Beaufort B. Longest

Interorganizational linkages in the health sector.

A key element in the success of organizations in the health sector is the maintenance of effective interorganizational linkages with interdependent organizations. A conceptual framework is posited of three general classes of mechanisms through which these linkages are managed.

Job satisfaction for registered nurses in the hospital setting.

A comparison is made between responses from 195 registered nurses from 10 Atlanta hospitals to questions about job satisfaction and the classic study by Frederick Herzberg on job satisfaction. Nursing educators in the state of Georgia were also queried, and their responses are compared to those of practicing R.N.s. The conclusions are of benefit to nursing administrators who must deal with problems of turnover, absenteeism, and productivity among R.N.s

A conceptual framework for understanding the multihospital arrangement strategy.

Participation in a multihospital arrangement is part of a strategy adopted by many hospital managers in an effort to achieve a higher level of organizational stability than is available to them when their organizations remain completely autonomous and independent.

Can nonprofit hospitals do both well and good

Abstract: This study demonstrates a significantly positive association between corporate citizenship and financial performance in a sample of nonprofit hospitals in Massachusetts. Without demonstrating causation in either direction, the analysis shows that the nonprofit hospitals in this study can simultaneously do well for themselves financially, and good in terms of the benefits provided to communities. That is, they perform better financially as they spend relatively more on their community benefits initiatives. This may reflect the same relationship found in numerous studies of corporate citizenship and financial performance in business firms. Namely, that business advantages accrue to firms through their practice of good corporate citizenship. Implications of the findings for public policymakers and for decision makers in nonprofit hospitals are considered.

Organizational leadership in hospitals.

Hospitals face very dynamic environments and must meet diverse needs in the communities they serve and respond to multiple expectations imposed by their stakeholders. Coupled with these variables, the fact that leadership in these organizations is a shared phenomenon makes organizational leadership in them very complicated. An integrative overview of the organizational leadership role of CEOs in hospitals is presented, and determinants of success in playing this role are discussed.

Logic models as aids in managing health programs

Logic models, which are graphic depictions of how programs are intended to operate, can be very useful devices for improving the management of health programs in two important ways. They can assist program managers to perform the core management activities of strategizing, designing, and leading other program participants in an integrated manner. Logic models also can assist managers in establishing and maintaining good program stakeholder relationships.

SOME PRACTICAL STATISTICAL PROCEDURES

The complexities of modem health care administration make it imperative that the administrator be acquainted with a wide variety of modern decision-making techniques. Statistical analysis is gaining wide acceptance as such a tool. Some practical statistical procedures that can be applied by the nursing administrator without a strong background in statistics are described and illustrated.

Managerial roles in contemporary hospital departments.

The emergence of managed care and more integrated healthcare delivery systems brings new challenges to managers in hospital departments. Managers can effectively respond to these challenges by assuming three roles--those of strategist, designer, and leader--described in the following article.

The contemporary hospital chief executive officer.

The role of the contemporary hospital chief executive officer (CEO) is one of the most challenging; CEOs must think of themselves as managers of organizations which are open systems and which exist in an environment, and they must recognize that the environment has more effect than any other single factor on their roles

Applying logic models to cancer centers and programs

Abstract Improving the overall management of cancer centers and programs increases the likelihood that they will attain their intended results. Logic models, which are depictions of how entities are intended to operate, are very useful aids for center directors and other leaders in organizing and operating their centers and programs. A template for a cancer center logic model is presented and used to focus discussion on the models components (resources; processes; and desired results expressed as outputs, outcomes, and impact), and their interactions. This discussion includes the utility of logic models in improving center management in two important ways. First, logic models can assist center leaders in defining their management roles and responsibilities and in integrating the core management activities of strategizing, designing, and leading other center participants. Second, logic models can assist center leaders in establishing and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships. A comprehensive logic model helps leaders explain to internal and external stakeholders the results their center or program seeks to achieve and the resources and processes necessary to achieve them.