HR Corner Healthy respect for individual expertise by Nicole Wong Allowing professionals more autonomy within a clear framework of regulations creates greater organisational efficiency As public concerns about health and general well-being increase, many health care organisations are expanding the scope of services they offer, despite the practical difficulties and limited funding they sometimes face. Meeting expectations when budgets are invariably tight is a tough assignment, and one of the keys to doing it successfully lies in effective staff management. As Connie Tsang, executive director for United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service remarks, the organisation's mission of providing comprehensive community services depends on excellent coordination among staff. In offering everything from Chinese and western medicine to health education and care for the public, one priority has been to identify the changing needs of staff as they have taken on new areas of specialisation. Comprehensive support for those handling day-to-day duties has strengthened job satisfaction and team spirit, while remuneration packages have been revised in line with market trends. "Our primary principle in staff management is to stay responsive to change both in our organisation and within society," Ms Tsang notes. She points out that regular reviews of the responsibilities of different departments help to keep staff flexible and encourage them to learn. Currently, 60 per cent of the workforce is full-time, with the remainder being either contract staff or freelance service providers in areas such as Chinese medicine and health education. The main centres are located in Kwun Tong, Tai Po and Jordan, but there are also community outreach projects which provide medical check-ups for the public and health education programmes for community groups and schools. "For the actual number of staff we have, we set realistic goals," Ms Tsang adds. Enhanced efficiency Maximum working efficiency is achieved when employees maintain high professional standards and can act on their own initiative. As Ms Tsang explains, that is why the organisation strongly emphasises staff autonomy. "Be it our doctors, dentists, dietitians, physiotherapists, nurses or social workers, we highly respect their expertise and trust their ability to make the right judgments," she says. Since there are clear regulations and guidelines for each specialisation, these professionals are also allowed to decide for themselves how to deal with practical issues. We highly respect their expertise and trust their ability to make the right judgments While this degree of autonomy and independence is built into the system, staff are also expected to work together to meet the organisation's objective of offering integrated services tailored to individual needs. Feedback from a variety of sources is taken into consideration in a bid to enhance service arrangements and find better ways of facilitating coordination among the different medical teams. "At our health care centre, a client may be examined by a doctor for certain symptoms, then get referred to a dietitian or physiotherapist for prevention of further problems," Ms Tsang explains. "All our professionals share in the belief that prevention is better than cure and that it is vital to have a healthy lifestyle." This emphasis on coordination and communication can also be seen at management level. Regular meetings are held to allow representatives from different centres to talk about any difficulties they face and to outline their needs. There are similar district meetings enabling medical teams to share their experiences with the management, as a precursor to joint efforts to improve services. Furthermore, news bulletins are sent to all staff by email in order to record changes within the organisation and update them about the services being made available. Future challenges According to Ms Tsang, calls for quality assurance and innovation in management practices have had a significant impact on most organisations providing health care for the community. Any strategic changes now have to based on client feedback. Conducting the necessary surveys and then implementing new initiatives can inevitably put a strain on available resources. "It has been a difficult task for us," Ms Tsang admits, "but we have managed to maximise our limited resources, as all our employees are devoted to their work no matter what positions they are in." She reaffirms that this kind of commitment to professionalism is the backbone of effective staff management. While it is always important to be responsive to the demands of the public, it nevertheless remains the responsibility of the medical teams use their professional expertise when assessing a situation. "Our ultimate goal is to help build a healthy community in Hong Kong through providing customer-oriented, one-stop services," Ms Tsang concludes. "We're always reflecting on our performance and looking for ways to improve staff efficiency, so as to fulfil this mission." Salient points Identifying the changing needs of the public and staff is a priority for an organisation expanding in different areas Staff management strategies must reflect both internal and external developments Encouraging staff flexibility helps in achieving goals and enhances coordination between largely autonomous units Commitment to professionalism is the key to overcoming challenges and managing with sometimes limited resources Taken from Career Times 29 April 2005, p. 16 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]