Decision-making in the healthcare environment is often complicated, with it being tied with the results of such decisions — whether the patient will live or not, become disabled or not, and similar tough questions. In institutions such as the National Department of Health, each decision could lead to horrible long-term outcomes; that is the reason why each of the decisions should be carefully reviewed and evaluated before its application. Discretion decision-making is severe, both for the patient and for the doctor. If the medical worker knows in the middle of the surgery that the decision they made prior to starting it will kill the patient, it is essential to stop and quickly outline a new plan. From the patient’s side, the nurses and doctors should inform them about all of the possible ways of neutralizing the issue and let them pick their way.
At the National Department of Health, the company values centralization, minimizing the specialized units and merging some together. On the other hand, decentralization would break units apart, creating many authorities throughout the company. However, centralized control works better for healthcare; as discussed above, decision-making will not take long to discuss with other units. With fewer departments, it is also easier to maintain economic stability and control expenses. Being a centralized company, employees are focused on their work, therefore, providing effective and consistent work rather than rushing in subsequent duties.
In the case of healthcare institutions, the most compatible organizational culture is highly-valued employees. The corporate culture of the National Department of Health is putting people first; they also focus on easy access to healthcare for all members of the community (National Department of Health, 2022). It affects employees all the time they spend at work; therefore, it is vital that the culture focuses on a pleasant environment for its employees, affecting retention and satisfaction. In a culture where all employees are equal, and the atmosphere is friendly, it is easier to take care of patients and ask for co-workers’ help working as a team.
The advantages of this kind of culture are numerous. The employees are highly valued; therefore, they feel appreciated and bonded with their workplace (National Department of Health, 2022). Usually, employees are engaged with the company’s vision and mission, so all co-workers work for one goal and share common beliefs, which makes them grow together as a team. The disadvantage of such a culture is that it is hard to maintain it when the company and number of employees increases. Another thing is that the company spends more time on the employees and the values than on the growth and income. If the company does not keep an eye on that, even sharing common beliefs, people will not be able to stay in the same workplace due to the salary.
Overall, the culture of the organization is the correct choice. However, the employer should be aware of innovations and economic growth while still maintaining the existing culture. For example, they could hire some people to analyze other companies in healthcare and make their organization better by improving the disadvantages of their competitors. Another suggestion of how can it be improved is the social package that comes with the work employment in their company. The company can suggest several advantages while working with them, like the thirteenth salary, higher-standard health insurance, etc. Practically, the only improvement the National Health Department needs to make is maintaining a good balance between a supportive environment and competitive work conditions.
Reference
National Department of Health. (2022). National Department of Health: Online Resource & News Portal. National Department of Health, Republic of South Africa.