Healthcare Administration 8 Discussion 1
Serenity3203
AH598ch15slideshow.pptxDAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL-AS-MANAGER
Objectives (1 of 2)
Examine the dual role of the health professional working as manager.
Explore potential problems and barriers often encountered by health professionals who enter management.
Confirm the legitimacy of management as a second career and as a profession in its own right.
Identify the non managerial professional employee as a sometimes scarce resource.
Introduce the high-skill professional and review the associated special management problems.
Objectives (2 of 2)
Discuss several aspects of day-to-day management in which the manager must put more into the relationship with each employee because the employee is a professional.
Establish the manager’s critical role as the essential link between the employees’ profession and the remainder of the organization.
Address the need for the professional-as-manager to recognize the importance of self-development and active management of one’s own career progression.
The Health Professional as Specialist
Trained in a specific health profession
Specialist in that role
Functions routinely in that role
Renders judgment on countless technical matters
The Health Professional as Manager
Takes on a second occupation: manager
Demonstrates management skills
A logical step in the career ladder
A generalist, attentive to overall organizational considerations
Two equally important roles: that of specialist and that of generalist
Signs of Managerial Discomfort (1 of 2)
Budgeting viewed as a chore
Dreads performance appraisals
Tendency to shy away from employee problems
Identification with the work group; polarizing attitude of “them” vs. “us”
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Signs of Managerial Discomfort (2 of 2)
Disciplinary issues dreaded, often minimized or avoided
Remains unfamiliar with personnel policies; refers all to human resources
Inability to plan with work priorities in mind
Failure to delegate; unable to utilize employees to their fullest
The Management Generalist
A legitimate role in itself
Advanced education and training in management
In healthcare organizations, frequently combined with healthcare specialization
A Constant Balancing Act
Maintain a balance between specialist and generalist
Avoid the attitude of “once a specialist, always a specialist”
Foster a liking for management role
Stay current in both the technical/specialist field and the management field
Ego Barriers to Effectiveness
Maintaining an inflated view of the importance of one’s profession relative to others
Devaluing the management profession
Failing to recognize management as a specialty in its own right
Failure to attend to the “big picture”: the organization as a whole
Overview: The Professional Managing the Professional
The professional as a scarce resource
Some special management problems
Credibility of the professional’s superior
The Professional as Scarce Resource
The reality of periodic shortage of certain healthcare specialists
Necessity of shifting focus: from recruitment to retention
Attention to better pay scales, more generous benefits, more attractive schedules, additional compensation for less popular assignments, a more clearly defined role, a stronger voice in matters of patient care
Some Special Management Problems (1 of 2)
Specialist is well educated within a specific discipline
Individual accustomed to a high degree of autonomy
Person may be licensed and credentialed to function with autonomy
May assume a mandate to get things done and report later, if at all
Possesses mobility; many can choose to move freely among departments or organizations
Robert Leon (RL) - Original first bullet point deleted as it was unnecesary
Some Special Management Problems (2 of 2)
As a solitary operator, specialist constantly exercises individual discretion and judgment
Usually shows a high degree of self-confidence and independence of thought and action
Self-starter; needs minimal supervision or direction
Sometimes tension between the lone operator and the team
Sometimes tension between the necessary autonomy and hierarchical authority
Robert Leon (RL) - Original first bullet point deleted as it was unnecesary
Credibility of the Professional’s Superior
Specific tension when manager is from a different profession
The ego barriers surface
The question of manager’s competence to deal with a specialist’s area
Again, the need for the healthcare specialist to accept management as a legitimate profession in its own right
Leadership Style
Given the autonomous nature of the healthcare specialist’s work:
Use the participative/consultative style
Remain aware of underlying motivation: McGregor’s Theory Y
Communication and the Language of the Professional
Professional often speaks “inside language”: the jargon or technical terms of a specialty
“Inside language” is an inevitable outcome of the growth of a specialty
Must be attentive to the need to shift to more general language when communicating with others; must avoid excluding others by using the “inside language”
The Growth-Oriented Manager
The next step: preparing for the next job
Career ladders and tracks
Consolidate before the next reach
Remember the supporting skills
