SWOT Analysis of Latifa Hospital - Essay Example

Health Management Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Question 1 3 SWOT analysis of Latifa hospital 3 Strengths 3 Weaknesses 3 Opportunities 3 Threats 4 Developing a strategic plan using SWOT analysis to achieve the goals Latifa hospital 4 Main staffing problems at Latifa hospital 5 Question 2 8 Leadership style to be used in Latifa hospital 8 References 12 Question 1 SWOT analysis of Latifa hospital Strengths Latifa hospital pharmacy department is highly recognized for its providence of high quality health care. The hospital has experienced managers and skilled staff as well as strong customer services. Provision of seminars and workshops on the significance of healthy living is a key to attraction of customers to the facility. The hospital has endeavored to attract a huge number of staff members particularly the nursing staff which will further strengthen clinical department of Latifa hospital Weaknesses A huge turnover of staff has greatly affected pharmaceutical services at Latifa hospital. As a result of insufficient fianaces numerous planned activities in some departments haven’t been performed. Opportunities The hospital persists to stand out in its numerous strives due to commitment of members of staff as well as a supportive working atmosphere. These factors provide opportunities spreading out of hospital services particularly in primary health care section. The hospital with human, material and financial resources available would be able to increasingly strengthen communal based interventions. Threats The hospital has not been in a good financial position for the past few years following the global financial crisis and low employee income is a major concern. Even though the Dubai government pays salaries, it does not pay several of benefits. In addition, while employees are dedicated to working in Latifa hospital, the increasing cost of living together with well paying jobs in private hospitals for skilled staff usually requires the organization to give top-ups in order to retain its staff. Therefore, the hospital struggle to meet salary requirements of its employees and there is the actual need for the organization to look for other schemes of sustain the operation of the hospital via monetary generating activities and donors particularly for communal based activities. Developing a strategic plan using SWOT analysis to achieve the goals Latifa hospital According to Babu and Krishna (2008), SWOT analysis is useful in strategic planning in Latifa hospital’s pharmacy department because it helps the organization to see its own weaknesses and strengths and to do external market analysis through looking at threats and opportunities. Hospitals strengths such as effective and efficient business systems are useful in getting the work done at the organization whilst proper utilization of productive and talented staff will enable the organization to add value via what they do. The hospital can improve its weaknesses through reducing staff turnover in order to cut on recruitment and hiring costs. Because the hospital has an opportunity of expansion due to high commitment of staff, it can utilize this opportunity by offering a supportive work environment to improve employee commitment. Main staffing problems at Latifa hospital Problem Solution Implication Recruitment: The hospital is finding it difficult to attract as numerous applicants as possible and to develop a pool of the right applicants. Use of internal recruitment which is recruitment from within the hospital to ensure effective recruitment of candidates. Use of external recruitment which is recruitment from outside the hospital to attract a huge pool of job applicants. Internal recruitment will be useful because the hospital will have a better understanding of its employees while employees will have a better understanding of the hospital. In addition, when the hospital offers the current employees an opportunity to move upward, it will encourage them to remain in the hospital, to work hard and be successful (Goyal, 2002). Through external recruitment, the hospital will bring in a new pool of talents to the organization and inspire innovation. By endorsing external recruitment the organization will have a huge of individuals from which to choose the best applicants with updated training who will act as a source of novel ideas (Goyal, 2002). Selection: With the large number of applicants, the hospital finds it difficult to select candidates with the right qualities to work in the Pharmacy department. Use interview to select job candidates. Through interviewing, the organization will be able to openly exchange information with the job applicants and be able to synthesize information that will negatively or positively impact the judgments, opinions, actions, judgments or attitudes of applicants, thus make possible a rational evaluation of objective of the suitability of the candidate for a particular job( Performance appraisal: The hospital does not have well established schemes to measure how effectively and efficiently its employees perform and thus are not able to confirm decisions to fire, transfer, train, promote or raise salary and additional merit based benefits for the employees. Use of competency based performance appraisal to measure how employees perform their jobs. This scheme is based on necessary job skills and functions and pre-determined employee performance measures tracked over time. Through the use of competency based employee appraisal, Latifa hospital will promote employee development and growth through offering feedback on the way to improve performance. This method or performance appraisal will also enable the organization to identify particular training needs for employees(Flynn, & Mathis, 2003). Development: The organization does not have effective schemes of developing the skills and knowledge of employees. The hospital can develop employees through scrutinizing the current personnel strength. This scrutiny can be accompanied by career development through use of training programs that will enable employees to develop their careers. Scrutiny of current personnel strength will enable the organization to manage development of employees through determining the training requirements of employees and through optimizing utilization of staff wherever they are required. Through training and career development the organization will be able to have the appropriate employees available the appropriate time. It will also lead to happier, motivated and highly productive personnel within a growth oriented organization and offer both the individual and the organization with what is wanted and needed by both the employee and employer (Flynn & Mathis, 2003). Employee retention: Employees frequently leave the hospital to look for employment in other hospitals. The problem of retention can be solved through personnel turnover investigation to establish the number of staff leaving and joining the organization a particular period of time. A high rate of personnel turnover is an indication that the management is having ineffective personnel practices and policies. The study of personnel turnover will enable the hospital to effectively plan manpower and to establish appropriate personnel practices and policies that will lead to employee retention such as appropriate selection, provision of promotional avenues, high salaries and improved working conditions. Question 2 Leadership style to be used in Latifa hospital Leadership is a fundamental concept in health care management. An effective leader is the one who influence other people to achieve goals, and the highly effective the achievement of valuable goals. An Exceptional leader move an organization along with its people in a direction that it would otherwise would not take. He launches enterprises, win wars, create organizational culture and change course of events. An exceptional leader is a talented strategist who grabs opportunities that others overlook. Healthcare managers who want to become effective and true leaders, who ensure attainment of valuable goals, are required to attain knowledge about leadership. They must understand the diverse views of what leadership entails and the function of vision in successful and effective leadership (Russell, 2002). According to Griffith (2004), an outstanding leader in health care organization must have because vision which will offer the direction which the leader needs an organization to move. A health care leader is required to remain abreast of changes in environment and power is a significant to be a successful leader. The most vital skill that a leader requires is the capability to precisely perceive a situation and then accordingly change behavior. There are contemporary and traditional leadership perspectives, nevertheless, empowerment or the act of sharing power and authority with the staff and making them to influential and efficient contributors to the organization are elements of modern leadership styles. An effective leader has strategic goals, plans and agendas. A leader within a health care like Latifa hospital is unique and has specific distinct traits. He possesses interpersonal networks that assist him in implementing his agenda(Griffith, 2004). The best leadership style that I will use to increase patient satisfaction is democratic leadership. As a democratic leader I will engage patients in the process of decision making and ask them will changes should be made in the hospital in order for their needs and wants to be met. According to Taylor, (2011), democratic leaders are people-oriented and they focus upon teamwork and human relations. Democratic leadership will lead to job satisfaction and increased productivity of employees and the subsequent patient satisfaction. In regard to the decision making participation element of leadership behavior of leadership behavior, I will request input from the patients. I will seek opinions, preferences and information lead discussions and utilizes majority vote or consensus to make final choices. Democratic leadership will lead to empowerment of both employees and patients. Through empowering Latifa hospital patients by seeking their opinions, I will promote their confidence and make them fell to be part of the organization. Empowerment will lead to changes in the beliefs of Latifa hospital patients from feelings of powerless to strongly believing in their personal effectiveness. (Taylor, B, 2011). I will utilize democratic leadership to reduce high employee turn over through allowing them to take part in the process of decision making. Griffith (2004), notes that democratic managers ensures that his staff are informed on everything that influences their jobs and shares problem solving and decision making responsibilities. This style of leadership needs a leader to be the coach who possesses the final say, but assembles information from the employees prior to decision making. Democratic leadership will lead to high quantity and high quality work for prolonged durations. Several workers will be happy with the trust they will receive from their leader and respond with cooperation, which will subsequently lead to increased morale and team spirit. Because democratic leadership style encourages employee, engagement, participation and involvement, it will lead to employee retention and reduce high employee turnover, increase employee participation. I will encourage Latifa Hospital workers to set practical goals and identify their accomplishments. Due to the high turnover of employees and lack of trust by the senior management, I will use transformational leadership style. Bass (2000) notes that transformational leadership is a form of leadership that results to positive change in followers. I will offer encouragement and support to employees in order to enhance employee retention. In order to promote a supportive relationship with the senior management, will keep communication lines open in order for both the senor management and employees to feel free in sharing their ideas. This will enable me to provide direct recognition of every unique contributions offered by every individual in the organization. Autocratic leadership is another style of leadership that I will use in Latifa hospital to deal with the issue of the senior management going through documents in my office. I will take total control and authority of my documents. According to Russell, (2002), autocratic leadership is essential in circumstances where control is necessary. I will offer clear anticipations for what requires to be done, how it must be done and when it must be done. There will be also an apparent division amid the leader and senior management, with the leader making decisions independently on who should access the documents in the manager’s office. Since the situation of the senior management going through documents in the office is stressful, autocratic style of leadership will help me to allow the management to focus upon performing particular tasks without be concerned about making intricate decisions. This will in turn help members to be highly skilled in performing particular duties, which will be advantageous to the group as well as the organization. References Russel, S, 2002, Management and Leadership for Nurse Managers, Jones and Barlett Publishers, Boston. Goyal, C, 2002, Human Resource Management in Hospitals. Prentice Hall of India Private Limited, India. Flynn, W, & Mathis, R, 2003, Healthcare human resource management, South-Western College Pub, Kansas, Griffith, J, 2004, Designing 21st Century Healthcare: Leadership in Hospitals and Healthcare System, Routledge, London. Taylor, B, 2011, Effective medical leadership, University of Toronto Press, Toronto. Babu, G, & Krishna, I, 2008, Object oriented and multi-scale image analysis: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats- A review. Journal of Computer Science, 4(9), 706-712 Bass, M, 2000, Leadership and Performance. Free Press, New York. Read More