Description and relationship of the primary functions of management
In healthcare administration, management functions can be described to mean key duties rendered upon the organization’s management in the running of a health organization. These functions can be broadly categorized as planning, organizing, controlling and leading/directing.
Planning
Planning involves the creation of necessary steps required in deciding the future position of a health facility in a strategic manner. It is regarded as a traditional model used by managers because it offers insights into the management on problems that hinder the performance of their organizations. Again, it requires the management to foresee future internal and external socio-economic facts that are likely to face the organization. As such, objectives, coupled with steps are formulated to be realized within given set deadlines (Liebler, & McConnell, 2011). For instance, the CEO of a health facility may want to purchase modern health diagnosis equipment as plans to improve their services. For effectiveness of such a move, planning function, here, relates to both controlling and directing function through resource control (by controller of budget) for both purchase and also staff organization (by the team leader) in a balanced manner for such a move to make economic sense in the long run.
Organizing
Organizing processes require managers to bring together major sections and divisions within an organization to work effectively as one unit. The various organizational arms that can be drawn together include; human, financial and physical resources. Organizing an organization’s resources in a satisfactory manner demands that information’s power flow is effective across the organization. It can as well be effectively through the deployment of the division of labor (Rakich, & Longest, 2012). For instance, to get the best out of a team of nurses, they need to be stationed at care rooms of their specialization, in so doing; the organizing role relates to the both controlling and planning function since these nurses will have to get directions from their seniors (who control them), as well as being planned in shifts (by shift planner).
Directing/Leading
The management function of directing requires the management to make proper use of the powers in its capacity to guide, lead and direct the organization in realizing its objectives. As such, the directing role of management implies that managers can be directly or indirectly involved in the monitoring and supervision of staff during their workplace day to day engagements. An example is staff planning and control, which demonstrates a simple way of directing role by the supervisor. In this example, the supervisor (who does the directing role) uses planning function and authority of control to ensure his leading function is achieved even in his/her absence.
Controlling
The controlling function is where management is tasked with performing measures that aim at checking organization’s progress. The purpose of controlling is to, at all times ensure that time schedules are maintained and improvements effected where necessary. Again, through proper and effective control process, organization’s resources with be used in an efficient and effective manner possible (Kleinman, 2003). Hence relationship between control, planning, directing and organizing is used to ensures that facility resources are subjected to planning, directing and organizing abilities for them to be in their best shape for maximum productivity.
Tuckman’s Stages of Team development
First Stage: Forming
Forming stage is when group members come together to form a team. An example is when a facility health provider builds a team made of representatives from various departments to streamline the overall operations in the facility. As a manager, in order to successfully lead my team through this stage, I would urge and constantly advise my team members to embrace and accept each other in attempts to avoid conflicts, controversies but rather focus on job divisions and information sharing among the member (Tuckman, & Jensen, 2007). Also, a manager, by ensuring that, as a team we stay within those boundaries of togetherness, the better approach of working can be devised and the group can be comfortable moving forward together.
Second Stage: Storming
The forming stage is when things are tested out, and job allocations are done. An example of this could be evident when two neighboring departments in a health facility are joined to work as a team. Former leaders of the respective departments would still want to assume the limited leadership role, and confrontations may spur with little arguments. As a manager in a similar situation to the case used to explain this stage, I would urge my team to look at the issues as wars that are not to be lost or won but to instead come up with clarity mechanism of preventing persistence of such conflicts so that we can cross to the next stage as a unit (Atherton, 2003).
Third Stage: Norming
In this stage, the agenda of the team dawns after a settlement of the internal structure experienced in the storming stage. Like in the above example, the team can now set engagement rules with clear goals and objectives of its purpose (Tuckman, & Jensen, 2007). As a manager, to ensure that the team successfully navigates through this stage, I would urge members to support, listen, and share their skills so that they can be tied to the team’s agenda and purpose.
Fourth Stage: Performing
This stage has a stable structure that allows members to get effectively work done. Being the last stage before adjournment, as a manger, my focus would be the need to ensure that we realize the objectives of the team. Therefore, I would ask team members to trust each other and embrace togetherness and allow for independent activities (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 2011). Also, I feel there would be the need to boost the morale of the team by offering motivational things to them.
“Attitude Reflects Leadership” as used in Healthcare Administration
In the perspective of Healthcare Administration, “Attitude Reflects Leadership” means to maintain a positive attitude by keeping the workplace morale up. It implies having goals and dreams for staff like doctors, nurses who work throughout. The spread of positivity assists creates environments where the organization’s vision can be realized (King, 2010).
Key components required in a job description
The key components required in a job description, popularly referred to as (JD) include: First, the job purpose, which may be in just one sentence, describes the overall mission or purpose of a particular job. It offers a rationale explaining the existence and importance of that job, and its contribution to the organization. Second are the objectives and goals statements. They are more of being general and broad but show what to be accomplished by the incumbent. The third component is the reporting relationships including the title of jobs where the holder reports to as well as those that report to it. Fourth include duties and responsibilities, which are listed in simple, yet complete as possible. It is also important to note the inclusion of caveat at minimizing resistance by employees who may resist performing non-listed duties. The fifth aspect involves key technical knowledge and skills listing measures of holding incumbents accountable as well as an indication of well the performance is executed.
Need for job descriptions to provide essential information
Job descriptions must provide critical information because of the following reasons. Firstly, it forms the cornerstone of each and every recruitment process, and as such it stands the chance of attracting right candidates to send their applications. Secondly, JDs serves organizations first opportunity for making good impressions of themselves. Third, JDs helps to tighten the screening process allowing the hiring process to get and choose the highest qualified candidates. Again, a JD will allow an organization to develop a high-impact assessment question enabling selection of the employees that they need (“Why You Need Job Descriptions”).
Ramifications that can occur due to missing areas of a JD
In every agency or organization, for each staff position, there is a need for a corresponding JD that fully and accurately describes that job. Various ramifications can occur when some areas miss in a JD. These includes; firstly, difficulty in ensuring that staff duties are in line with the company’s vision. The absence of information on areas like skills and qualifications would make it hard in developing interview questions. Again, it will not be easy to identify areas that might require training and development in cases where requirements and expectations are not being realized. Lack of some areas in a JD especially those that concern duties and responsibilities, would make it difficult while drawing compensation plans which should ensure that jobs are compensated in reflection to responsibility and qualification levels. Finally, performance management might prove trick with missing areas in a JD as unclear JD would not allow employees to understand their responsibilities and duties which are expected and required of them (“Accommodation and Compliance Series”).
How a manager ensures that all aspects of a JD are covered
As a manager, to ensure inclusion of all aspects of a JD, the following steps needs to be followed while formulating a JD. They include completion of a job analysis. Job analysis exposes aspects such as purpose and job setting will be taken care of. Two, make the recording of the basics that will enable the coverage of aspects such as job title, section or department of the job, relationships associated with the job, brief job function summaries. Others include duties and responsibilities, quality and quantity of work expectation, essential but marginal roles, special work conditions like shift, over time and so on. Third is detailing qualification stating specific knowledge, skills and past experiences. Finally, there is the need for maintaining consistency especially the internal consistency, i.e., the liberty to use existing templates in formulating new job positions.
References
Liebler, J. G., & McConnell, C. R. (2011). Management Principles for Health Professionals. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Rakich, J. S., & Longest, B. B. (2012). Managing Health Services Organizations. Health Professions Press.
Kleinman, C. S. (2003). Leadership roles, competencies, and education: How prepared are our nurse managers?. Journal of Nursing Administration, 33(9), 451-455.
Atherton J S. (2003) learning and teaching: Group development(online) UK<http;//www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/teaching/group development.htm Accessed:www.Chimaaeraconsulting.com/tuckman.htm.>
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (2011). The motivation to work (Vol. 1). Transaction Publishers.
Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (2007). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Management, 2(4), 419-427.
King, C. (2010). Attitude Reflects Leadership. Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, 2010(1), 312-323.
Why You Need Job Descriptions. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2016, from https://www.go2hr.ca/articles/why-you-need-job-descriptions
Accommodation and Compliance Series: Job Descriptions. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2016, from https://askjan.org/media/jobdescriptions.html
