Forces in the External Environment That Have an Impact in the Organization
The Health care organization is considered as an open system the focuses on external relationships. Currently, there are inherent fundamental changes in the practice and the way health care is delivered. This has led professionals and managers in this field to recognize the significance and links between the processes of problem solving and decision- making. The external environment is inclusive of the; social, technological and political trends. It is these external factors that affect the way an organization operates. In this organization, the two key external factors are the demographic and competition influences.
The demographic condition is a significant external factor that affects the kind of health care that people can afford and when and where they can access these services (Schein, 2009). The affordable care act was developed with this consideration in mind and it enables people to sign up for affordable insurance plans based on their financial and economic status. From the analysis of this organization, it is clear that the demographic condition is changing as most of the people seeking medical services are older. Demographic analysis is important as people of different ages seek different kinds of services. For instance; older people suffer from chronic illnesses and it is important for hospitals to be prepared for this. It is also essential to know the number of people who will be seeking treatment at this medical center.
Competition is also a factor that affects the survival of the hospital. The Affordable Care Act has allowed people from all walks of life to have access to medical services. For this reason, a lot of hospitals are likely to crop up from various places. By forecasting the competition, it is likely that the hospital will be able to prepare and develop a competitive edge. This is the only way that the organization will ensure its continuity and success (Fahey, King and Narayanan, 2001). As an administrator, I consider this factor as very important as it determines the success or failure of this hospital in the future. Preparing and forecasting for competition is necessary for the future success of the organization.
Factors in the Internal Environment That Have an Impact in the Organization
In preparing for the future of the health care organization, it is necessary to consider a lot of factors. In this case, the two key factors to be considered are technology and investing in research and drug development as these have the greatest impact in health care (Daft, 2004). The factor of knowledge from research is largely determined by the Affordable Care Act and especially the Patient Protection Act. The Patient Protection Act determines the kind of information that the health care workers share and who they share it with. It also determines the kind of research that should be conducted based on how it will affect the patients.
It is important to conduct research as it unearths new information that can be very useful in the development of better medicine and therapeutic practices in the medical field. As an administrator, I will have to consider how this research will be conducted and how it will affect the organization before approving it. I will also have to plan who will conduct the research and how. So far, the only way of ensuring that this would be done effectively is through training of the employees and keeping them up to date with the developments in some of the new developments in medicine and health care services. As an administrator, I will ensure that all employees are kept up to date and this will help in solving the future problems of the health care industry. When it comes to knowledge, heightened awareness of the increasing health risks is the first step of inducing a self directed change.
Employees need to be updated on the new developments in technology, how it is applied in the occurrence of the increasing health risks in the society and how to avoid them. As an administrator, I would need to ensure that the hospital is kept up to date with new technologies. Employees should also be trained on the same. This not only increases confidence, but it also offers an avenue where employees are able to come up with new ideas on how to improve the situation (Brown and Weiner, 2005). In the case of this organization, efficient technology will help the employees provide efficient treatment by signing up on the most efficient and useful insurance plan. At the same time, this situation offers an opportunity for self directed change as it provides the employees with a feeling of satisfaction of their purpose as health care providers. I will place all the considerations towards the fulfillment of these solutions.
As an administrator, I realize that the availability of knowledge through research affects the capabilities of an employee and how they provide service. This is usually known as the perceived efficacy effect where employees are confident when they are knowledgeable. It is that awareness that affects the attitudes of health care providers when they are dealing with patients. This is one factor that employees have to consider when planning for future change. I will ensure that the health care providers have the affirmation that they can perform a variety of activities. In this way, future change in the organization will be enhanced. The attitudes can also be transformed through team work in research and various activities that allow health care providers to mingle with their colleagues and form a rapport.
Impact of Identified Internal and External Factors
Many theories have been developed to show the fact that in order for an organization to become effective and competitive, it is important to become assimilate into the culture of the society (Schein, 2009). Currently, the medical field has undergone a lot of changes and it is becoming increasingly dynamic and competitive. In order for this organization to have a competitive edge, it is important to keep up with these changes. The internal and external factors identified above have a large impact in the development of a competitive strategy.
Demographic influences have a large influence in shaping the way health care is provided in a country and its quality (Daft, 2004). This is quite evident in this organization as the Affordable Care Act and the Patient Protection Act have been largely used to control. By placing stringent regulations on the way health care is provided, the development of a competitive strategy becomes even more impossible. In this case, such a hospital is only allowed to provide health services depending on the kind of health care insurance that the patients can afford. Instead of development of a competitive strategy, there is a clear cut categorization of hospitals depending on the patients that they serve. As an administrator, I plan on using the current technology and information obtained through research. The demographic situation of the country affects the kinds of services that are sought after by patients especially due to the differences in age. In this case, I plan on using the knowledge from the demographic to prepare for services such as home care and drugs for various chronic and terminal illnesses.
When it comes to the availability of knowledge, a self directed change will only come through empowerment (Fahey et al, 2001). However, the providence of this knowledge relies on the employer more than the employee. It is the work of employers to offer in service training for the health care providers in their organization. The lack of knowledge and awareness implies the lack of confidence of health care providers and this is quite evident when they are dealing with patients. A typical example in this case is when it comes to the application of a variety of technology in health care. If the employees do not have an idea on how to use a machine, then the health care organization is likely to have problems when developing a competitive strategy. As an administrator, I will ensure that the workers are provided with this knowledge. Using the available technology, the process of conducting research will be enhanced. As stated, this will go a long way in providing information that can be used to develop a competitive strategy.
Strategy for Maintaining the Momentum
As an administrator, I recognize that it is important for leaders to consider that the success of any strategic plan relies on how well the strategy is shown to have worked before. As such, I will consult organizations with similar problems; find out how they dealt with the problems and whether the plan was successful (Daft, 2004). It is also important to find out the weaknesses of the plan and how to overcome them. For instance, in the case of my organization, I would conduct a thorough research to identify similar problem in other organization in order to come up with and to maintain the plan. The information obtained from research is also quite useful in this case.
Secondly, the success and proper maintenance of a strategic plan relies on identifying the underlying factors of the problem. In this way, the problem is not just solved from the surface but from the root. This will help in maintaining the strategic plan as the problems will not crop up in the middle of undertaking the plan. This information can only be unearthed through a thorough research of the problems especially through the employees and the service seekers. Thirdly, it is important to include the employees of the organization in the strategic plan. This means that I will involve them in the identification of the problem, the decision- making process and the ideas on problem solving. More importantly, I will provide the employees with a copy of the strategic plan so that they can follow it step by step. Basically, this process avoids confusion which prevents mistakes and this helps in the smooth progression of the plan.
References
Brown, A., & Weiner, E. (2005). Supermanaging: How to Harness Change for Personal and Organizational Success. New York: Mentor.
Daft, R. L. (2004). Organizational Theory and Design (8th Ed). Ohio: South-Western.
Fahey, L., King, W. R., & Narayanan, V. K. (2001). Environmental scanning and forecasting in Strategic Planning: The State of the Art. Long Range Planning, 14 (2), 32-39.
Schein, E. H. (2009). Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th Ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons.
