Discussion Question:
Describe the organizational characteristics of a facility in which you currently work. Include the following: the type of organization, its organizational culture, its structure, and its formal and informal goals and processes.
Define three different kinds of power, and describe how power affects the relationships between people of different disciplines (e.g., between staff in nursing, medicine, physical therapy, housekeeping, administration, finance, social work) in a health-care organization.
Your initial posting should be at least 400 words in length and utilize at least one scholarly source other than the textbook.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
The healthcare industry is diverse, consisting of numerous organizations providing various services to the public. Different facilities may possess unique organizational characteristics, including their structure, goals, and culture. Power dynamics in healthcare are essential for understanding the relationships between individuals from different disciplines. This discussion will explore the organizational characteristics of a hospital facility, three types of power and how they affect relationships in the healthcare organization.
The Organizational Characteristics of a Hospital Facility
The hospital facility I currently work in is the Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a non-profit organization, and a teaching hospital located in New Jersey, United States. The organizational culture emphasizes quality, safety, and patient-centeredness. The hospital’s organizational structure is hierarchical, with the CEO at the helm, followed by the senior management team, including the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and the Director of Finance. The hierarchy continues, with team leaders, department heads and their subordinates.
The formal goals of the hospital include providing excellent patient care, research, and quality improvement initiatives. The informal goals, on the other hand, include maintaining the hospital’s reputation, job security, and teamwork among staff. The hospital’s processes are formalized, with standard procedures and protocols for admitting patients, handling patient information, and discharging patients.
Different Kinds of Power and Their Effect on Relationships
Three types of power can be identified in healthcare organizations. These are authoritative power, referent power, and expert power. The authoritative power is the ability of a person to make decisions or influence others based on their position in the hierarchy. In the healthcare organization, authoritative power is prevalent in management, where senior staff can make decisions that affect their juniors. Referent power, on the other hand, is the power an individual holds based on their personality, charisma, or reputation. In healthcare organizations, this type of power arises due to personal qualities of individuals, such as their communication skills or ability to handle conflict. Expert power is the power an individual holds based on their knowledge or skill. Physicians, for example, hold expert power because of their expertise in treating patients.
Power dynamics can affect the relationships between people of different disciplines in a healthcare organization. For example, a manager may use their authoritative power to give orders that physicians or nurses may not agree with, leading to tension and conflict. On the other hand, when individuals use their referent power, it may lead to cooperation and teamwork among staff. For example, a nurse who is respected by their colleagues may influence them to work together towards a common goal, such as improving patient care. Additionally, if a physician holds expertise in a particular field, they may use their expert power to influence other staff, such as nurses or social workers, in providing comprehensive care to the patient.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, understanding the organizational characteristics of healthcare organizations and power dynamics is essential in ensuring a smooth workflow and effective teamwork in the healthcare industry. The Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a facility model for a patient-centered healthcare organization, whose organizational culture focuses on quality, safety, and teamwork. Three types of power identified in healthcare organizations are authoritative power, referent power, and expert power, and they affect the relationships between different disciplines in the healthcare organization.
