Organisational Structure and its Impact on Health Care Organizations: A Case Study of Whitlam Memorial Hospital

This article discusses the impact of organisational structure on health care organizations, using Whitlam Memorial Hospital as a case study. It explores the traditional bureaucratic structure, its drawbacks, and proposes a new matrix structure for the hospital's reform.

Introduction:
Structure of the organisation plays a significant role in an health care organization, the
policies and the processes of the organisation in a great way relies on the structure of the
organisation and thus helps in achieving the goals and objectives. Organisational structure
concludes how the power, responsibilities, and roles are controlled, assigned, and coordinated
(Ferguson, 2005). Along with this it also helps to determine the flow of information at the
unusual levels of management.
The organisations related to the health care functions in a specific way, where the services
that are to be executed are to be the high quality that is to be delivered to the patients. Health
care organisations are dynamic and complex hence requires the managers to be the leaders
along follow the coordination and supervision of the employees (Hughes, 2014). For such
structural management, an erect structure will be followed in an organisation having the
different layers of the management (Chrusciel, 2006). The diverse management layers are
designed in a way to make certain that every day jobs are completed precisely and correctly.
According to the case study, Whitlam Memorial hospital (WMH) follows the traditional
bureaucratic structure, the structure where the processes of the organisation are followed by
the diverse management layers. The organisational structure bureaucraticin nature includes
the chain of command that is in progress from regional managers to executives and then the
section manager and at the bottom shift supervisors performs the duty with the frontier staff
(Chrusciel, 2006). The choice made is to go by diverse organisation level in comparison to
the company which is flat. For exemplar, the repayment file has to first move from the
forefront staff and further in the direction of the shift manager and subsequent to sanction, it
goes to the store administration the trade channel in the business with technical framework

(Hughes, 2014). In beginning, where the arrangement is technical, such establishment is
mainly based at the peak, and the in sequence usually surge from the peak to downward
(Chrusciel, 2006). This inspires the civilization of business to be based on principles and
system, where the equipped process is severely managed with definite management and
methodologies.
Whitlam Memorial Hospital traditional bureaucratic organizational
structure:
Management on the topmost level in self-important organizational structure put into
effect an agreement of control over managerial strategy decision, which is perfect for the
owners of trade with a control and direct method. Purposeful decision-making instant under
the self-important structure is to be reduced in a high managerial arrangement as only a few
individuals are concerned in the arrangement (Duke, 2015). Consistencies are over and over
again the main and prompt highlights in company with tall professional structure, thus
ensuring that processes are completed skilfully and powerfully.
Drawbacks of the bureaucratic organisational structure:
The controlling structure can discourage modernization and inspiration all through the
organization. No matter how intelligent a corporation owner is, it is approximately not
possible for the private individual to create various premeditated ideas credible in a big,
interdisciplinary bunch (Duke, 2015). The workforce in the front line may not get
achievement from their job in a sternly bureaucratic organization, growing employees take-
home pay rates. Association bound by severe organize can, in the count, find them a smaller
amount able to turn out to be familiarized to growing conditions in the business, marketplace
or the lawful environment (Zgrzywa-Ziemak, 2015).

Vision and mission of WHM
An apparition along with the assignment is important and normal fundamentals of a
company's decision-making strategy. The renowned companies construct up managerial
responsibility declaration and disclosure statements that dish up as preliminary direct in the
venture business of the corporation goals. The trade in that case build up strategic and
planned strategy for the objectives (Zgrzywa-Ziemak, 2015). Such statements have major
role: communicate the purpose of the association to collaborators; inform policies and
strategies development, and expand the quantifiable goals and aims to calculate the
achievement of the company loom. Vision and Mission offer a medium for expansively
forwarding the company standard and principles to all major collaborators (Zgrzywa-Ziemak,
2015). The collaborators are such main gathering that has a number of powers above the
relationship or the venture in its potential. Vision and charge generate an objective for policy
development. That is, one important factor of a high-quality superiority policy is how well it
assists the firm get its set task and future visualization (Huang, Li & Shi, 2017). A vision
statement is important as such statement give the link between the company strategy and
mission that increase the sense of accountability among the staff and thus achieve the goals
and mission of the company (Huang, Li & Shi, 2017).
Vision and mission together narrate to the company’s aspiration and principle and
communicate in general in the structure of certain concise in print declaration. The mission
declaration of the administration outcome in converse the cause connected to the occurrence
of the company, the reason for the existence of company and how the business desire to hand
round the major collaborators (Huang, Li & Shi, 2017). The apparition declaration is
focussed, narrower, the organization’s target. Vision and mission jointly end consequence in
increasing the conduct policy, assist to converse the function of the company to the
collaborators and notify the objectives and goals are set for formative whether the

arrangement of the company is operational properly refer the objectives (Huang, Li & Shi,
2017). Assignment, vision and the motives make available the channel of elevated stage and
the companies arrangement outcome in the precise guide so as to achieve the objectives and
aims, the breakdown and victory of the policy and also contentment related to the dissimilar
objectives which are declared in the work declaration (Dischner, 2015). The top secret of
mounting the enhanced duty statements is to centre on the cause which is concerned to the
organisation subsistence and not on the products and the services that the company provides.
New applied Organisational Structure for WHM
WMH is reorganizing the hospital and growing the figure of beds from mere 130 to 250 as
per the growing capacity for the community based clinic in the specialities. The infirmary is
scheduling to offer definite other fresh facilities and dealing as per the mounting needs of the
society, such includes, cardiovascular, paediatric, tumour, trauma services, elderly care
services, society and last but not the least the renal services (Dischner, 2015).
The environment organisational arrangements are the greatest arrangement which are useful
by the Whitlam Memorial hospital for its reformation. The matrix structure constantly
accommodates in an immense way according to the changing requirements and the
landscapes of the company (Dischner, 2015). Matrix is considered as the grouping of the
cohesive and single structure which grades in the dual authority system. The matrix
organisational formation utilizes the dual-reporting associations instead of the linear
management structure (Dischner, 2015). Such collaboration is considered as an important
characteristic among the matrix organisational structures, predominantly in circumstances
where the group is formed, drawing individuals from the varied institute division, for the
accomplishment of the specific project (Abbasi, 2017).

The matrix organisational arrangement is useful for the well-organized and more rapidly flow
of the information amongst the organisation (Abbasi, 2017). The in sequence is switched at
the speedier and the free flow way as a result of the earlier cooperation among the
organisation and workforce. The matrix structure encourages the sharing of the data, which
flows from the horizontal level towards the vertical level, hence resulting in the accesses of
the information by each and every person in the organisation (Abbasi, 2017).
The speedy flow and information through the matrix structure result in exchanges with
improving the response rate for the unforeseen circumstances. Matrix structure makes use of
the assets in a well-organized and the cost effectual way. The arrangement results in the
department to defend itself as to the unnecessary spending on the manpower, equipment, and
tools (Abbasi, 2017). The structure is favourable in the individual and proficient
development of the supervisor, the matrix structure is liable to generate the professional
managers and dedicated workers in the course of the information contribution and knowledge
which is achieved although functioning in the dissimilar development of the government and
therefore the organization results in enhanced commitment connected to the occupation.
Conclusion:
Along with the potency, certain limitations are also present along with the Matrix structure,
which is the developing confusion because of the system which follows the dual authority.
This, in turn, results in lack of control and definite loss of the supervisor in controlling the
workforce of their own section (Abbasi, 2017). The sense of liability and responsibility also
decreases among the employees. Augment the preliminary setup cost of the organisation. The
clashes originated among the employees as a result of the dual authority results in
dissatisfaction and frustration.

Whitlam Memorial Hospital is reforming itself into the bigger hospital with the augmented
treatment facilities and spaces, Matrix is considered as the better option because of its
suitability for the organisations with a larger structure, the flexibility and adaptability of the
organization will be enhanced option for an organisation with fast pace such as WHM
(Abbasi, 2017). The diverse department of WHM is in need of the decentralisation process
which is to promote the decision making process among the various level of the department.
Hence the discussed factors conclude that the Matrix organisational structure will be a better
option in the restructuring the Whitlam Memorial Hospital.

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