Benefits And Challenges Of Human Relations And Bureaucratic Management In The Hospital Setting

Application of Human Relations Management Theory in the Hospital Setting

This theory has been in existence for quite a long time. It has been used greatly in the hospital working environment. The hospital working environment is largely composed of health care workers, support staff and patients/clients. It is true to say that employment of the theory in the hospital setting has changed management of healthcare facilities for the better. The Human Relations Theory of Management was developed in the 1920s (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). At that time, the main goal of management was to ensure maximum productivity.

It follows that most of the management practices were constructed in such a way to ensure maximization of production. It was at that time that studies were carried out and showed that people were the important factor in production and not machines. While machines are good in making work easier, it was noted that putting focus on the employees and their welfare greatly improved production.

The theory stipulates that people are generally motivated when working in supportive teams and where the relationships in the work environment are at their optimum (Bratton and Gold, 2017). Human beings have emotions that are stimulated by various circumstances. Since human beings are emotional by nature, they cannot be compared to machines for they have feelings. If these employees are treated well and in a manner that shows that they are significant, then they are likely to appreciate the work that they do and become more productive (DuBrin and Geerinck, 2015). This is as true to the hospital environment as it is true to other social care environments.

Evidence/Examples of Application of the Human Relations Management Theory is Used in the Hospital Setting

There are several strategies that the management to motivate the workers. The workers in the hospital setting are mainly healthcare professionals such as the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, nurses and dietitians. There are also support staff such secretaries and workers who clean various places within the hospital. The discussion above has shown the importance of motivating workers- both the healthcare professional and the support staff. Ensuring that employees are motivated goes a long way in ensuring that productivity is increased. Some of the ways used to motivate the employees are going to be discussed next.

One of the ways is through which the welfare of employees is taken care of is ensuring that they receive a good pay. It would be almost true to say that almost every worker would like the best possible pay. A good pay ensures that the workers can settle their bills and carry out other endeavours comfortably. This contributes to more concentration on their work leading to better results ((Jesinoski, Miller and Volker, 2016). Another way the hospital motivates the workers is by ensuring that there are adequate employees so that workers are not overworked.

Benefits and Challenges of Human Relations Management Theory

For instance, there are employees for the night shift and those who work during the day. Promotions are also another in which healthcare workers are motivated. Sometimes, the hospital also facilitates the employees (health professionals) to do further studies. The facilitation involves funding them for that purpose, such as providing the funds needed for education, house allowance etc. In a nutshell, the hospital seems to appreciate the importance of motivating its employees and this has led to improved services. This is pure application of human relations management theory which stipulates that the employee is the most important factor for ensuring success/achievement of goals.

Benefits and Challenges of Human Relations Management Theory

There are several benefits accrued through application of this theory to hospital environment. One is that the employees are appreciated. Appreciation refers to acknowledging the contribution of the employees. In the hospital environment, this is carried out through such ways as promotions and salary increase. Another benefit is that the wellbeing of the hospital employees is considered. While the main aim remains enhancing the services, the hospital ensures that the well being of the employees is catered for.

This could be through increasing their pay, allowing them to work for only reasonable amounts of time and facilitating them for further studies. The other benefit is that a good relationship is built between the hospital workers and the management. When the hospital employees are appreciated, and their welfare catered for, they see the role of management as that of caring and a good rapport is developed.

There are also challenges associated with application this theory of management in the hospital work environment. One is that it is difficult to tell how the hospital employees will behave. The expectation is that motivating the workers would result in better services (Khorasani and Almasifard, 2017). Sometimes however, some employees may end up expecting more motivation rather than improve service delivery. The other disadvantage is that the theory is based on strategies of predicted behaviour versus observed behaviour. This theory does not have scientific basis and though it has worked in many cases, it has failed in some others. For instance, some hospital employees improve the way they lender their services when motivated while others do not.

Bureaucratic Management Theory

This theory is not popular in the contemporary society, but it is still used. It is applied in the hospital environment in several ways that will be discussed next. The theory was developed by Max Weber ((Niskanen, 2017)). Weber defined six characteristics of a bureaucracy. One is hierarchical structure of management. This means that there are levels of management and each level is controlled by the one above it. The healthcare facilities are organized into levels from the primary health (level 1) care to the highest level (level 6 hospitals). The second is division of labour where each employee specializes in a certain area. The specialist gains that status by gaining the appropriate skills (West, 2016).

Application of Bureaucratic Management Theory in the Hospital Setting

The hospital staff undergo specialised training before they commence working at the health care facilities. There are also formal appointments. This implies that such appointments are purely based on competence, skills one has or experience. Such factors as nepotism or preferential treatment do not have a room in this type of management.

The fourth is that there is a sharp difference between management and ownership. The managers are not necessarily owners but individuals who have the expertise required for the manager career (Tuczek, Castka and Wakolbinger, 2018). The fifth is that there are rules established to guide the bureaucracy. These rules are formal and with them in place, it is easy to predict the action of employees. The last characteristic is referred to as impersonality. This means that the set rules apply to all individuals without favour or preferential treatment.

Evidence of Use of Bureaucratic Management Theory in the Hospital Setting

Although this theory of management is not popular in the contemporary society, it still applies and is used in several situations. The reason for unpopularity is that many views it as complex and one that does not favour creativity and innovativeness. Taking a close look at my setting (the hospital) it is obvious that this theory applies. It may not apply in its entirety, but it applies all together. In the hospital environment, there is a hierarchy of health care institutions. There are levels running from the primary health care institutions and dispensaries to level VI hospitals (Ginter, Duncan and Swayne, 2018). Each higher-level handle more complex conditions and situations.

There is also the division of labour. In the health care environment, a patient sees the physician for diagnosis, a pharmacist for prescription of drugs, a nurse for administration of drugs or feeds (for patients who may require this) and a nutritionist/dietitian for food and dietary advice. There are also other specialists such as oncologists, eye specialists etc.

Appointments are also done in a very formal manner and is based on experience/skills/competence. There are set guidelines to determine various operations (Thompson, 2017). For instance, in management of severe acute malnutrition, there are certain guidelines followed. A nutritionist can therefore predict the interventions that will be carried out to a child who presents with malnutrition.  The illustrations above point out the aspects of bureaucratic management used in the hospital care setting.  

Benefits and Challenges of Bureaucracy

One of the benefits this theory is that the role of the hospital management is clearly defined. For instance, the role of the medical superintendent or that of the nurse are well known. The clarity ensures that there are little or no conflicts in the workplace concerning who is supposed to be playing a certain role. Another benefit is that the organisation of hospitals into levels leads to efficiency. The lower levels are many and near the villages or estates where people live. They deal with the common conditions. The organisation is in such a way that the more complex conditions are handled at higher levels. The theory also ensures increased effectiveness of administration.

There are also some disadvantages/challenges associated with this theory. One of such challenges is that it is difficult to adopt the theory in its entirety (Shafritz, Ott and Jang, 2015). For instance, some health facility owners are also part of the management of the facility. Another disadvantage is that it discourages innovation and creativity. This is because there are set guidelines that stipulate what should be done under certain circumstances.

For instance, the nurse may not carry out the role of a physician even when the physician is not available, and intervention is critical. Another disadvantage is that the welfare of the employees in not given a priority. The greatest determinant of productivity of an institution/organisation is the employees (Maylor, Meredith, Söderlund and Browning, 2018). Failure to motivate the hospital employees may lead to poor services.

References

Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.

DuBrin, A. J., & Geerinck, T. (2015). Human relations: Interpersonal, job-oriented skills. Pearson.

Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2018). The strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

Jesinoski, T., Miller, G. J., & Volker, J. X. (2016). Entrepreneurial Human Relations and Organizational Behaviour. Business Journal for Entrepreneurs, (4).

Khorasani, S. T., & Almasifard, M. (2017). Evolution of management theory within 20^th century: A systemic overview of paradigm shifts in management. International Review of Management and Marketing, 7(3), 134-137.

Maylor, H., Meredith, J. R., Söderlund, J., & Browning, T. (2018). Old theories, new contexts: extending operations management theories to projects. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(6), 1274-1288.

Niskanen, J. (2017). Bureaucracy and representative government. Routledge.

Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (2015). Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning.

Thompson, J. D. (2017). Organizations in action: Social science bases of administrative theory. Routledge.

Tuczek, F., Castka, P., & Wakolbinger, T. (2018). A review of management theories in the context of quality, environmental and social responsibility voluntary standards. Journal of Cleaner Production, 176, 399-416.

West, W. F. (2016). Controlling the Bureaucracy: Institutional Constraints in Theory and Practice: Institutional Constraints in Theory and Practice. Routledge.