Analysis Of A Health Care Organization - Research Paper Example

Organizational Analysis Organizational Analysis Introduction A comprehensive understanding about organizational structure and performance is important to transform our contemporary health care system. For this purpose Collins work is used as the primary framework and model for advanced organizational analysis. This paper aims to analyze a health care organization from different perspectives including strategic planning, organizational structure and culture, leadership, performance outcomes etc. The analysis is based upon the concepts of complexity science, change and innovation and learning organization. The overall research is conducted through qualitative method which includes regional documents, local papers, trade journals etc. and the quantitative method which primarily consists of clinical and other evaluation techniques. Health care organizations in the 21st Century The contemporary health care organizations are considered a part of complex adaptive system. Their complexity can be measured at different levels, for instance, today medical professionals require extensive clinical support, research, information management, education and professional development in order to meet the health care challenges (Plsek, 2001). Management of the complex adaptive health care system is particularly difficult because it operates within the dynamics of change (Porter-OGrady, 2010). Moreover, it needs transformation which can be acquired through studying different organizational structures and their core values including culture and goals. Adventist Whole Health Network Adventist Whole Health provides extensive health care services starting from clinic, wellness and community health, faith community nursing, congregational health ministries and bereavement support and spiritual care (We care about you, the whole person, 2014). It is located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania (Location, 2014). They mission is to build profound relationships through meeting needs of community members and empowering their lifestyle. This subsequently helps them in enhancing social, mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing (Mission Statement and Guiding Values, 2014). Following are the organization’s core values (Mission Statement and Guiding Values, 2014): Showing love and compassion. Recognizing the dignity and value of every individual as per the religious commandments. Enabling people to spend a healthy life in terms of soul, mind and body. Serving people belonging to every ethnicity, religion, culture, socio-economic status and gender within the community. Connecting community with individuals in order to increase the reach of organizational services. Valuing resources that God has given such as time, financial resources, talent and humans. The organization has a very distinctive philosophy of care which compels it to extend its services to other communities as well. They believe in the protection of fundamental human rights while recognizing that spiritual health requires as much care as the physical health. In order to implement this philosophy they have established equitable, accessible and ethical health care facilities for patients coming to them. Apart from this, Adventist Whole Health Network’s goal is to meet faith related issues of the community members while also advocating and training them towards a better lifestyle (Faith Community Nursing, 2014). The organizational structure initiates with the board of directors whereas all the community projects are completed with the collaborative efforts of staff members including doctors and nurses. According to Collins, technology plays an important role in the success of an organization when used correctly (Collins J. C., 2001). This is evident in the case of Adventist Whole Health Network where the organization’s mission and values are alive and well coordinated with all of its professional health care services through efficient use of technology. Moreover, Collin argues that organizations operating in social sector cannot progress to greatness while implementing mere business strategies (Collins J., 2006). Hence Adventist Whole Health Network majorly focuses on the humanitarian services which make the organization stand apart from its competitors. Organizational Culture and Learning Environment Schein emphasizes that an individual cannot develop culture because it is a group phenomenon and only forms through communication (Miller, 2012). When individuals begin to work together in an organization they develop similar responses towards work pressure and other stimuli which subsequently explain their behavior within the organization. At Adventist Whole Health it is a norm to follow established rules and regulations which allow employees and patients to use religious concepts along with medical practices. It is also their tradition to provide grief support to patients specifically when they have lost a loved one (Spiritual Care and Bereavement Support, 2014). The organization’s climate is significantly supportive and caring whereas employees have greater commitment towards their jobs. According to Senge, an organization can develop learning culture through encouraging employees towards what they truly want and motivating them to achieve work life balance (Senge, 2010). For instance, at Adventist Whole Health the management particularly focuses on collaborative activities and active participation by the employees in making health care more productive. Leadership Style Porter-O Grady defines leadership as versatile process in which a goal is identified then employees are motivated to achieve it (Frankel, 2008). Schein explains that leaders are required to comprehend the dysfunctional and functional perspectives of cultures so as to manage evolution and change (Thomas, 2014). The predominant leadership style at Adventist Whole Health is central as the management identifies the fundamental goals, for instance, meeting faith related needs of patients. Then it supports and motivates employees towards the goal achievement. Here, it is important to notice that active involvement of different organizational teams is essential for achieving peak performances (Nelson, 2011). Furthermore, organizational support and leadership helps in developing the clarity of objectives (Roussel L. , 2014). Level of Greatness Collins’s findings about the level of greatness of an organization reveal that leaders are required to be more disciplined, paranoid and empirical. Although innovation is considered a significant source of achieving greatness but according to him it has to be combined with creativity and discipline. Moreover, Greatness does not require an organization to make fast decisions (Collins J. &., 2011). Collins explains that organizations develop arrogance as they become successful (Ellis, 2013). This actually distracts them from working on their objectives. As per his findings it can be concluded that Adventist Whole Health has high level greatness because the organization does not make rapid decisions neither it quickly changes its policies. It actually maintains discipline in all of its health care services while making long term business objectives which are achieved gradually over the time. Readiness for Change An organization’s readiness for change depends upon its management functions such as planning, organizing, leading and evaluating (Roussel L. S., 2006). The above research and discussion indicates that Adventist Whole Health performs all the fundamental management functions which subsequently make the organization ready for change. However, in future the organization requires evidence-based projects, quality improvement, decision making, administrative research, innovation and safety projects as the next steps to ready the organizational readiness (Newhouse, 2010). In the role of DNP I can sustain readiness through balancing the vision of evidence-based practice and the organization’s practical approach (Van Patter Gale, 2009). Future improvement plan can be made by considering the rapid cultural change in the global environment while also developing coherency between the organization’s mission and its health care services. Conclusion Adventist Whole Health Network is one of the successful contemporary health care organizations which firmly believe in maintaining equality and learning through its practices. The 21st century organizations are actually based upon complex adaptive systems and face significant transformation challenges. Adventist Whole Health Network meets all these challenges through implementing different strategies for organizational readiness and developing a collaborative organizational culture. References Collins, J. &. (2006). Good to great and the social sectors: Why business thinking is not the answer. London: Business Books. Collins, J. &. (2011). Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. New York: Random House. Collins, J. C. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap... and others dont. London: Random House. Ellis. (2013). Strategic planning in student affairs: New directions for student services, number 132. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Faith Community Nursing. (2014). Retrieved July 17, 2014, from Adventist WholeHealth Network. Frankel, A. (2008). What leadership styles should senior nurses develop? Retrieved July 5, 2014, from Nursing Times. Location. (2014). Retrieved July 17, 2014, from Adventist WholeHealth Network. Miller, K. (2012). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Mission Statement and Guiding Values. (2014). Retrieved July 17, 2014, from Adventist WholeHealth Network. Nelson, E. B. (2011). Quality By Design: A Clinical Microsystems Approach. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Newhouse, R. (2010). Instruments to Assess Organizational Readiness for Evidence-Based Practice. Journal of Nursing Administration , 404 - 407. Plsek, P. &. (2001). The challenge of complexity in health care. British Medical Journal , 625–628. Porter-OGrady, T. &. (2010). Innovation leadership: Creating the landscape of health care. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Roussel, L. S. (2006). Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Roussel, L. (2014). The nature of the evidence: Microsystems, macrosystems, and mesosystems. In H. R. Hall, Evidence-based practice: An integrative approach to research, administration, and practice (pp. 172-184). Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Senge, P. (2010). The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization. New York: Broadway Books. Spiritual Care and Bereavement Support. (2014). Retrieved July 17, 2014, from Adventist WholeHealth Network. Thomas, P. (2014). Evaluating Organizational Frameworks for Systems Change. In H. R. Hall, Evidence-based practice: An integrative approach to research, administration, and practice (pp. 149-170). Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Van Patter Gale, B. &. (2009). Organizational Readiness for Evidence-Based Practice. Journal of Nursing Administration , 91 - 97. We care about you, the whole person. (2014). Retrieved July 17, 2014, from Adventist WholeHealth Network. Read More