Sullivan Hospital System Case Study Plagiarism-Free Essay ✓ Solved

Sullivan Hospital System Case Study Plagiarism Free Essay

Assemble the diagnostic data into a framework and prepare feedback to the senior administrators of the hospitals. The feedback should include: what’s your sense of the organization’s current structure and employee involvement issues? What is the level of employee involvement and how does it relate to performance? What changes would you recommend? Is a total quality management intervention appropriate here? What alternatives would you propose? What are the most common organization structures used today as well as their strengths and weaknesses? Design an implementation plan for your preferred intervention. Consider whether there should be a sociotechnical systems work design.

Paper For Above Instructions

The Sullivan Hospital System, a large healthcare institution, faces a variety of challenges associated with its organizational structure and employee involvement. Understanding the current framework is crucial for developing constructive feedback for the senior administrators. This paper explores the existing structure and employee involvement, their impact on performance, proposed changes, and recommendations for implementation, with a focus on total quality management (TQM) interventions and sociotechnical systems work design.

Current Organizational Structure and Employee Involvement Issues

Analyzing the Sullivan Hospital System reveals that the organization operates with a hierarchical structure characterized by defined roles and responsibilities. This structure can hinder communication and collaborative efforts among departments, creating silos that affect overall performance (Mintzberg, 1980). Employee involvement, which is essential for fostering innovation and commitment, appears to be limited in this setting. Surveys and feedback indicate that communication from management is often one-way, resulting in low employee morale and engagement.

According to a study by Harter et al. (2002), higher levels of employee involvement correlate positively with organizational performance. In the case of Sullivan Hospital, strategies for increasing engagement, including regular feedback mechanisms, team collaborations, and decision-making processes that involve employees, are necessary. Fostering a culture where employees feel valued and heard can lead to improved patient care and satisfaction as well as reduced turnover rates.

Recommendations for Changes

In light of the identified issues, several changes can enhance organizational effectiveness and employee involvement. The first recommendation is to shift from a purely hierarchical structure to a more matrix-style organization that encourages collaboration across departments. This approach allows for greater flexibility and responsiveness to changing healthcare demands (Galbraith, 2009).

Implementing total quality management is also a viable option. TQM focuses on continuous improvement, emphasizing customer satisfaction and employee engagement (Deming, 1986). It promotes methodologies such as Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), which can be integrated into the hospital’s existing practices to refine processes and enhance patient care.

Alternative Organizational Structures

Other organizational structures that may be useful include flat organizational structures and networked structures. Flat structures reduce hierarchical layers, which can facilitate better communication and faster decision-making. This structure can empower employees, as it typically fosters a sense of ownership and accountability (Baker & Karwan, 2009).

Networked structures are beneficial as they promote collaborations both internally and externally with other institutions. These can enhance resource sharing and provide a more comprehensive approach to patient care. Each organizational structure has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice for Sullivan Hospital will depend on its specific needs and long-term goals.

Implementation Plan for Preferred Interventions

To successfully implement the recommended changes, a structured plan is necessary. The first step includes conducting comprehensive stakeholder engagement sessions to gather insights and recommendations from various levels of employees. This feedback will help tailor the intervention to the specific context of the Sullivan Hospital System.

Next, developing a training program for management and employees is crucial. This training should focus on TQM principles, effective communication strategies, and teamwork dynamics. As part of the sociotechnical systems work design, it is essential to stabilize the social and technical aspects of the work environment at the hospital, ensuring that both systems support one another effectively (Emery & Trist, 1960).

Monitoring and Evaluation

After implementing the changes, it is vital to establish monitoring mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Regular surveys and performance reviews can help track progress and make necessary adjustments. According to Kotter (1996), fostering a sense of urgency and winning short-term victories can encourage sustained commitment to change efforts.

Conclusion

The Sullivan Hospital System faces significant challenges regarding its organizational structure and employee involvement. By adopting a more flexible organizational structure and implementing TQM practices, the hospital can improve performance and increase employee engagement. An effective implementation plan that integrates sociotechnical systems work design will be instrumental in ensuring the success of these interventions.

References

• Baker, W. E., & Karwan, K. R. (2009). Organizational structures and dynamic capabilities. Strategic Organization, 7(3), 241-267.
• Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (2011). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework. Jossey-Bass.
• Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the Crisis. MIT Center for Advanced Educational Services.
• Emery, F. E., & Trist, E. L. (1960). The causal texture of organizational environments. Administrative Science Quarterly, 11(2), 239-250.
• Galbraith, J. R. (2009). Designing Your Organization: Using Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007. Jossey-Bass.
• Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationships between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268.
• Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Mintzberg, H. (1980). Structure in Fives: Designing Effective Organizations. Prentice-Hall.
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