Line Organization Structure of Baptist Hospital Paper Example

Introduction

Baptist Hospital has a line organization structure where authority flows from the topmost leader, and the supervisors are allowed to exercise control over a subordinate. The head office in Baptist Hospital is that of the chief operations officer who reports to the chief executive officer in charge of the entire organization. The line organization structure suits Baptist Hospital where there is a need for a clear line of authority which is crucial in ensuring high accountability and responsibility which is necessary to maintain safety and quality patient care in all the hospital activities (Benzer, Charns, Hamdan, & Afable, 2017).

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Decision Making in Baptist Hospital

Baptist Hospital has a combination of centralized and decentralized decision making which depend on the severity of the situation and urgency. Decision making is devolved to the departments and supervisors which is aimed at improving efficiency within the organization. Major decisions are made by respective department heads who report to the hospital administrator as the chief decision maker (Hayashida, Bernardes, Maziero, & Gabriel, 2014). For instance, in the nursing care department, decisions are centralized to the head of the departments to prevent potential mistakes which could negatively affect the organization reputation adversely. The decentralized decision making in Baptist Hospital has been vital in improved patient care by improving efficiency (Hayashida et al., 2014). On the other hand, the centralized elements of high-level decisions seek to strengthen control to promote standards and best practices observed in all Baptist Hospitals in Florida.

Influence of Formal and Informal Leadership on Decision Making

Formal leadership has a significant impact on serious nursing department decision making because of the line organization structure which places the responsibility of decision making to the department head (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Formal leadership is necessary for all official decisions such as work schedules and supplies. However, informal leadership is critical in low level, and intra-professional decision making amongst the nurses and physicians due to the informal leaders experience in their respective areas of the nursing profession (Marquis & Huston, 2017). For instance, nurses with high anesthesia experience are consulted in decisions on the best anesthesia approaches for different patients and not the department head due to their extensive skills and expertise in the area.

References

Benzer, J. K., Charns, M. P., Hamdan, S., & Afable, M. (2017). The role of organizational structure in readiness for change: A conceptual integration. Health services management research, 30(1), 34-46. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0951484816682396

Hayashida, K. Y., Bernardes, A., Maziero, V. G., & Gabriel, C. S. (2014). Decision-making of the nursing team after the revitalization of a decentralized management model. Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 23(2), 286-293. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-07072014000200286

Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.