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What health care managers do: applying Mintzberg’s structured observation method
Author(s) -
ARMAN REBECKA,
DELLVE LOTTA,
WIKSTRÖM EWA,
TÖRNSTRÖM LINDA
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2009.01016.x
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , time management , health care , nursing , work (physics) , duration (music) , nursing management , psychology , line management , medicine , operations management , computer science , art , literature , engineering , economics , economic growth , operating system , mechanical engineering
Aim The aim of the present study was to explore and describe what characterizes first‐ and second‐line health care managers’ use of time. Background Many Swedish health care managers experience difficulties managing their time. Methods Structured and unstructured observations were used. Ten first‐ and second‐line managers in different health care settings were studied in detail from 3.5 and 4 days each. Duration and frequency of different types of work activities were analysed. Results The individual variation was considerable. The managers’ days consisted to a large degree of short activities (<9 minutes). On average, nearly half of the managers’ time was spent in meetings. Most of the managers’ time was spent with subordinates and <1% was spent alone with their superiors. Sixteen per cent of their time was spent on administration and only a small fraction on explicit strategic work. Conclusions The individual variations in time use patterns suggest the possibility of interventions to support changes in time use patterns. Implications for nursing management A reliable description of what managers do paves the way for analyses of what they should do to be effective.