The Planning Process in Nursing Management

introduction

▘  Some management scholars believe that decision-making is the basis and heart of management, and in many cases managers see the process as Decision making is their primary job because they must constantly choose what to do, who will do it, when, where and how Thus, decision making is by nature a continuous process that permeates the functions of planning, organizing, directing and controlling

·       Definition of the word decision  It is the most appropriate alternative and the one that contributes the most to achieving the goal or solving the problem

·       The word decision means the final decision and specific will of the decision maker regarding what should and should not be done to reach a certain situation and a specific and final result

·       Decision making process Choosing the best alternative to solve the problem after comparing the available and possible alternatives

·       Decision making It refers to all the steps required for the decision to come into existence, and includes the steps of identifying and defining the problem, analyzing and evaluating the problem, collecting data, proposing appropriate solutions, evaluating each solution separately, and then choosing the best solution

·       Decision making  It is the process of thinking, analyzing, and comparing alternatives to form a specific decision formula in a specific case

·       decision making  It is the process of selecting a specific alternative, announcing it to the concerned parties, and documenting it in an official and transparent manner       

Decision making steps

• Identify the problem (diagnose the problem)
• Collecting information

·       Proposing alternatives and choosing the appropriate alternative

·       Implement the solution

·       Follow up on the implementation of the solution

Types of decisions

 1-Programmed/unprogrammed decisions

Programmed decisions These are decisions that are repetitive, routine, and well-defined, and there are pre-procedures for solving them They are usually related to simple, repetitive, uncomplicated problems, and the manager has previous experience in dealing with them, so they do not require new information They can be programmed through the organization’s information systems, and it is easy to identify alternatives in them Such as decisions related to appointment, promotion, disbursement of incentives, employee training, and decisions to purchase the organization’s needs

Unprogrammed decisions These are decisions that are characterized by being non-recurring, non-routine, not well-defined, and there are no previously known procedures to solve them, and the manager does not have sufficient previous experience with them The effects or results of these decisions cannot be predicted, as they are related to complex and difficult problems, and require new information They also require study, analysis, development of alternatives and evaluation, and require a good information system and high skill from managers For example, producing and marketing a new product, merging with another organization, facing new economic, political or strategic conditions in the market  In this type of decisions, there are no specific patterns for solving this type of problem, and therefore uncertainty prevails

2- Expected/unexpected decisions

Unexpected decisions These decisions are characterized by not giving the decision maker enough time to complete the decision-making process, and put the decision maker under pressure An example is sudden decisions to deal with a sudden crisis with some clients

Expected decisions  These are decisions that are derived from the plan or as a result of converting the plan into a specific executive program The decision-maker is usually exposed to less pressure

3- Short/long term decisions

A Short-term decisions These are the decisions that are based on a high degree of certainty and certainty, where sufficient detailed information is available, and are linked to variables that can be controlled and controlled They are usually taken by managers at lower levels (middle, lower) and take a short period of time in the future (a week - a year) Examples include decisions on training programs, employee rewards, and purchasing the organization's needs

  B Long-term decisions These are decisions that are based on high levels of uncertainty about the future and its variables (predicting the future), where there is difficulty in providing sufficient accurate information They are considered strategic decisions at the senior management level Example choosing a new branch location, changing work rules, expansion or merger

Factors affecting decision making

1- Personal factors  Including the individual's experience in dealing with this situation and previous situations, the educational level and the amount of information he has, age, courage in making the decision, his relationship with others and his ability to make the decision and implement it through them, as well as convincing them of this decision

2- Professional factors  The administrative level occupied by the decision-maker in the unit, as the individual’s ability to make and implement decisions is affected by the administrative position he occupies as well as the powers available to him

3- Factors related to the institution’s policies  Such as the philosophy of this institution in involving nurses in decision-making, ie making it collectively, as well as the existence of clear and available regulations that help the head nurse make the decision easily and correctly, as well as the position of senior management in the same place in accepting and supporting the implementation of the decision taken and the methods of communication

4- Available resources  The availability of the necessary resources of individuals, equipment, tools, money and sufficient time can contribute effectively to choosing and implementing the necessary decision or solution

5- Type of decision  Is this decision vital and urgent or is it one of the routine decisions that are taken continuously and can be dealt with in a simple way?

6- Every decision must lead to a result that contributes to achieving the goal

7-You can't please everyone

8- Effective decision-making requires sufficient time

9- Recognizing the inevitability of change

10- Establish a system to follow up on each decision

11- Recognizing that the decision will result in a series of actions

Decision making qualities

• A decision is the result of a process through choosing available alternatives in order to achieve a goal
• Decision making is a mental process that involves creating, receiving, and using information
• Decision making is used in all institutions, whether healthy or unhealthy
• Decision-making is done in stages that are dependent and perpendicular to each other, and the result of any stage is considered an input to the next stage

Errors in decision making

•            inefficient access to information

•            time limit

•            bad connection

•            Other obstacles such as

1.     Personal qualities

2.     Lack of experience

3.     Non-adaptation

4.     Being influenced by an idea

5.     Firmness of opinion

•        Not realizing the problem

•        Poor diagnosis of the problem due to not knowing the optimal situation

•        Failure to generate new alternatives and acceptance of known traditional solutions

•        Failure to accurately evaluate alternatives and failure to define criteria for selecting the best alternative

•        The decision-maker’s weak ability to recognize social pressures, customs, and traditions, and poor management of creating a balanced situation between what the decision requires and the pressures, customs, and traditions imposed by society

•        Failure to involve responsible decision makers and those involved in the problem with those who will be affected by the expected solutions to the problems

•        Failure to develop an action plan to implement the decision or to follow up on the implementation of the decision

Decision making patterns

·       The first pattern is “making decisions based on experience” The supervisor here relies on her intelligence, previous experience, and what is called “feeling” She usually makes the decision quickly and often cannot explain how and why this decision was made

·       The second pattern “making a decision through study and analysis” The supervisor searches for facts by collecting information and organizing ideas to reach from causes to results, and finding relationships that explain phenomena (problems) She reaches a decision after balancing and reviewing the alternatives

·       The third pattern “making decisions with a combination of experience and study” The supervisor combines the two previous patterns She does not stick to studying for the sake of studying, nor does she ignore real-world experience Rather, she mixes studying with the results of practical experience

Some behavioral concepts that affect decisions

There may be many behavioral concepts that affect the stages of decision-making or the effectiveness of making a sound decision The most important of these influential behavioral concepts are

• perception
• Ability to study information
• Values

Problems affecting administrative decision-making

•        Job dissatisfaction

•        Human relations in the health organization

•        Lack of adequate services

•        Work pressures

•        Lack of technical and administrative competencies

•        Environmental factors

•        Lack of control and inspection

•        Lack of management experience

•        Poor distribution of workers

•        Difference in specialization

•        Poor planning and poor coordination

•        Systems and laws

•        Routine and length of procedures