MHA 601 Principles in Healthcare Administration / Week 5

Guidance

During Week Five, you will be responsible for reading Chapters 8 and 9 of the required

textbook by Frates (2014). Chapter 8: Communication in Health Organizations addresses the vital role of communication, with a brief discussion of conceptual foundations a nd a

pragmatic recognition of supportive communication and coaching and counseling skills for the healthcare manager. Unique aspects of communication in healthcare organizations conclude the chapter.

Chapter 9: Values, Vision, Culture and Ethics discusses the role of vision and values in health care organizations which are primarily (or should be) mission driven and patient

centered, and how leaders at every level of the organization express their commitment to both by their behavior – or fail to. Culture is addressed from two perspectives, considering

both corporate culture and a health care organization’s cultural proficiency to serve an increasingly diverse patient population with nontraditional needs and service preferences.

This week, Discussion 1:

asks students to discuss effective listening. From a theoretical perspective, the role of

communication highly depends on the prevailing environment, organization’s culture,

structure, and leadership (Robbins & Judge, 2015). The size and type of organization,

organization’s culture, and leadership style de termine what approaches of communication

should be adopted (Adelman & Stokes, 2012; Frates, 2014). Conflicts occur because thoughts and feelings have not been communicated well enough to others or have been

misinterpreted. Misunderstandings often happen but can be corrected or avoided. To have effective communications, leaders need to establish feedback mechanisms to check for

understanding (Adelman & Stokes, 2012; Robbins & Judge, 2015). There are some ways leaders can do such as paraphrasing, asking que stions for clarification, and asking other people’s point of view or suggestions.

Discussion 2:

covers values, vision, and culture. Johnson (2009) argued that organizational culture is made up of “values, norms, language (i.e., acronyms), beliefs, symbols, and assumptions

that develop over time and begin with the founder of the organization” (p. 114). Organizational culture and organizational leadership are mutually connected. The

leadership affects organizational culture and organizational performance , while the organizational culture will also affect leaders' leadership styles and organizational

effectiveness (Frates, 2014; Johnson, 2009). Leadership’s responsibility includes

strategically addressing the organization’s culture, planning the provision of services,

acquiring and allocating resources, and setting priori¬ties for improvement (Eriutlu, 2011).

Patient safety should be the number one concern of any division of the health care industry

(Popescu, 2013). Healthcare leaders need to assess their organizational culture as a part of

the strategic planning process. When the external environment is changing, leaders need to

implement a systematic approach to change the culture accordingly (Frates, 2014; Johnson, 2009).

The success of an organization is a result of the organization’s strategy and culture. The

process of creating the culture of the organization includes four steps: establishing values,

creating vision, implementing strategies, and reinforcing cultural behaviors (Eriutlu, 2011). Cultural values are the established behaviors that employees need to exhibit for the

organization to carry out the strategic values. Creating the picture of what the organization will be like at some point in the future, the vision portrays how the strategic and c ultural

values combine to create the future. Implementation initiates the action to accomplish the vision, including developing the organization design and recruiting and training employees

(Eriutlu, 2011). The organization also needs to establish the formal reward systems that

match desired behaviors with rewards valued by employees (Eriutlu, 2011; Frates, 2014; Johnson, 2009).

Adelman, K, & Stokes, C. D. (2012, Mar/Apr). Promoting employee voice a nd upward

communication in healthcare: The CEO’s influence. Journal of Healthcare Management, 57(2), 133-148.

Eriutlu, H. (2011). The moderating role of organizational culture in the relationship

between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviors. Lea dership & Organization Development Journal, 32(6), 532 -547.

Class Text

Frates, J. (2014). Health care management: Theory in action. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Johnson, J. A. (2009). Health organizations: Theory, behavior, and development. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Popescu, G. H. (2013, December). Factors that influence management development in healthcare organizations. Economics, Management, and Financial Markets, 8(4), 172-177.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2015). Organizational behavior (16th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.