The Organizing Function of Management
The Organizing Function of Management “Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals” (Bateman & Snell, 2011). There are four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The organizing function of management refers to the ability to assemble and coordinate human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals (Bateman & Snell, 2011). Knowledge and human resources are directly related when speaking about the organizing function of management with an organization.
Magellan Health Services “Magellan Health Services is a specialty health care company that delivers innovative solutions in collaboration with health plans, corporations, and government agencies and their members nationwide” (Magellan Health Services, 2011). Magellan consists of several different companies that help them become a leader in the field: Magellan Medicaid Administration, Magellan Behavioral Health, NIA, and ICORE. Knowledge Management Knowledge as is relates to the organizing function of management can be referred to as knowledge management. Knowledge management is the collection of processes that govern the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge” (Newman, 2002). By organizations employing individuals with adequate knowledge to perform the tasks assigned to them, the organization would be able to reach their end goals more efficiently. Magellan Health Services is comprised of several different companies as mentioned previously. • NIA provides medical imaging services. • Magellan Medicaid Administration provides pharmacy benefit management services to states to reduce the overall cost to the client. ICORE provides specialty pharmacy services such as medications for the treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, rheumatoid arthritis, growth hormone deficiency, hepatitis, and infertility. • Magellan Behavioral Health provides behavioral health management to employers and government agencies. Although each of these companies provides health care services, each is distinctly different. The ability for Magellan Health Services to organize each as a leader in their industry would require each individual employee to have sufficient knowledge.
Whether it is a pharmacist at ICORE or a nurse at Magellan Behavioral Health, each is important to the growth and development of Magellan Health Services. By managing and enhancing the knowledge within the organization provides overall better patient care. Being knowledgeable and up to date on the ever changing health care industry is no small task. New medications and new procedures are being approved by the FDA on a daily basis. This makes staying on top of new information even more critical.
Not only are healthcare professional employed by Magellan Health Services, programming personell and IT professionals provide support for the databases and technology utilized within the corporation. All departments within the organization are incorporated together and each work together to provide superior service to their clients. Magellan Medicaid Administration, for example, is a leader in the public sector market for health care management. By understanding health care delivery, clinical care, and financing they are able to build a long standing relationship with clients.
Integration of technology and clinical services is essential to achieving the ultimate goal of the organization, to provide quality clinical service in the most cost effective way. Organizing each department with employees that can work together as a team instead of individually is one way Magellan Health Services uses the organization of knowledge to effectively and efficiently reach its goals. Human Resource Management Human resource management and knowledge management go hand in hand within an organization.
Providing effective knowledge to the organization requires the organization to hire the most knowledgeable professionals. The human resources department reviews every resume submitted for possible employment to ensure that the best candidate is selected for the position. Within Magellan Health Services, each company as mentioned previously has their own human resources department. Each would be able to effectively provide the necessary support to a department if they are in the hiring rocess. By setting up interviews and reviewing resumes to ensure the candidate is qualified and has the necessary certifications to perform the task. Being knowledgeable regarding the state and federal requirements for some health care positions is essential. For example, in Virginia if working as a Certified Pharmacy Technician, one must be either nationally recognized as a CPhT through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or hold a state license to practice as a Pharmacy Technician.
Each state may have different requirements; this is how knowledge management and human resource management are integrated within Magellan Health Services. Conclusion The organizing function of management is essential to plan out the organization’s goals by utilizing the knowledge of individuals. Human resources provide the organization with these knowledgeable individuals. By managing these variables within an organization, such as Magellan Health Services, the organization would be able to provide the best service to its clients and in turn reach its optimal goal.
This is the essential goal of management overall. References Bateman, T. S. , & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Magellan Health Services. (2011, February 15). Company Overview. Retrieved from http://www. magellanhealth. com/our-company/company-overview. aspx Newman, B. (2002, August 3). The Knowledge Management Forum. Retrieved from http://www. km-forum. org/what_is. htm
