Roles and Functions of Health Care Management
Planning, controlling, organizing, and leading are the four major roles and functions of management in a healthcare setting and are essential for the growth and survival of the health care industry. Good management skills and the application of management functions provide the framework needed by the health care organization in order to help the manager and staff perform successfully. To better understand the four major management roles and functions of management we must first examine how they apply to the management and the management of others. Leading or leadership is defined as the process of inspiring, motivating and directing behavior. Leadership or a leader must carry a strong vision of the future for the organization, and encompass the ability to influence and lead behavior of front line staff and managers. Leaders inspire and motivate and focus on people. They innovate and inspire. The knowledge, insight and skill of a leader should be greater than the group members and influence the group in such a way that the overall goal becomes their own. A leader carries out important functions on behalf of the organization and acts to an extent as a representative of the group. However, in order to carry out specific functions there must be a plan in place.
Planning is the process of setting performance objectives and goals and then deciding what actions should be taken to bring about an outcome in the future. Through planning a manager identifies desired work results, makes decisions, and lays the path for others to achieve the result. In my current health setting the process of planning is established and set forth by the department head and executed by frontline staff. The department heads are normally responsible for the planning process in their department. First the manager sets forth the agenda, attainable