Nursing Administration

 

INTRODUCTION

 

        Co-ordination is considered as an essential element of administration. Co-ordination is the bending of all efforts, activities and forces operating within and without the enterprise.  To ensure harmonious and smooth working of an organization with a number of its division, departments or units, the activities in all areas are required to be pulled together, verified and blended so as to give them a commoners and purpose.  Co-ordination is an integrating process.  Co-ordination is integration, synchronization or orderly pattern of group efforts in the institution / organization towards the accomplishment of objectives.

 

NATURE OF CO-ORDINATION

        The nature of co-ordination can be clarified from the following definitions and difference between terms co-operation and co-ordination.

        Co-ordination is the orderly synchronization of efforts to provide the proper amount, timing, and directing of execusion resulting in harmonions and unified actions to a stated objective.

 

--Newman 1953

Co-ordination is a process causing disjunct elements to a concentration on a complex of forces and influence which cause the mutually independent element to act together.

 

--White

        Co-ordination includes co-operation plus something else.  It must have time, quality, and direction dimensions.

 

NEED FOR COORDINATION

        Need for co-ordination arises due to following factors.

 

DIVERSE AND SPECIALISED ACTIVITIES

        Total activities of an organization are divided into several units and sub-units on the basis of either product specialization functional specialization, regional specilisation or some other specialization.  So there is need for co-ordination to prevent and discourage too much concentration on one aspect of work to the exclusives of other aspects.

 

EMPIRE BUILDING

        To exaggerate self importance and personal ego, the empire building motive is deeply implanted in human nature.  This motive causes the individual department to be isolated from others, thus turning it as a separate entity.  So there is need for co-ordination to club the growing tendency towards empire building or greed for power prevalent in the different units of agency.

 

PERSONAL RIVALRIES AND PREJUDICE

        Human organization give rise in course of time of the development of personality politics among members.  Under such situation co-ordination is deliberately sabotaged by the members of rival groups.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS

        There is need for co-ordination to avoid conflicts or overlapping in the work of employees or units or an orgnaisation.

 

Importance of co-ordination

1.                Quintessence of management: In a sense, management is primarily a task of co-ordination of all efforts, forces and activities that affect the enterprise from within and without it.

2.                Creative force: Group efforts, when co-ordinated, create a result greater than the sum total of individual and isolated.

3.                Unity of direction: Co-ordination ensures unity of direction by way of securing spontaneous collaboration on the part of different departments.

4.                High Employee morale: Co-ordination tones up the general level of employee morale and provides job satisfaction.

 

PRINCIPLES OF CO-ORDINATION

1.                As the thinking function of management proceed the doing function, co-odination endeavours must start at the planning stage.  Otherwise it becomes impossible to secure co-ordination of activities and efforts in the execution of work.

2.                There is need for importance of direct personal contact in removing misunderstanding and conflict between department.

3.                Co-ordination is a continual activity that permeates through each managerial function

4.                There should be an integration of all efforts action and interests towards common purpose.

TECHNIQUES OF CO-ORDINATION

Ø Communication

Ø Orderly plans

Ø Supervision

Ø Leadership

Ø Departmentation

Ø Direct contact

 

COMMUNICATION

        Effective communication is arranged not only by  building a network of communication systems but by allowing wide participation also in decision making on the part of the affected persons.

 

ORDERLY PLANS

        Standing plans like policies, procedures as well as standing orders and instructions communicate the expected pattern of behaviour required for co-ordination action.

 

SUPERVISION

        Effective supervision aids much in developing coordinated effort by checking, observation and guidance.

 

LEADERSHIP

        Leadership provides individual motivation and persuades the group to have identity  of interests and outlook  in group efforts.

 

DEPARTMENTATION

        Departmentation arranges for necessary co-relation and interconnection of activities in an analytical manner.

 

DIRECT CONTACT

        Direct contact permits the management members to exchange their ideas, prejudices and problems as well as to understand each others, view point

 

TYPES OF CO-ORDINATION

 

Co-ordination

 

Internal Co-ordination             External co-ordination

 

Planning                                  Three interesting parties

Organizing                                       Customer

Direction                                          Employee

Control                                            Owner

                                                Other enterprises

                                                Government Regulation

                                                General Business economy

                                                Technology advances

 

Internal co-ordination refers to the blending of all efforts and activities and forces operating within the organization of enterprise.

External co-ordination refers to the blending of all efforts activities and operating without the outside the enterprise or organization.

Internal co-ordinaton

Planning

        Planning is a well though out course of action to be taken for relising certain objectives through the available means.  Plans include a programme mapping out the orderly course of action.

 

Organisation

        Organisation is set up with the primary purpose of securing co-ordination particularly inter departmental and inter personal.

 

Direction:

        Direction is concerned with making the human efforts more effective productive through the exercise of leadership, guidance, motivation, supervision communication etc.

 

Control

        Control ensures the realization of planned objectives through the process of work evaluation.

External co-ordination

        The external forces that usually exert a profound influence on the working of any business may be stated as follows.

        Three interested parties

Ø Customer

Ø Employee

Ø Owner

Ø Other enterprises

Ø Government Regulation

Ø General Business Economy

Ø Technological advances.

 

CONCLUSIONS

 

        In a nutshell co-ordination can be considered as an essential element of administration.  The uncertainity of future as to the behaviour of individual and of people.  The lack of knowledge, experience wisdom and character are other hindrance to co-ordination.  The nature, need, importance, principles, techniques and types are substantiated in the presentations.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.       B.T.Basawanthappa, Nursing Administration Jaypee Brothers, medical Publishers (P) ltd, New Delhi, Pg.No.135-141.

2.       H.A.Goodard, Principles of Administration Applied to Nursing Services, CBS Publishers, Delhi, 6^th Edition, Pg.No.17-19.

3.       B.M.Shankarkar, Hospital Administration and Planning, jaypee Publishers (P) Ltd., Pg.No.104-105.