Explaining Performance in Healthcare - Article Analysis Essay

Introduction

The article, "Explaining performance in health care: How and when top management competencies make the difference," by Vainieri, Milena; Ferre, Francesca; Giacomelli, Giorgio, and Nuti Sabina explains performance in healthcare and gives a critical focus on how and when top management competencies make the difference. The article was published in 2019 in a Healthcare Management Review volume 44. The authors made use of data from multi-dimensional performance evaluation systems and also longitudinal data of Tuscan public healthcare organizations in Italy. The article aims at investigating whether there exists a relationship between information sharing, top management competencies, and organizational performance in the health care system. It also looks at the role of the senior management in ensuring information sharing on the strategies of the organization that leads to the achievement of professional engagement.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Top management competencies in healthcare organizations result in the better clinical and financial performance of the organizations. Top management competencies refer to the unique capabilities of the leaders in the organization to come up with a strategic vision, communicating the idea throughout the organization, and empowering the members of the healthcare organization to realize the vision. When the top managers are competent with their roles, such as planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling, the organizations are more likely to do better. Also, there will be a higher degree of involvement of employees who are physicians in this case. As a result, the organization is more likely to achieve its goals. The overall performance of the healthcare organizations depends directly on the specialized employees who engage with the patients and thus creating value across the organization-as a result, having an inverted hierarchy of leadership where the professionals take the action of delivering quality and appropriate care. In contrast, the top management facilitates change and also orients the activities of the professionals by communicating the healthcare organization strategies and vision to shape the performance of the professionals. When the top managers engage the employees or the professional physicians, better individual performance of the professionals is assured, and the result is better overall organizational performance.

How the top management shares information on organizational strategies with the professionals in healthcare organization determines a lot in how the professionals perceive their roles in the organization. Clearly outlining the functions of the professionals makes them aware of what they are supposed to do in the organization. Through this, there will be fewer conflicts on roles among the professionals and thus better performance. Also, having timely diffusion of information within the organization and having everyone aware of the information regarding anything that pertains to the healthcare organization results in better performance of the organization.

The article makes use of previous studies and also gives reference to the occurrences in the current public health care systems to support its arguments. The authors' analysis doesn't relate to only a perception or an objective measurement. Instead, it refers to both. They make use of well-established multi-dimensional research that puts into consideration all aspects of healthcare organizations rather than focusing on a using measurement. Moreover, the usefulness of the article is shown through an outline of the practical implication of the analysis undertaken. The content proves the relevance of the article in healthcare organizations.

The article also has limitations such as having a small size of the sample. This made it that the results of the research would be understood and deduced with great caution. As a result, measures to show a low variance of errors had to be introduced. Moreover, the study of the article made use of casual measurements that captured a limited aspect of the managerial capability concepts. The article also makes rare use of charts and diagrams to explain the findings of the research. This makes it hard for a reader to understand the data given.

Top management competence with their roles in healthcare organizations is a significant contributor to the better performance of the organizations. This is because, through their expertise, they are capable of communicating, engaging, planning, and controlling the manpower in the organization. Through their competence, the management can come up with a clear vision and a guide to achieving the vision. Also, discovering the right ways to get the human resources to have a positive view about the work they do and doing it well requires competency and content. The research conducted for the article is relevant in the current world healthcare organization in influencing the management of delegation of authority, roles, and, most importantly, communication.

References

Vainieri, M., Ferre, F., Giacomelli, G., & Nuti, S. (2019). Explaining performance in health care. Health Care Management Review, 44(4), 306-317. doi:10.1097/hmr.0000000000000164