ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
Introduction
The world is made up of a single supra system that contains millions of systems and subsystems. A system is a set of interdependent or interacting components that form an integrated whole. In addition, organization system refers to the structure adopted by the organization to organize and assign responsibilities to employees (Henningfeld, 2009). Therefore, this analysis focuses on the complexity of health care organizations and description of the health care organization in terms of organization’s culture, culture of learning, predominant leadership style, leadership assessment and organization’s readiness for change.
Health care organizations form a complex system in the health care system that is aimed at maintaining and improving health. They contain subsystems that work closely to achieve the targets of the organizations. They are complex adaptive systems within the larger supra system (Orridge, 2009). They are non-linear and dynamic, and they do not reach fixed equilibrium points. Adaptations and learning in most cases result in self-regulation, and most of the behavior patterns in this system are not designed, but rather emerges from within the system. They are also characterized by conflicting goals and behaviors because of the different needs and desires by the agents, which are reflected in their rules. The process of transforming a complex system is challenging (Delmont, 2004). The process requires building of internal capacity for transformation within the senior and the middle managers, physicians and front-line staff in the heath organizations. The system should also contain organizational development departments, which should be based in human resource department to work on the skills required for transformation (Henningfeld, 2009).
Kent Heath Organization is one of the leading non-profit health care providers in the State of New York. The organization runs a medical center in New York City. It has 200 employees, providing both inpatient and outpatient health care services (Delmont, 2004). Kent Health Organization has a mission to make quality health care services available to all people. The employees in the organization are determined to deliver quality health care services to all people regardless of their economic statuses. The organization is headed by a Board of Governors (BOG) that supervises the overall performance of the organization, and under BOG, there is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who oversees the running of the whole organization (Capper & Ginter, 2009).
There are various departments, which are present, including human resource department, emergency department and many more, are headed by Managers. The managers play a role of assigning duties and responsibilities to the staff members under their authority. Values in this organization are emphasized. Respect for patients and staff members is important in building good relationships among both the employees and the patients (Henningfeld, 2009). Other values in the organization include hard work, punctuality and courtesy. The values and mission at Kent Health Organization are alive and well. Many people including those who live under poverty line and those uninsured are given the opportunity to receive affordable quality health care services. The values of hard work, respect, punctuality and courtesy have boosted efficiency in service delivery (Orridge, 2009).
According to Schein, organizational culture refers to assumptions of group members learning to cope with internal and external pressures and consequently explaining behaviors and feelings within the organization (Schein, 1992). Kent Health Organization has a rich culture. The organization has norms, which include perfectionism, sense of urgency and objectivity in the performance of different tasks. These norms create a unique picture for Kent Health among the populations who benefit from the health services provided by the organization. Organizational traditions at Kent Health include task culture, in which teams are formed to solve problems that arise within the organization. Sacred cow refers to anything, which is exempted from criticism. At Kent Health, nurse leaders are exempted from criticism even when they do something awful because they are assumed to possess pertinent skills and experience in relation to their duties and provision of quality, evidence-based, and affordable nursing care (Henningfeld, 2009).
The climate at Kent Health Medical Center is supportive and caring. Staff members and those in senior positions collaborate to carry out various complex tasks. Everyone at the organization is determined to ensure that his or her colleague finds pleasure in working at the medical center. Employees at Kent Health have a positive attitude towards the work they do at the health organization (Orridge, 2009). Their fears arises when they fail to deliver quality, evidence-based, patient centered, and affordable health care services to patients, which at times results in deterioration of the health of the patients. The employees are committed to work and advocate for changes in areas, which they feel, are not working properly. Organizational learning culture at Kent Health involves making of mistakes and unleashing the power of experts. Through mistakes, the employees learn how to deal with same situations more competently in future and avoid a repetition of such mistakes. Experts from within the organization and outside conduct seminars and conferences, which give the employees an opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge in different areas (Orridge, 2009).
The leadership style at Kent Health is hierarchical. At the top, we have a Board of Governors that supervises the overall performance of the organization. Then we have a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who oversees the running of the entire organization. Under the CEO are Managers who take care of various departments in the organization. The proper structure of leadership ensures a smooth flow of authority from the top to bottom and makes it easier to bear responsibility in case of failures. The leadership is also transformative as the human resources department is well equipped to develop new skills, which will improve the delivery of health services (Capper & Ginter, 209).
Jim Collins introduced the concept of achieving greatness as a leader that translates to the greatness of the organization (Delmont, 2004). At Kent Health Organization, the CEO and other managers are competent, committed, team builders and work dedicatedly to achieve the goals of the organization. The leadership at Kent Health Organization is at level five, and this is because the leaders are able to make quality contributions to the organization, they are contributing team members, competent managers; they are able to galvanize the organization to meet the performance objectives and vision and possess unique blend of humility (Reaves, 2001). For instance, in the case of a problem the leaders for a team that includes the leaders and the staff to find solutions for the problem. Through the great leadership at Kent Health, it has been possible to raise the hospital bed capacity for 500 in 2008 to 1200 beds at the present (Henningfeld, 2009).
Kent Health Organization is ready for changes. Under the human resource department, a unit called Kent Health Organization Development Unit has been established which would research for new knowledge and skills to foster innovations in the organization (Orridge, 2009). Employees are also being equipped with an inner capacity to propel changes through in-house training. Personally, I can enhance change through increasing my capacity to learn from various sources, including the experts, and as well as adopting the tenets of change management by understanding, that change is inevitable and non-debatable. As a DNP, it is important to create a supportive and caring working environment, which will boost the staff morale. The information gathered from this analysis is important in the future, as it will be used to determine the progress that has been made from the time of compiling this analysis until then (Capper & Ginter, 2009).
Conclusion
In conclusion, Kent Health Organization is a system found within the larger system of the health care. The organization has a hierarchical leadership; BOG and CEO at the top, which makes ensures a smooth flow of command. It has a mission of making quality health care accessible to all people. Values such as hard work, respect and courtesy are embraced. Norms such as perfectionism are held in the organization. Organizational learning culture occurs through mistakes and medical experts. The organization leadership is at level five as the leaders are competent managers, humble, contributing to groups and are able to run the organization in achieving its objectives and vision. In readiness for change, the organization has set up Kent Health Organization Development Unit, which will research for new knowledge and skills to foster innovations in the organization.
References
Capper, S. A., & Ginter, P. M. (2009). Public health leadership & management cases and context. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
Delmont, J. (2004). Lessons from great companies.(Jim Collins' Good To Great)(Book Review). Powersports Business, 28, 8-12.
Henningfeld, D. A. (2009). Health. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.
Orridge, M. (2009). Change leadership developing a change-adept organization. Farnham, England: Gower.
Reaves, R. (2001). Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve. Technical Communication, 56, 4.
Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
