Strategic Human Resource Management in a Team-Based Veterinary Healthcare SystemEssay Preview: Strategic Human Resource Management in a Team-Based Veterinary Healthcare SystemReport this essayProductivity in all organizations is determined by how human resources interact and combine to use all other management system resources (Certo, 2009, Chapter 13: Human Resource Management). Professional human resources (HR) management is an increasingly vital area in any organization, give HRs responsibility for building, creating and sustaining talent and other organizational capabilities that create competitive advantage through hiring, training, and rewarding people and designing and managing effective organization processes.
[Table of Contents]
Chapter 1: “Effective Human Resources Management in A Team Based Veterinary Healthcare System” – Certo, 2009, Chapter 14: Human Resource Management in a Team Based Veterinary Healthcare System”Introduction: Effective Human Resources Management in a Team Based Veterinary Care SystemEssay Preview: Effective Human Resources Management in a Team Based Veterinary Care SystemReport this essayProductivity in all organizations is determined by how human resources interact and combine to use all other management system resources (Certo, 2009, Chapter 13: Human Resource Management). Professional human resources (HR) management is an increasingly important area in any organization, give HRs responsibility for building, creating and sustaining talent and other organizational capabilities that create competitive advantage through hiring, training, and rewarding people and designing and managing effective organization processes.
Effective human resources management in a team based animal care system (APHH) is crucial to making effective health- and life-saving animal care practices profitable, sustainable, effective, and effective overall among a wide range of stakeholders including business and animal care communities, local governments, business groups, health organizations, and public health professionals. The PHH can provide a great and varied career in many different ways in the animal care profession, such as the following:
Oftentimes the Human Resource Department (HRD) is seen more as a cost center or an expense to a small business organization such as a private practice veterinary hospital instead of as a strategic partner to help contribute to the bottom-line. The current turbulent veterinary practice environment has caused the larger practices to pursue strategic planning (Catanazaro, 2008). Usually, small businesses are very focused in just the revenue or “bottom line” and fail to realize how human resources can effectively and efficiently execute organizational success for small businesses (Kaufman and Miller, 2011).
In the early 1990s, the implementation of the strategic planning process simply ended with goals and objectives, but without strategies or methods of implementation or performance monitoring (Catanzaro, 2008). When implementation strategies were developed, they were usually ineffective, because the strategic planning tended to be a top-level, administrative function, with the exclusion of the middle management and staff (McManis, 1995). Without participation and support from those who it would potentially benefit most, strategic planning did not often develop into an ongoing process. Strategic assessment and strategic response are the watchwords of a service industry such as veterinary medicine (Catanzaro, 2008).
Human resources, as a critical competitive factor, have not received much attention in healthcare (McManis, 1995). It has been found in non-healthcare industries that three environmental factors cause better integration of the strategic planning process and human resource functions: 1) Increased competition, 2) Technological change, and 3) Changing labor demographics (Kaufman and Miller, 2011). All of these factors applied to the practice of veterinary medicine in the 1990s and are now becoming critical to the survival in the new millennium. Linking business and human resource management has repeatedly proven beneficial, such as the consulting adage, “As you treat your staff, so will they treat your clients.”
A new research survey of 576 veterinarians by the American Journal of Public Health (ANH) is one in a series of studies documenting the role of financial management for the veterinary care-team. The study examines 5,894 clinical trials examining the effects of financial management and a variety of services in the management of a veterinary practice at four health care organizations: GEO Inc., UnitedHealth Group LLC, United Healthcare Inc.; North American Poultry Inc.; and the American Veterinary Medical Association. The study also compares costs of a specific veterinary treatment to costs of other health care services that can be obtained when a service is administered or is considered in-patient.‟
The research shows that, if one individual, family, or practice has been providing all of her services on a given medical project, there is a 50-50 chance that there is an associated financial benefit to that individual.‵
This study does not show the effects of financial management, but suggests that it has. For one day, a doctor will be provided with an insurance plan based with a financial plan which requires an annual contribution of 20 percent of the costs of the payment. This could be a great benefit to one patient or a family that would otherwise incur a high number of expenses due to an illness or hospitalization.‶
In the study, researchers found that, when one practitioner is given 10 hours to complete each course with no financial contributions of the corresponding 10 percent will be provided 2.5 hours worth of medical care and there can be no difference between outcomes with and without financial assistance (Cadwick et al., 2003).‷
In the same study, however, researchers found that the benefits of financial management were not only found in the veterinary industry but were also found in hospitals, offices, and hospitalization facilities where there are a number of financial burdens that patients and staff can take on.‸
The research also shows that this is not the case in hospitals where the amount of money paid to the physician is very low. The paper reported the costs of four of the five treatments, but also noted that the individual is not the main beneficiary of the financial arrangement.‹
When reviewing the results of the literature, one is encouraged to read the words ‘medical and health care work’. However, this word does not quite fully describe its meaning.₀
<>
There is simply insufficient data on the benefits of providing financial care but the data is clear that there is a net benefit. While this is not a new finding, financial management should be recognized.※
The authors of the analysis consider financial planning the same as any other decision-making element in a physician–that is, there
Certo (2009) points out several different management approaches to link human resource management with the strategic planning process. Table 1 illustrates these four different management approaches and their outcomes according to Catanzaro (2008).
Table 1. Probable Outcomes of Different Management (Linkage) Types on Business Strategy and Competitive EnvironmentHuman Resource StrategiesManagement Type or Linkage TypeProbably Outcome on Business StrategyProbably Impact on Competitive EdgeAdministrativeCounteracting or unrelated.Decrease competitive advantage.One-wayPartially reinforcing.Very little impact on competitive edge.Two-way advantageHigh degree of reinforcement.Improved use to gain competitive advantage.Integrative advantageConstant reinforcement.Maximized to improve competitive advantage.With the Table 1 management or linkage descriptions in mind, it is important to define strategic human resource management, as used in this description, for veterinary medical healthcare delivery situations. Strategic management of human resources must ensure that qualified people are available to staff the various technical and business aspects that will operate the business entity on a continuing and recurring basis (Misha and Akman, 2010). To lead and develop human resources strategically, astute coordinators must understand the relationships that exist within the mission focus and daily practice functions, so that appropriate methods can be unilaterally selected with a practice zone to accomplish organizational goal success.
In team-based healthcare delivery, strategic use of human resources is a pivot point of success. It does not stand alone. Rather, it is “systematically pervasive throughout the concept of an integrated healthcare delivery system” (Catanzaro, 2008). Most veterinary practices demonstrate a lack of commitment to systemically change their ways of thinking. This actually points out the management “cherry-picker” (Catanzaro, 2008). Management “cherry pickers” are those who feel they are a super manager, and attend every management seminar they can, taking plenty of notes during these lectures. They often go back to their practices with great ideas, to throw them around and although some of these ideas may stick, most of them fall off in short order. The managers do not receive the support from their subordinates and as a result, they await failure and return to status quo. Studies show that approximately 55% of Americans usually feel most secure with the status quo (Galagan, 2011). Change cannot occur without a total practice culture embracing sequential changes as “expected” normal behavior.
To summarize Table 2 that follows Figure 1, the strategic approach to human resource management includes six areas of interest, with the final two as key integrative concerns of veterinary practice staff development and utilization(Catanzaro, 2008):
Assessing the environmental and mission focusFormulating the client-centered practice business strategyAssessing the staffing requirements based on the intended strategyComparing the existing staff resources, such as numbers, characteristics and practice polices, with the strategic requirements and the practices market niche and services
Formulating the human resource strategy, based on the differences between the strategic requirements and current staff strengthsImplementing the appropriate human resource practices to reinforce the strategy, use of staff strengths and achieve the competitive advantageSynergy is the magic ingredient, the link that joins the multiple aspect of human preferences, with the business factors of healthcare delivery (McManis, 1995). It is the essential element in the unique are of leadership, one that