Discussion

The four functions of management in a health care setting are planning, leading, organizing and controlling. These functions provide the basis for the common model used in most healthcare management training programs. Please provide a detailed description of these functions and how each function is related to the others.

Please provide a detailed answer and comment on at least 2 colleagues posts.

Student 1:

The four main functions of management in a healthcare setting are planning, leading, organizing and controlling. Planning is the function that has to do with setting goals and deciding what needs to be done to reach those goals. During the planning phase, it is very important for a manager to be aware of all enviornmental factors. This phase also calls for a lot of decision making.

The planning stage begins with enviornmental scanning. This stage also includes predicting future conditions. The next function is leading. Leading involves inspiring actions from others by inspiring them through social and informal sources. Managers must be effective leaders in order to insure that their employees will be enthusiastic in exerting effort to reach the company's goals and objectives. The attitude of the manager is very important; they must be able to communicate with their employees. The next function is organizing.

This function involves creating an organizational structure that allows for the accomplishment of the goals that were set. Human resources must also be allocated during this phase. The structure of the organization is usually refered to as organizational design. The organizing phase also has to do with the design of individual jobs within the company. Decisions have to be made about the individual jobs, such as what the duties and responsibilities of each entail.

The last function is known as controlling. Controlling is about making sure that the performance, or results do not deviate from the standards. Controlling consists of establishing performance standards, comparing the actual performance to the standards and taking actions to fix mistakes when needed. In a manager's role, controlling is used to make sure that necessary actions are being taken to make sure that employee's efforts are consistent with the organization's goals.

All of the functions have to do with one another. None of the functions can be achieved without the others. For example, controlling cannot be done unless goals have been set during planning, effective leadership is being utilized and correct organizing has been done.

Norman, L. 2018. What are the four basic functions that make up the management process?

Student 2:

The four functions of management in a health care setting are: planning, leading, organizing, and controlling. Planning is the function of management that involves setting objectives and determining a course of action for achieving those goals. These four processes are linked together as a process for management to be successful in all areas.

Planning consists of several steps: environmental scanning, which means that planners must be aware of future events that may face their organization such as competitors and their customers. Planners must set objectives which are needs that need to be achieved and a goal of when they should be achieved by. They also must make decisions about the best way to achieve the objectives and constantly evaluate the success of their plan and take action. There are many different types of planning: strategic planning, tactical planning, operational planning, etc.

Once the manager knows what they are planning for they will have a better understanding of the type of planning they need to do. Organizing is the function of management that involves developing an organizational structure and allocating resources to to ensure the success of the objective.

The structure is represented by an organization chart which provides a graphic representation of what the company needs/chain of command within the company. Managers have to make sure they are staying organized in their roles because if they are not they could miss out on important work events. Organizing also involves the design of individual jobs within the organization. Decisions must be made about the duties and responsibilities of jobs as well as the way they should be carried out.

Leading involves the social and informal sources of influence that you use to inspire action taken by others. If managers are effective leaders their employees will be more willing/enthusiastic about putting effort into the company. When you have an effective leader who is positive and uplifting about influencing their employees it will boost employee morale and have them more likely to go the extra mile for their work.

Employees need to feel appreciated by their leader and if they do not it will lead to conflict for both the leader and the one taking directions. Controlling involved ensuring that performance does not stray from standards. Controlling consists of three steps: establishing performance standards, comparing actual performance against standards, and taking corrective action when necessary.

The measure of performance can be measured in a number of ways: financial statements, sales reports, production results, customer satisfaction, etc. Controlling does not imply that managers should attempt to control or manipulate the personalities, values, attitudes, or emotions of their employees.

This function serves to ensure that the work-related activities of employees are consistent with and contributing to the organization and its success. These four functions are all related to one another and feed off of one another in order for managers to be successful. If you have one manager who only focuses on one or two of the ideas then they will not be a well-rounded manager and will have difficulty being successful.

Reference: (2015, October 27). Principles of Management.