How Organisational Structures and Culture Shape NHS Performance Case Study

Introduction: NHS: Influence of Structures and Culture on Performance

Organizational structure is defined as the rules and policies which are framed by the company for the attainment of the objectives of the business. This structure guides the company and the employees on how well they can perform the task so that objectives are attained well. The current study is based on NHS that is National Health Service which is a publicly funded healthcare system established in 1948. The current report will outline the organisational structure and the role of organisational culture. Along with this, the impact of culture on employee behaviour will also be outlined. Further, the impact of local and government policies on the company will be outlined along with effective monitoring and accountability consideration. Moreover, the evaluation of management approaches and the use of motivation will be outlined. In the end, the importance of organizational behaviour will be outlined for the management of team performance.

Section 1

Assessing The Organisational Structure And Mapping Out An Organisational Chart

The organisational structure is defined as the system which needs to be followed to improve the working capability of the company. This structure of the organization needs to be followed because it guides the company and the employees in attaining the objectives of the business. The structure of the company outlines the rules and regulations, authority and responsibility and the role of every employee. This is very necessary for the company to have a clear structure so that every employee has clarity for working. In case clarity is not present then it will affect the efficiency of the business to a great extent. With regards to NHS, the company is complying with the organisational structure to a great extent. The reason underlying the fact is that when an effective structure is followed then automatically it will improve the efficiency of the business to a great extent (Chión, Charles and Morales, 2020). Proper compliance with the effective structure, assist NHS in formulating effective strategies and policies. These policies provide effective guidance to the company and the employees so that work can be planned effectively.

For managing the organisational structure, the NHS is undertaking the use of the hierarchical structure. This is a type of structure which follows the chain of command wherein the whole flow of information and directions is provided. The sequence of authority and responsibility is already decided and this assists in effective working. Thus, when the proper hierarchy is followed then automatically it improves the working efficiency. Along with this, when the hierarchical structure is followed then it is beneficial for NHS because there is clarity of work. Every employee knows from where they will get the instruction and how they will have to report it to the senior management.

With the above analysis of the structure of NHS, it is clear that the company is following the hierarchical structure. This kind of structure assists NHS in having a good chain of command and this in turn assists in the effective working of the company. This proper line of command assists in having clarity of authority and responsibility which resultantly helps the company in managing its performance well.

Role Of Organisational Culture And Its Influence On Employee Behaviour

The organisational culture is referred to as the values and beliefs which need to be followed by the employees while working within the company. The culture is the overall working pattern and the attitude of the company which influences the behaviour of the employees. To make the company successful the effective culture must be maintained and followed by the company (Gaspary, Moura and Wegner, 2020). The reason underlying the fact is that when the appropriate culture is followed then it will improve the efficiency of the business to a great extent. The culture of the company affects and influences the behaviour of the employees to a great extent. It is due to the reason that when an effective and cordial culture is not present then automatically it will be negatively affecting the behaviour of the employees. Thus, it will affect the overall working efficiency and ultimately the objectives will not be affected.

For the management of the culture, the NHS complies with Handy's culture model. This is a type of model which proposes four different types of culture which can be followed by the company for effective management of the business and its services. When the appropriate culture is created then automatically it enhances the interest and engagement of employees with the company. This model proposes four different types of culture which include power, role, task and people. Out of four, NHS focuses on the combination of the role and task culture. This combination is used by the NHS because it emphasises providing the work according to the capability of the employees. Also, the task culture focuses on working in teams so that the work can be managed on time and with good quality. The team working is also emphasised by NHS because it enhances the working capability of the business and the employees as well. Thus, the maintenance of an effective culture is required so that the employees and the employers are both happy and satisfied with the working capability.

The organisational culture impacts the behaviour of the employees to a great extent. This is because of the reason that when the culture of the company is good then it will be improving the efficiency of the business to a great extent. For example, when the NHS has centralised decision-making power then automatically the culture of the company will be rigid. The employees will not be happy with the working environment and as a result of this, the working efficiency of the company will be affected (Oh and Han, 2020). On the other hand, when NHS includes the employees in the decision-making and other important events, then automatically the environment and culture of the company would be good and effective. The employees will be more efficiently working and as a result of this, the overall working efficiency of NHS would increase.

Impact Of Local And Central Government Policies On The Company

The company operates in the external environment and it is very necessary for the company they follow all the policies and procedures provided by the government. While working in the external environment there is a certain type of patterns and policies which needs to be followed by the companies (Akanji et al, 2020). The reason underlying the fact is that when the company is operating in the external environment it is guided by the policies laws and regulations formulated by the local and central government. Being a public organization, the NHS must follow all the policies and procedures which are provided by the government. For the successful working of the company, effective policies must be followed by the NHS so that the working is appropriate and updated.

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With regards to the policies made by the central and local government, NHS is majorly complying with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This is legislation which includes managing occupational health and safety within Great Britain. NHS they are complying with the related act and this provides better guidance in making their policy. This is necessary because when the overall work is planned according to the policies made by the government of the country. Along with this NHS is also complying with the Contract of Employment Act 1963. It is very beneficial for the NHS that they are complying with the Employment Act as well. The reason underlying the fact is that this act guides how employees need to be treated at the workplace. Thus, NHS is s following this act efficiently and as a result of this the employees are more happy and satisfied.

In addition to this, the NHS also has the Integrated Care Board, which is designed to oversee the NHS and its complete working. This is very essential for the company that they effectively formulate this board effectively as it will help the company manage the work better. Moreover, this board will be analysing the overall performance of the company and its operational efficiency as well (Tran, 2021). Thus, the role of this board is to oversee the working of every department of NHS and whether they are working efficiently according to the policies or not. Thus, for successful work, the NHS must comply with all the different policies and legislations which are prepared by the central and local governments. It is necessary as it will provide an outline for the successful working of the company and will improve the efficiency of the business to a great extent.

Monitoring And Accountability With Consideration Of Chain Of Command And Effective Management Of Public Resources

For successful working, it is very necessary that the appropriate monitoring and accountability are implemented effectively. This is about the fact that when the appropriate work is done then automatically it improves the working efficiency of the business (Tear et al, 2020). In the present case of NHS, they are effectively working on the monitoring and accountability of working. For this, NHS works on chain of command, span of control, line of authority and centralisation and decentralisation.

Chain of command

The chain of command is defined as the chain through which the command flows for the working. To have clarity of work, NHS follows the top-to-bottom chain of command. Here the instruction starts from the top and it flows down to the employees. The employees have to effectively follow the different instructions provided by the top management.

Span of control

The span of control is defined as the number of direct people which needs to report to a single manager. For the success of the company, the appropriate span of control must be decided. In case too many people are under one manager then it will affect the overall working efficiency. Thus, for this, NHS has a short span of control because in case there are more people under one manager then it will be difficult for the manager to manage every person. Thus, for span of control is small and around 3-4 people are there under one manager.

Lines of authority

The line of authority outlines which person will be reporting to whom. This is very essential for the reason that when effective working needs to be accomplished then automatically it improves the working efficiency (Fastiggi, Meerow and Miller, 2021). The line of authority for NHS flows from top to bottom and this provides a clear instruction to the subordinates on how they have to work.

Centralisation/decentralisation

For successful working, the overall decisions must be taken effectively. For making decisions effectively there are two different types of methods that is centralisation and decentralisation. Thus, NHS must comply with the effective method so that appropriate decisions can be taken. For this NHS undertakes the use of decentralisation and includes the suggestion of the employees effectively so that they are more engaged with the company and its work.

Section 2

Analysing The Management Approaches And Styles

The management style or the approach is defined as the ways with help of which the manager tries to manage the whole work. It is necessary for companies that effective management approaches so that they guide the employees on how to work and attain the objectives of the company. The different management style which is focused on by NHS is the transformational management style (Asatiani et al, 2021). This style is most preferred by the company because it includes the growth focus and helps in adapting to any kind of change easily and effectively. Hence, this approach is very beneficial for NHS as it is assistive in adapting to any change effectively and will result in the effective accomplishment of the objectives of the study. Along with this, when the transformational management style is used by NHS then it provides for innovation and creativity which assist in developing a wide range of options for improving the company and implementing the latest changes.

Along with this, NHS also undertakes the use of a coaching management style which is assistive to the company in ensuring effective learning is implemented. The reason underlying the use of this management style is that it assists the company in providing knowledge to the employees relating to every change being implemented (NHS enforcement guidance, 2023). The company operates in an external environment and there are many different types of changes taking place which need to be implemented. Thus, effective compliance with the coaching strategy will be assistive to the company in implementing the variety of changes taking place in the external environment.

Evaluating The Concept Of Motivation And Its Application To A Public Service Organisation

Motivation is defined as the process through which the person is stimulated or influenced to do some work in a specified manner. It is very necessary for the company they effectively focus on motivation so that the employees of the company are happy working. For the success of the company, it is very necessary that the employees of the company are highly motivated so that the overall objectives can be attained well (Alerasoul et al, 2022). Thus, for NHS the appropriate motivational theories and strategies must be applied so that the employees are motivated. To keep the employees engaged it is necessary that proper motivation is provided to them. The reason underlying the fact is that motivation assists in stimulating the performance and activities of the employees in the direction of attaining the overall aim of the company.

For the maintenance of motivation and keeping the employees engaged, the use of Maslow's need hierarchy theory is applied. This is a theory which includes satisfying the needs of the employees. There are different kinds of needs for the employees and it is mandatory for the company they keep the employees highly motivated and satisfied. This theory starts by fulfilling the basic or physiological needs. After that comes the safety needs social needs self-esteem and self-actualisation needs. In case all these different needs are satisfied then the employee works with more efficiency and they are more engaged with the company. Hence, it is there responsibility of the public sector organisations that they effectively comply with satisfying all the different kinds of needs of the employees. When the various needs of the employees are satisfied then they are happier and connected with the companies. Thus, it will motivate the employees to work with more efficiency and teamwork will be implemented effectively.

In addition to this, the public sector companies also need to comply with the Adams equity theory. This is particularly because it is a type of theory which states that the input of the employee must provide the required benefits to the employee. It is because of the reason that when there is no equality between the input and output of the person then they will not be motivated. The contribution made by the employees that is the input made by them must be getting the required outcome. In case the benefits are more than the contribution then the employee will be highly motivated. On the other hand, when the contribution is more and the benefits are less it will affect the efficiency of the employees and ultimately the overall business will also be impacted (Martínez-Caro, Cegarra-Navarro and Alfonso-Ruiz, 2020). Thus, the theory states that the input and output must be balanced so that the employee is well-motivated to work efficiently. When there is a balance between them then the overall working capability of the person will be impacted and ultimately it will be affecting the overall working of the company.

Importance Of The Concept Of Organisational Behaviour To The Performance Of The Team

Organisational behaviour is defined as the study of individuals and the groups which perform the work within the organisation. The company must evaluate the impacts that how the employees and the groups interact with one another to attain the objectives of the company. In case the behaviour of the organisation is not effective then it will be impacting the overall efficiency of the business. Hence, for enhancing the overall working efficiency and the performance of the company the organisational behaviour must be managed effectively. In case the organisation's behaviour will not be evaluated by the company then it will affect the overall efficiency of the business. Organisational behaviour evaluates how employees interact with one another and carry out their duties (Fumasoli, Barbato and Turri, 2020). In case the organisational behaviour is effective then automatically it will foster teamwork. This is particularly essential for the reason that when effective organisational behaviour is evaluated then it will help the Company in fostering teamwork as well. When the culture of the organisation promotes teamwork then it will increase the coordination and communication between the employees. Thus, when communication and coordination are improved then it will improve the overall efficiency of the business. Hence, according to the Gibbs reflective cycle, it is helpful to me to learn that the effective use of organisational behaviour is very necessary. This is because of the reason that when effective behaviour will be managed in business then it will provide a standardised working pattern to all the employees. The reason underlying the fact is that when the standardised working pattern is followed then automatically it will improve the overall working efficiency of the business. Thus, effective compliance with the organisational behaviour theories is assistive to the business in keeping the employees motivated and efficiently working in a team.

Conclusion

In the end, it is concluded that the effective use of organisational structure is necessary for the successful working of the company. The above study concluded that hierarchical structure was helpful to NHS in improving the working efficiency of the business. In addition to this, the combination of role and task culture was helpful to businesses in influencing employee behaviour positively. Furthermore, it was evaluated that different local and Central government policies include the Employment Act, Health and Safety at Workplace Act and many other different aspects. Moreover, it was analysed that the management approaches used by the organisation include transformational and others. Further, it stated that compliance with Maslow's need Hierarchy and Adams's equity theory helps keep the employees motivated within public service organisations. In the end, it was evaluated that organisational behaviour is necessary for enhancing the performance of the team.

References

Books and Journals

• Chión, S.J., Charles, V. and Morales, J., 2020. The impact of organisational culture, organisational structure and technological infrastructure on process improvement through knowledge sharing. Business Process Management Journal, 26(6), pp.1443-1472.
• Gaspary, E., Moura, G.L.D. and Wegner, D., 2020. How does the organisational structure influence a work environment for innovation? International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 24(2-3), pp.132-153.
• Oh, S.Y. and Han, H.S., 2020. Facilitating organisational learning activities: Types of organisational culture and their influence on organisational learning and performance. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 18(1), pp.1-15.
• Akanji, B., Mordi, C., Ituma, A., Adisa, T.A. and Ajonbadi, H., 2020. The influence of organisational culture on leadership style in higher education institutions. Personnel Review, 49(3), pp.709-732.
• Tran, Q.H., 2021. Organisational culture, leadership behaviour and job satisfaction in the Vietnam context. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(1), pp.136-154.
• Tear, M.J., Reader, T.W., Shorrock, S. and Kirwan, B., 2020. Safety culture and power: interactions between perceptions of safety culture, organisational hierarchy, and national culture. Safety Science, 121, pp.550-561.
• Fastiggi, M., Meerow, S. and Miller, T.R., 2021. Governing urban resilience: Organisational structures and coordination strategies in 20 North American city governments. Urban Studies, 58(6), pp.1262-1285.
• Asatiani, A., Hämäläinen, J., Penttinen, E. and Rossi, M., 2021. Constructing continuity across the organisational culture boundary in a highly virtual work environment. Information Systems Journal, 31(1), pp.62-93.
• Alerasoul, S.A., Afeltra, G., Hakala, H., Minelli, E. and Strozzi, F., 2022. Organisational learning, learning organisation, and learning orientation: An integrative review and framework. Human Resource Management Review, 32(3), p.100854.
• Martínez-Caro, E., Cegarra-Navarro, J.G. and Alfonso-Ruiz, F.J., 2020. Digital technologies and firm performance: The role of digital organisational culture. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 154, p.119962.
• Fumasoli, T., Barbato, G. and Turri, M., 2020. The determinants of university strategic positioning: a reappraisal of the organisation. Higher Education, 80, pp.305-334.

Online

• Health Board Management Structure. 2024. Online. Available through: <https://www.nhsdg.co.uk/management-structure/>
• NHS enforcement guidance. 2023. Online. Available through: < https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-enforcement-guidance/#:~:text=Under%20the%20National%20Health%20Service,and%20providers%20of%20NHS%20services*. >