Introduction
Interdepartmental conflicts and miscommunication is generally regarded as the serious managerial problems in any organization. Originally, these problems are caused by the improperly adjusted communication systems, and unclearly defined goal, which is understood differently by the departments. It is generally stated that the miscommunication can easily break the effectiveness of any organization independently on the strategy of the company, business goals and experience of the managers and executives.
The most serious problem, which may be observed is the passing of the wrong message further, thus causing the chain of miscommunication. These chains are difficult to stop but easy to prevent by arranging an effective communication system, which will regulate all the communication flow in the organization, associated with business performance.
The aim of this paper is to provide the analysis of the communication system of the City of Albuquerque Public Health Department, which experiences interdepartmental conflicts and miscommunication associated with Behavior and Process Technology. The research will be aimed at analyzing the problem, incorporating the diagram of the communication flow, pointing out the possible problem, and giving the particular recommendations, directed at solving the problem of communication.
The Role of Communication
The fact is that, the internal communication process within any organization is often compared with the human nervous system. Thus, in order to perform particular action, the brain needs to communicate the necessary commands and instructions to the parts of the body and organs, like CEO has to communicate the orders and regulations through the communication system exactly to the departments, these regulations directed to. Originally, the communication within any organization can not be oral. All the communication activities are documented either on the paper or in electronic format in order to make the communication process as clear as possible.
As for the City of Albuquerque Public Health Department, it should be emphasized that communication process is of particular importance for it, as lives of people depend on it. Miscommunication, which is experienced, is the matter of the close system, which is not originally subjected to evolutional changes, and is not perceptive towards the external influence. Originally, this close system is features with the absence of a feedback for the external influence and factors, which tend to influence the system and change it. On the one hand, these systems stay stable and nut subjected to harmful influence of the environment. On the other hand, close systems do not develop, and eventually become ineffective and unable to survive among other competitors. In spite of the fact that the city department of health care lacks any competition, and it is not a commercial organization, the closeness of the system, which causes the regarded problems, may have crucial consequences on the allover performance of the organization, thus, decreasing the quality and effectiveness of the Health Care system in general.
Concepts of the Open System
As it has been already stated, the open system is a structure which is subjected to the external influence, thus, experiencing all the adaptive changes in accordance with the environmental requirements.
Graph 1 represents the outline of the Open System, which corresponds with all the necessary requirements of an adaptive system. The central requirement for such structure is the properly arranged Organizational Behavior.
As it is stated in Dalton, Lawrence and Lorsch (2002, p. 331):
Organizational behavior and processes include prevailing patterns or interaction between individuals and groups, which may contribute directly or indirectly to transforming inputs into outputs. In manufacturing these tansformations are physical. In services such as hospitals and health care departments, transformative process include applications of tangible technologies, such as medications, along with mental procedures, such as medical diagnosis, and social procedures, such as patient education. Subcomponents of behavior and processes that are particularly important for handling functional challenges include cooperation, conflict, coordination, communication, controlling and rewarding behavior, influence processes and power relations, supervision, leadership, decision making, problem solving, information gathering, self-criticism, evaluation, group learning and goal setting.
In the light of this perspective, it should be emphasized that members’ aims and objectives are often referred to their original expectations for current system performance or for desired future stated of inputs, processes, outputs and other elements. Thus, in order to implement the open syste, the organization will require the essential restructuring of the allover operational structure.
Analysis
The analysis part of any research generally presuppose taking into consideration the key factors and details of organizational performance. The universal analysis is the SWOT matrix.
Analysis of City of Albuquerque Public Health Department:
In the light of the perspective of this analysis, it should be emphasized that the main problems are associated with the health issues. The National Recognition Award, which the department was awarded with, is the result of the thorough work at the health care issues, and everything possible has been accomplished by the managerial team of the department in this sphere, nevertheless, while the further improvement is required in prenatal sphere, the restructuring of the communication structure could offer the effective solution.
The proper analysis of the organization requires the following aspects of its activity and environment:
- Background to diagnosis
- Outputs
- Goals and Strategies
- Inputs
- Environment
- Technology and Work Processes
- Structure
- Behavior
- Culture and System Dynamics
Some of these aspects may be analyzed and evaluated only on the basis of the previous research. As a matter of fact, the aspects, associated with behavior and system development presuppose the preliminary study of environment, inputs and outputs.
Background to the Diagnosis
The organizational structure of the Department is based on the principles of the improved managerial role of the executive branch. Part of the medical personnel is charged with the managerial assignments, and participate in the regulation process of the department activity.
It is stated in the department review that the health care structure is slightly flexible, and presupposes some minor adaptations in the cases of extreme necessity. Thus, in the circumstances of N1H1 pandemic, “The Department of Health recommends people who are at higher risk for complications and are experiencing typical, sore throat and cough to call their healthcare provider or a local community health center for consideration for treatment with antiviral medications. If people do not have a healthcare provider, they can call the Department of Health’s Health Alert Hotline” as it is sated by Albuquerque Public Health Department News Release (2009). Thus, part of the efforts are directed to hotline consultation, while the main part of the medical staff are able to perform their direct tasks without subjecting themselves and other patients to the risk of infection.
Outputs
The main products are the health care services, recommendations and regulation of the health care structure within the region. Originally, it is regarded to be the matter of the managerial efforts of the Department, consequently, the system which is responsible for the large scale management can not be inflexible by nature.
Goals and Strategies
The aims and goals, which the company pursues are associated with the proper management of the whole health care structure. Taking into consideration the conflicts and miscommunication troubles, which appear in the department, the solution of this issue is one of the primary tasks for the managerial team of the Department. As Harrison (2004, p. 78) emphasizes: “The goal of local environmental health departments is to protect the public health and one challenge is to determine the impact of contamination events on the health of the community.”
Inputs
Considering the matters of incomes, this Department is governmentally financed, and is not a commercial organization. Human resources and the employees are the personnel with medical education, who are aware in the matters of health care and health care management.
Environment
Originally, it is presupposed by the issues of health care, and such factors as epidemics, catastrophes, cataclysms etc. Taking into account the high tension in the medical sphere caused by the N1H1 pandemics, the conflicts and miscommunication may be caused by stresses, which are the results of panic and increased amounts of assignments and tasks.
Technology and Work Process
Originally, it is regarded as one of the most important aspect of the Department Activity. It has essentially changed the methods and objectives of the work by completely restructuring the organizational performance of the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department. As it is emphasized in New Mexico Department of Health (2009):
Department’s work processes has evolved from a reactive, “response to crises” approach to more of a proactive, “take action” approach. The technology evolved from automated word processing, to spreadsheets and databases, to geographic information system. The final step of this process is the integration of these automated applications into one seamless application or a Public Health Information System that will access data from any section or division, according to any health threat, or according to spatial relationships.
Structure
The Public Health Care Department in Albuquerque is included into the city emergency operations plan structure. Consequently, the structure of the Department itself is adapted for the effective integration into the emergency structure of the city. In the light of this perspective, there is strong necessity to emphasize that the original value of such structure is regarded to be in the matters of the quick reaction for the emergency situations. Thus, the structure is centralized overall unified command which obeys to the principles of the National Response Plan. Command personnel is aimed at providing management and policy guidance to response operations, as well as performing critical support and resource support to the operations.
Behavior and Process
The decision-making and the patterns of the strategy are closely associated with the requirements of the Public Health Care principles and requirements. Originally, it is subjected to the application of the principles of single- or double loop learning. As Crampton, Hodge and Mishra (2003, p. 119) emphasizes:
“When the error detected and corrected permits the organization to carry on its present policies or achieve its presents objectives, then that error-and-correction process is single-loop learning. Double-loop learning leads to insights about why a solution works. In this form of learning, we are considering our actions in the framework of our operating assumptions. We need this insight to understand the pattern. We change the way we make decisions and deepen understanding of our assumptions.”
Culture and System Dynamics
It should be stated that these two aspects of organizational performance are interconnected in the context of the solving the major managerial problems. Actually, when a problem is experienced, it is either solved in accordance with the cultural principles of the organization, and the system develops automatically, or it can not be solved because of any reasons, and any development can not be observed. The fact is that, solution of any problem can be found only if any situation is realized as a system, taking into consideration the interrelations among the parts and the functioning of the system as whole. Bering in mind that most governmental bodies lack this organizational factor, it is not surprising that Albuquerque Public Health Care Department experiences essential problems.
Recommendations
Basing on the analysis of the organizational aspects, the recommendations, which may be given, will touch upon the managerial issues, and the principles of organization the departmental activity. A few high-level managers should report on this basic information and provide access to available data and documentation. Statistics on topics such as budgets, workforce composition, financial position, and the scope of operations appear in organizational documents or can be prepared by staff members of the client organization after completion of the study contract. Whenever available, practitioners should also obtain official statements of the organization’s mission and goals, charts of the organizational structure, and organizational histories. Subsequent investigations will be needed, however, to determine whether these artifacts and behavior patterns reflect everyday practices, unspoken assumptions, implicit values, or unwritten rules.
Diagnosis System Fits
The diagnosis fit, which should be provided as a part of the analysis should be arranged by the executive managers in accordance with the graph 2. Originally, the Diagnosis System Fit approach presupposes the existence of the sufficient data base which will touch upon the matters of the system elements activity, the instances of the conflicts and the reasons, which caused them (the reasons will be defined with the corresponding analysis, nevertheless, the cases, which caused conflicts and miscommunication should be registered).
In accordance with the graph, the analysis will be able to provide the data for the deeper study of the problem as well as provide the recommendations and feedback for solving the existing problems.
System Fits Analysis
The problem, which is experienced, is the poorly adjusted communication system. Originally, it causes the conflicts and miscommunication, which prevents the department from performing effective work. The level, which should be analyzed, is mostly the managerial sphere, and to some extent the executive branch of the organizational structure. The communication problems are caused by improper implementation of the technical base, and insufficient qualification of the personnel for acting in the created organizational structure. The subcomponents of the system, which cause difficulties, entail the technical imperfection, and drawbacks of the technical maintenance of the communication system. Thus, the messages can not reach their destination points.
The following step of the analysis is the definition of the methods. The best method for checking the breaks in the communication chains is the constant loading and overloading of the whole communication structure. The load should be increased gradually, and when the volume of the messages reaches its extreme point, and the structure will not be able to cope with such an extensive amount of messages, the weak link will be easy to find. Then all the necessary corrections will depend on the communication link, which appeared to be weak.
The conflict tensions, which are the causes of the miscommunication problems, may be regarded as the necessary Assess Degree of Fit. Consequently, if the only reason of conflicts is the miscommunication, the single loop analysis will be regarded as the only alternative for solving the problem (Graph 3). In the light of this perspective, it should be emphasized that the required solution will depend on the part of the communication chain which is the matter of trouble, and on the previous unsuccessful efforts, aimed at solving the situation. Basing on these considerations, the statement by Crampton, Hodge and Mishra (2003, p. 209) should be emphasized:
The significant features of single loop analysis entail the ability to call upon good quality data and to make inferences. It looks to include the views and experiences of participants rather than seeking to impose a view upon the situation. Theories should be made explicit and tested, positions should be reasoned and open to exploration by others. This analysis can be seen as dialogical – and more likely to be found in settings and organizations that look to shared leadership.
Recommendations
The summary and the feedback of the analysis should emphasize the matters of poor CEO organization, which is unable to solve the managerial problems on the lower levels. As Heath (2005, p. 241) claims in the research, the single loop learning of this organization may be featured as when employees and managers of the allover organization respond to changes and modifications of the surrounding circumstances externally and internally by detecting errors, thus, maintaining the key concept of the organizational activity.
An important factor of successful activity, which should be highlighted as the sphere, which requires improvement, is the qualification improvement for managers. Originally, managers have to regard and use their knowledge as the necessary skills, materials and tools for achieving success, and meeting the demands of various situations, including conflicts and troubles in any sphere and in any part of the managerial structure. Thus, as Morgan (2006, p.89) concluded, basing on the considerations and analysis of managers’ mistakes in different spheres :
Managers are often informed by a different type of know-how. This is sometimes referred to a ‘narrative knowledge’ or ‘experiential knowledge’, the kind of knowledge that comes from experience and resides in stories and narratives of how real people in the real world dealt with real life problems, successfully or unsuccessfully. Narrative knowledge is what we use in everyday life to deal with awkward situations.
Thus, there is strong necessity to follow the qualification of the managers, and improve this qualification level constantly, for they could adequately respond unforeseen situations, and prevent the troubles, which are clearly seen, or at least obvious, independently on the forecasts and tendencies in the Public Health Care sector.
Innovations
The innovations, which should be performed within the department, entail the communication channels, system of the innovation decision process, and the system of evaluation of the provided changes and the effectiveness of the performed assignments. Originally, there are three types of innovation decisions, however, the required type for the Albuquerque Public Health Department is the authority innovation-decisions, which presupposes the adoption of the innovations. The process of adopting the innovations is represented on Graph 4. This is the bright example of the double loop analysis, as the considerations, which are made at the “decision” stage are supposed to the double checked, as if the decision is rejected, the process is cycled, and the second loop of the analysis and estimation begins.
In accordance with Graph 5, it should be emphasized that the cycle of the interaction of the Department with the surrounding organizations and municipal orders is regarded to be based on the principles of close interaction. Nevertheless, this system does not presuppose any flexibility, and in the case of the environmental changes, this structure will not be able to respond adequately these changes. Harrison (2004, p.78) emphasizes the notion that the organizational effectiveness and success generally depend on the capability to adapt the environment, while the structure of the Department lacks flexibility essentially. The following statement should be emphasized:
Organization-environment relations form a major focus for OS-guided diagnosis and consultation. External conditions influence resource flows and the reception of outputs. External forces can also directly affect work processes, structure, and other internal system features – for instance, when regulatory agencies define standards for safety, packaging, or advertising.
In the context of this perspective there is strong necessity to highlight that graph 1 points out the opportunity for direct influence on internal operations by showing a broken boundary around the organization. Moreover, to assessing adaptation to external constraints, diagnosis can examine the ways that members of an organization shape their environment.
The relations among the individuals should be based on the principles of enduring relations, shared norms and values, which will be common for everyone. The matters of culture should be extensively promoted in the department, and the values, stated in the strategy should not presuppose ambiguous interpretation. Thus, when the system of norms and values is implemented, the instances of conflicts, originated by different vision of the aims and goals will be decreased. Consequently, the communication will be improved. Taking into consideration the fact that conflicts and poor communication are the interdependent factors, if one of the factors is eliminated, the circulus vituosus will be torn, and the situation will tend to improve.
Conclusion
The issues, associated with organizational performance are generally associated with the mistakes and drawbacks in managerial performance of the organization. The problems, experienced by City of Albuquerque Public Health Department are closely linked with the communication problems, and the conflicts, which arise among workers and departments of the organization are also the consequences of poorly adjusted communication structure.
The analysis arranged, and the graphs provided represent the research on the matters of the problems experienced, and the recommendations, which are given on the basis of the research, emphasize that there is strong necessity to improve the structure, making it more flexible to the possible changes under the influence of the external factors. Moreover, it is necessary to provide the opportunity for stable development of the effectiveness, by encouraging the qualification improvement of the personnel, and extending the communicational channels, for accelerating the communication flow, avoiding delays and jams. Finally, the particular importance of organizational culture is emphasized. When the aims and goals are stated clearly, and there are ambiguity in the ways of achieving these goals, the occurrence of conflicts will be minimized, and the communication will tend to improve.
Reference
Albuquerque Public Health Department News Release (2009). Web.
Crampton, S. M., Hodge, J. W., & Mishra, J. (2003). The Informal Communication Network: Factors Influencing Grapevine Activity. 569.
Dalton, G. W., Lawrence, P. R., & Lorsch, J. W. (Eds.). (2002). Organizational Structure and Design. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin.
Harrison, M.(2004). Diagnosing organizations: Methods, models, and processes, Third Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Heath, R. L. (2005). Management of Corporate Communication: From Interpersonal Contacts to External Affairs. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization, Updated Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
New Mexico Department of Health (2009) Albuquerque Public Health Department. Web.