Organisational Structure and Nursing Leadership - Essay Example

Kirinyaga flour miller is a nutritional outlet that specializes in provision of high nutrient diet plans, offers nutritional counseling and has a clinic that works hand in hand with nutritionists to formulate food menus for patients with different pathogenic and nutritional deficiency diseases.) ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND NURSING LEADERSHIP Introduction (99 words) Structure is integral component of organization and ha inter-related components parts and positions. It provides guidelines on division of work into activities, authority structure and authority relationship and hierarchy (Davis, S.M., 1978). Coordination is differentiated according to requirements (complexity, formalization, centralization) and dimensions (horizontal, vertical, spatial). This paper addresses organizational climate and culture: how they reflect on the mission statement and values, how they facilitate or hinder development of communication channels, nursing leadership and nursing care delivery system. It also highlights risk management under quality assurance and quality improvement and roles of communication channels in quality and risk management (Barkdull, C.W., 1963). Organizational structure 1. Create an organizational chart to show the chain of command or organizational hierarchy in your organization /unit. (See appendix 1) 2. Include as a separate appendix your organization or unit’s mission statement and values statement. (See appendix 2) 3. Define and describe the type of organizational structure of your organization or unit substantiating your discussion of the characteristic of your organization or unit with references to relevant literature. (186 words) The organizational structure in place is matrix. It suits complex (complexity is the degree to which activities within the organization are differentiated) activities. Matrix organization structure is a component of institutional arrangements (where specialists report to different bosses) and mechanisms for mobilizing human, physical, financial and information resources at every level of the system for utility division of work into activities and advocates the spirit of team work at every unit (Lawrence, P.R. and Lorsh, J.W., 1967). Matrix organization structure ensures there is effective use of specialists in different sub-systems (Davis, S.M and Lawrence, P.R., 1978). Matrix has linkages between different functions, authority structure and authority relationship. For example, a production supervisor can report to production manager on output. He can report to quality control unit on safety and quality of products. He can report to customer’s relations unit on customer’s complaints regarding quality (Barkdull, C.W., 1963). The dimension of differentiation is horizontal (based on orientation of members, the nature of tasks they perform, their education and training). The decisions are de-centralized within every unit or lowest level (Mintzberg, H. 1981 and Starbuck, W.H. (eds) 1981) 1. Clearly differentiate between organization climate and organization culture. Include in your discussion whether your organization/unit has a climate that reflects its mission statement and values (531 words) Organization climate is the attitude, impressions and perceptions that staff or employees have concerning the quality of their working environments. The prevailing organizational climate determine organizational efficacy and if it achieves its goals. Measurements of organizational climate help figure out production relationships in terms of quantifiable inputs and outputs that are consistent across the organization and that relate to the mission statement and values (Grosskopf S. 1985) Organization climate is a function of inter-related factors of human resource for instance, efficiency of communication channels, the clarity of goals that the organization aims to achieve, recognition attitudes to merit, working relationships , team identification, development of opportunities and effective customer service response (Farell, M.J. 1957) Communication is the manner in which information flows to staff and the rate at which feedback is processed in the human resources hierarchy levels (Cooper, W.W., 1978). The flow of information is affected by organization’s protocols regarding communication. It may need the flow to follow a standard channel of authority (order of command). Communication is therefore affected by formal control strategies like rules, regulations, policies, procedures and management style in progress. Staff can develop a negative attitude depending on the way their needs are addressed along the line of authority and flexibility of the formalities. Formalities like writing a letter to production manager or human resource officer seeking permission, through the production supervisor, is a good management practice but it may take long for its requirements to be implemented (Ferrier, G.D., 1995). The clarity of goals revolves around the axis of team performance and productivity. The employee may have a positive principle but implementation may never occur. Information fails to go up the authority line because the recipient unit managers may know the attitude of their superiors on changes. Working relationships have impact on social cohesion among the staff. Every employee should have a clear cut work description (in case of horizontal specialization in a matrix structure) to avoid staff members complaining about colleagues who are overstepping in their delivery of duties and that no protocols are in place to protect the staff’s job. There should be development of talents and opportunities. The organization should have training programs in place if it is going to retain competent employees. The effort on personnel development and equity in opportunities is reflected on quality of products, customer service, labor turnovers, and absenteeism statistics (Greene, W.H., 1993). The employees should understand their own individual growth is a function of the organizations growth. Organization culture revolves around traditions for maintaining and sustaining quality working environments. Organization culture is a control check of performance of organization climate (Farell, M.J., 1957). Within the unit or subsystem, there is a good spirit of team work. There is no competition among the functional units or lines of production. Every functional manager is responsible and accountable for the output of his subordinates. The functional manager sets goals, monitors progress and does performance evaluation Hinkley, D.V., 1986) The organization recognizes merit and awards it accordingly through personnel development and equity in organization opportunities. All individuals work towards implementation of goals, mission and satisfy the core virtue pillars the organization works on (like value, lifestyle, integrity, quality and variety). Discuss how your organization’s structure, climate and culture facilitates or hinder the development of each of the following (A) communication channels (331 words) Our organization recognizes any business unit with efficient communication channels does well in addressing its clarity of goals. Timely decisions planning are done. The communication efficiency is determined by the quality of the working environment (organizational climate) and the working relationships in place. The functional manager recognizes factors that affect flow of information like regulations, policies, and procedures and communicates his observation up the line of hierarchy. Organizational units have different blends of centralization and decentralization. The interaction of the two through the line of authority (for confirmation, further assessment and analysis) may delay the rate of flow of information. (Katz and Kahn, 1978). A new entry specialist who has never applied the two forms of decision making processes together may find working in a matrix environment quite stressful. The matrix organization structure, although very efficient in operation has problems that arise due to its so many channels of communication involved. The human resource management has a target to ensure employee skills are applied in such a way that organization obtains the greatest possible benefit from their abilities and the employees obtain both material and psychological rewards from their work. The system cannot be symmetrical and is skewed towards the employee. Conflicts occur because the employee wishes are not addressed (regulations, working relationships, salary review) to an extent where employees tend to get more involved in decision making about their working environments. If there is no system of operation in a work environment, proposing one would help. The effectiveness of communication channels is a function of the unit’s manager on commitment, competence, congruence and cost-effectiveness. Employees can create an environment for a vacancy if they have one of their own who needs to be employed by reducing their rate of work. This affects production output. If they are requested to bring their own there occurs a sudden increase. This sudden rise in productivity doesn’t mean the new worker is a better performer. It’s a target by the employees that has yielded. (b) nursing leadership (284 words) The health care unit serves the role of support services and working relationships are a major factor that makes nursing leadership to achieve its objectives as a subset of the organization’s mission statement and values. Health care decisions are decentralized although some needs require approval by the managers up in the line of hierarchy of command. Health unit liaises with nutrition unit to carry out research on different nutritional formulas for different nutritional needs. The health unit carries out assessment of nutritional deficiency on the patients mainly employees and their families and customers who have diseases like diabetes. The results help the nutritional unit to assess their illness, how they developed and common diets that could have predisposed the diseases. The nutritionist also looks at the micro-nutrients which might be missing in the diet and their relationships with the disease. This helps in development of new brands of formulas that address patients with related clinical symptoms. The health unit works with quality control unit to determine nutrients that are finally available in the processed food and from analysis recommend amount nutrients to be added to restore the lost ones or addition of nutrients that are not available (food fortification) The health unit also liaises with the brand unit and marketing unit to determine response of a brand in the market. This makes the health care unit and nutrition unit to start a campaign on marketing the product in the name of trying to create awareness of a disease and how it can be handled using foods. Health unit also takes part in preparing the organization for the ISO 14001:2004 certification by implementing proper management systems on the environment as a measure to increase sanitation. (c) Nursing care delivery system (323 words) The organization has virtues that it works to achieve. These virtues are like value, integrity and quality. These are the basis of operation of the nursing unit. the nursing unit supports organizational hierarchy. Nursing unit provides preventive, control and curative services and recommends if an employee is fit to serve in the food production. Nursing care unit may not score so well with some employees. This occurs when a mandatory medical exercise is required to determine fitness of the employee to work in the food industry. This means employees who suffer from diseases like tuberculosis or asthma are likely to be retrenched. There is no way an employee could bribe a nurse to retain employment because the nurse doesn’t know if an external nurse could be contacted to perform the same process. The nursing care can also take counseling sessions for clients who need further advice on weaning of their babies because the mothers are either employed. This is the biggest challenge that is facing child health centers and the organizations health care is not exception because it also caters for employees families. If an employee gets injured by revolving parts of the machines, the nursing unit can offer advice on either suing the organization or seeking compensation. In most cases, the affected patient may be deployed in a unit where he or she is incompetent and end up being sacked without terminal benefits due to negligence. The nursing care delivery system suffers if there is a grand corruption in the organization leading to misappropriation of funds. The drugs and important tools like syringes cannot be bought. Servicing of equipments cannot be done and the nursing unit begins to fail the nutrition department in research, finally if there is not extra support, the nursing unit that previously serviced the medical needs of employee’s families stops this service. It becomes a health risk and ought to be closed or turned into a nutritional laboratory. Risk management 1. Analyse and discuss the difference between quality assurance and quality improvement including in your discussion examples of how your health care organization addresses each area. (485 words) Quality assurance is the degree of adherence to standard quantities of components that make a product or a brand. For our products, a food formula for children should contain required nutrients, in required amounts that give equivalent amount of energy as the child needs. Any food additives added should comply with the standard directive approved for their safety, permitted concentration and the food in which they must be used. Quality assurance also looks into food fortification programs to ensure correct concentration of minerals or vitamins is followed (Cooper, W.W., 1962). In the nursing unit, quality assurance involves use of drugs that have not expired backed by proper diagnosis using proper apparatus. In the nutrition department, the nutritionists should have feasibility study on the nutritional deficiency disease that affects most of people in a given area before proposing a diet regime for them. Quality assurance also looks at the environment, a factor that is assessed critically during ISO 14001:2004 certification on environment management systems (Filley, A.C., 1978). Quality improvement is a function of quality assurance. For instance, micro-content of wheat and wheat flour indicate wheat in its natural state is a good source of vitamin B1, (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), niacin, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) vitamin E as well as iron and zinc. These nutrients are concentrated in the outer layer of the wheat grain and a significant portion is lost during milling process. For lower extraction rates of flour, (refined flour) the loss of vitamins and minerals is greater. Wheat flour is therefore fortified with vitamins B1, B2, niacin and iron, calcium and folate, vitamin A and vitamin D can also be added. The amount of vitamin B! , niacin and iron added should be equivalent to the amount lost during milling. Fortification ensures micronutrients are restored and the wheat flour is enriched. Fortification rather than enrichment is done when overall diet is deficient in particular nutrients. This is the basis of quality improvement. (Anderson, C.R., 1988) The health care unit works together with the nutritionists in the nutrition unit. The health care unit is a support unit for the achievement of organizational objectives. It carries out preventive, curative and disease control. From data on the diseases, the nutrition unit is able to formulate food formulas that address the nutritional deficiency associated with the disease. The health care unit is also involved in the research work on therapeutic and supplementary feeding of patients with terminal illness like diabetes and cardio-vascular disorders. These patients are put on different diet regimes according to their clinical symptoms. The effective diet regime that helps the patient to manage the disease is recommended by the nutritionists as a new brand. The unit also carries diagnosis to determine the basic and underlying causes of the disease. The nursing unit has a decentralized decision making and can recommend a sick leave for sick employees. This helps to lower chances of spread of the disease. 2. Discuss how communication channels in your organization facilitate (or not) the accountability associated with managing quality and risk. (202 words) It is responsibility of every employee to ensure anything that may affect quality of the product is communicated as fast as possible to ensure the quality of the product is not compromised. The nursing unit collects food samples, and works together with laboratory technicians, to carry out food tests to ensure they have no bacterial or fungal infections which could lead to food poisoning. Presence of any bacteria like salmonella triggers an investigative procedure to determine in which portion of production the germ might have found its way into the food. These investigations run from store, to the packing machines. This procedure ensures that the nursing unit is able to determine the factors that cause presence or growth of the bacteria in the food like presence of moisture or the food might have come from the farms when it was not completely dry. The nursing unit then gives a recommendation on how the problem can be solved. In many instances where the problem is as a result of grains that were not dried, the nursing department communicates with the procurement department and the supplier of the grains is called in to explain the conditions in which the grains are transported, whether rain fell on the lorry or if the farmers harvested crops before they completely to cash on the high prices of grains that dominate markets before the supply of grains increases. The nursing unit then educates the supplier on importance of dealing with dry grains. Conclusion (91 words) The nursing unit should be backed up by more funding in order to enable it to carry out its function of preventive and curative services as well as being an advisor of the nutrition department. The nursing unit should be in a position to liaise with referral medical facilities for specialized treatment of employees. 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Handbook of organizational design (oxford: oxford university press) Sachdeva, P.S., 1990-analytical framework for organization and structure of NARS Shepherd Ronald W., 1953cost and production functions, princeton university princetom, NJ Tobin James 1958 estimation for relationship for limited depended variables, econometrica, 26, 24-36 Appendix 1 organizational chart showing matrix chain of command in the organization Appendix 2 The organization’s mission statement and values statement Vision Production of efficient and high quality nutritional product that is locally accessible, equitable and affordable Mission To promote and participate in provision of integrated and high quality preventive, curative and rehabilitative nutritional product that is affordable and accessible Objectives To improve nutritional products quality and responsiveness in management of nutritional deficiency diseases To design diet regimes for different people with different nutritional requirements To produce well researched nutritional products that can manage diseases and advocate for nutritional supplementary feeding as an optional solution to management of diseases Read More