What health care managers do: applying Mintzberg's structured observation method.

J Nurs Manag

PhD candidate, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Published: September 2009

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study aimed to examine how first- and second-line health care managers in Sweden allocate their time and the challenges they face in time management.
  • Findings revealed significant individual differences in time use, with a majority of activities being short in duration and nearly half of the managers' time spent in meetings, while minimal time was dedicated to strategic work.
  • The research suggests that understanding current time use patterns can lead to interventions that help managers optimize their time and improve effectiveness in their roles.

Article Abstract

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.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2009.01016.xDOI Listing

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