Question

Consider various staffing issues such centralized and decentralized staffing, informal and formal networks, and the importance of forming relationships, networks and alliances within the health care delivery system. Describe the importance of these within your role as a future health care manager/leader and identify some key advantages/disadvantages associated with each.

Answer 1

1) Centralized recruiting is the process whereby all direct-hire creative staffing decisions are made by one human resources team within a company. Corporate recruiters working for a centralized team oversee the entire recruitment process for all new hires across all departments.
centralized staffing approach isn’t without challenges. It can cause hospitals within a system to feel a loss of control and identity. Because each site has a unique patient population and culture that influence its work, system staffing policies must be broad enough to set the framework for operations but allow room for individual tailoring. For example, every nursing unit at Legacy was expected to have a 6-week schedule, and the scheduling cadence had set times for publishing, scheduling periods, and trades. However, each unit determined if it would use self-scheduling, pattern scheduling, or a combination of both. This allowed for a standard system-wide approach, with opportunities for units to identify their own scheduling method that meets staff needs.Changes may take longer to initiate in a centralized model. Requests for policy, workflow, or technology changes must be evaluated at an enterprise level, which requires investigation, testing, pro and con analysis, and shared governance vetting. Once approved, the change must be communicated and rolled out, which requires planning and coordination. Legacy’s shared governance model ensures that site or specialty concerns move through the right channels to the system level and that staff input guides staffing and scheduling practices.

In a decentralized staffing function, responsibility for the recruiting process is managed locally, with strategies and processes that are tailored to local circumstances. ... On the other hand, a decentralized staffing model may be more focused on the hiring manager's needs and is more flexible in nature.

Difficult To Co-Ordinate :-While talking about the advantages and disadvantages of decentralization, it is imperative to note that substantial autonomy is enjoyed by every single division. This, in turn, makes it difficult to coordinate the overall activity.

External Factors :- The trade union movement, market uncertainties, and government intervention might make it impossible to benefit the most out of decentralization.

Narrow Product Lines :- Decentralized product lines need to be adequately broad so that autonomous units can flourish within the same. This might not be of much help in small business houses having narrow product lines. Lower levels in the organization also lack competent managers thus adding to the difficulty quotient.

Expensive :- In decentralisation, every employee takes responsibility for the better of the organisation so they work harder to achieve all the organisational objective. In return, they have to be paid more which sometimes proves to be very expensive for the company.

2) Formal Networks include our professional relationships with colleagues, within our agency or our inter-agency network. These include government bureaucrats, referring agencies and other professionals that we meet at inter-agency and other meetings.
Informal networks by definition have no structure. People responding to new work directives may act instantly to update their procedures, or may take days to organise themselves in line with company policy. The “grapevine” or “rumour mill” is the major informal communication medium in an organization.
3) Advantages of Formal Organisation:
1. Systematic Working:

Formal organisation structure results in systematic and smooth functioning of an organisation.

2. Achievement of Organisational Objectives:

Formal organisational structure is established to achieve organisational objectives.

3. No Overlapping of Work:

In formal organisation structure work is systematically divided among various departments and employees. So there is no chance of duplication or overlapping of work.

4. Co-ordination:

Formal organisational structure results in coordinating the activities of various departments.

5. Creation of Chain of Command:

Formal organisational structure clearly defines superior subordinate relationship, i.e., who reports to whom.

6. More Emphasis on Work:

Formal organisational structure lays more emphasis on work than interpersonal relations.

Disadvantages of Formal Organisation:
1. Delay in Action:

While following scalar chain and chain of command actions get delayed in formal structure.

2. Ignores Social Needs of Employees:

Formal organisational structure does not give importance to psychological and social need of employees which may lead to demotivation of employees.

3. Emphasis on Work Only:

Formal organisational structure gives importance to work only; it ignores human relations, creativity, talents, etc.

Advantages of Informal Organisation:
1. Fast Communication:

Informal structure does not follow scalar chain so there can be faster spread of communication.

2. Fulfills Social Needs:

Informal communication gives due importance to psychological and social need of employees which motivate the employees.

3. Correct Feedback:

Through informal structure the top level managers can know the real feedback of employees on various policies and plans.

Strategic Use of Informal Organisation. Informal organisation can be used to get benefits in the formal organisation in the following way:

1. The knowledge of informal group can be used to gather support of employees and improve their performance.

2. Through grapevine important information can be transmitted quickly.

3. By cooperating with the informal groups the managers can skillfully take the advantage of both formal and informal organisations.

Disadvantages of Informal organisation:
1. Spread Rumours:

According to a survey 70% of information spread through informal organisational structure are rumors which may mislead the employees.

2. No Systematic Working:

Informal structure does not form a structure for smooth working of an organisation.

3. May Bring Negative Results:

If informal organisation opposes the policies and changes of management, then it becomes very difficult to implement them in organisation.

4. More Emphasis to Individual Interest:

Informal structure gives more importance to satisfaction of individual interest as compared to organisational interest.
The formal organization has goals and objectives and policies and procedures and job descriptions and financial resources and proper communication channels along with the products and services.
Other advantage includes the systematic working and achievement of the objective and no overlaps and coordination and the creation of chains and commands.
The disadvantage is a delay in actions, avoids the social needs of employees and focuses in work only.
While the informal organization is based on the beliefs and assumptions and has perceptions and attitudes and has informal leaders and feeling of the perception and attitudes.
The advantage are fast communication, which fulfills the social needs has correct feedback. Disadvantages include the spread of rumors and no systematic work, emphasis more on personal interests.