control system. References Benowitz E. (2011). CliffsQuickReview Principles of Management. New Jersey: Wiley & Sons. Schulz, R., & Johnson, A. (2003). Management of hospitals and health services: strategic issues and performance. Washington, DC: Beard Books. Saville, J., & Higgins, M. (1994). Australian Management: A first-Line perspective. New York: Macmillan Education AU. Read More