Principles of administration with application

PRINCIPLES OF
ADMINISTRATION AND ITS
APPLICATION IN NURSING
By:-Ms Sunita Thakur

‘’Administer‘’
Latin word ‘’ Administraire’’

Administer means
To care for or
 To look after people-
To manage affaires.

Administration is a service which engages
in surveying, planning , directing,
executing, maintaining and carrying to
completion of a project, large or small.
Required in state, municipal organization,
in home, in educational ,business setting
and in hospitals.
Not only the concern of top level, but also
the task of all who are in charges of all the
department.

Luther Gullick:
Administration has to do with getting
things done ; with the accomplishment
of defined objectives.

• .
Goddard H.A
Administration is an enabling process , and
in the sense in which it is usually
understood , it covers the whole art of
carrying into effect any policy , plan or
undertaking , whether conceived by Govt.,
public or private agency. It may however, go
further than the single entire function of
applying known rules to given cases ,for in
its widest form, it must embrace leadership
, policy making and planning.

Herbert A Simon
Administration is the activities of
groups co- operating to accomplish
goals.

• .
The administrative process:
The administrative process is a series of
actions that leads to accomplishment of a
defined goal .

The administrator:
An administrator is a
person who guides
other towards the
accomplishment of an
objectives by
coordinating their
activities , for e.g. the
director of nursing.

PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATION:
Principle can mean either of two things
• Ethical nature and
• Generalization of behavior.

• The ethical nature ;the administrator may say we ought
to do the this list of things in this way. Thus we ought to
admit every child that is sick and brought to our door.
• Generalization from behavior ; That if ‘’A’’ is to be
attained , then ‘’B’’ must be employed. Here ‘’A ‘’ is the
purpose and ‘’B’’ is the train of policies and activities.
• Ethics -- set the purpose
• Generalization -- assist in identifying the means whereby
the purpose may be achieved.

1.Hierarchy
2. Span of control
3. Unity of command
4. Principle of specialization
5. Centralization Vs
decentralization
6. Delegation of authority.
7.Principle of coordination
8. Principle of continuity
9. Principle of objectives
10. Espirit –de -Corps

Application of principles of administration in nursing
• Nursing service administration is co-ordinate system of
activities which provides all the facilities necessary for
rendering of nursing care to patients.
• There is application of principles of administration at any
level in nursing service for effective administration.
• In nursing service administration the director of nursing
service , Asst. director , Area supervisor , head nurse each
in term needs to analyze and determine the spirit and
activities essential to the fulfillment of individual
responsibility in one’s own domain and inter
organizational expectation essential to the total
effectiveness of nursing service.

HIERARCHY:
The idea of directing authority that runs
downwards from the governors and the
hospital administrator and the director
of nursing service to the subordinates
levels of personnel is called as
‘’hierarchy’’

HIERARCHY IN NURSING SERVICE
According to Moony and Reilay it is also known
as ‘’scalar chain’’ .
Vertical(downward)
 Horizontal (across)

HORIZENTAL :
Individuals with similar
authority and
responsibility are placed.
E.g. The nurse manager of
an oncology unit and the
nurse manager on
intensive care unit.
VERTICAL :
Individuals with different
authority and
responsibility are placed .
For e.g. All nurses in the
emergency dept report up
to one manager who has
authority over all the
nurses.

NS
DNS
ANS
Nursing Sister
STAFF NURSE

Gang plank policy:
• To avoid wastage of time and resource while communicating in the
formal chain(following the organizational chart), H .Fayol introduced a
concept which is better known as gang plank policy.
• Suppose a supervisor wanted to communicate something to his/her
counter part in the production sector, following the formal line of
communication , would mean that he/ she had to communicate to
his/her supervisor who contact theirs and so on till the person who is
head of both the departments contacted; from the latter, the message
is rooted downward till it reaches the required person.
• As per the gang plank policy the supervisor can contact a counter part
in any department directly(subject to approval from his/her
supervisor).

The general functions of hierarchal
structure are
*Fixing responsibility.
*Providing leadership with areas of description at
successive levels.
*Making organization manageable.
•.
*Determining the levels at which various kinds of
decision may be made.
*Providing for ready movement of decision
making from one level to another.

The advantages of hierarchal structure are :
• It provides organizational integration and coherence.
• It serves as a channel of communication upward and
downward.
• Ignoring of the intermediate links can be avoided.
• Establishes a number of subordinate below the top executive
, each of which is center of decision for specified matter.
• Clarifying the responsibilities of each post in the organization.

SPAN OF CONTROL :
Span of control means the number of
subordinates an officer can effectively
supervise.
It is ideal to have a 5-6 at the top level,8-10at
middle level and the lower level manager can
take 10-15 person.
 The shorter the span the greater will be
contact and more effective control.

• Span of control is greatly determined by
.
• Type of activity/function: The complexity, routine nature
of the work to be supervised.
.
• Personality: Competence of the supervisor and the
subordinates concerned

In nursing service one Nursing
Superintendent (Gr- I) is responsible for
supervision of 2-4 Nursing Superintendent
(Gr. II), one Nursing Superintendent (Gr. II)
is responsible for supervision of 3 Senior
Staff Nurse .

(3) UNITY OF COMMAND
• An employee has one supervisor , there is one leader
and one plan for a group of activities with the same
objectives.
• Each employee should be subjected to the orders of
only one supervisor.
• If it is violated, authority is undermined, discipline is
in jeopardy or disturbed and stability is threatened.
• Personnel work better when they are accountable to
one supervisor.

(3) UNITY OF COMMAND
How it helps
Avoiding duplication of work,
Fixing of responsibility,
Increases co-ordination or removes conflict,
Removes overlapping,
In nursing administration primary nursing
and case management modality supports
this principle.

Example: In nursing service also each
unit like medical or surgical unit or OT
is headed by a nursing head may be the
ANS or the nursing sister. In the
particular area for example the staff
nurses working in O.T. receives order
only from the nursing sister from O.T.

(5) CENTRALIZATIJON V/S DECENTRALIZATION
• Centralization :Concentration of authority at or
near the top .
• Decentralization :The central authority gives
certain power among a number of individual or
units, authority are given away to
departments/units to become autonomous in
the field.

Decentralization has five aspects:
1.Delegation of authority in such a way that large
areas of discretion are entrusted to subordinate
officers and comparatively few questions are
referred to chief at the apex.
2.Broad grant of power to individual component
parts of the organization and retention of only
certain essential powers of control in the head
office.

Contd….
• Much power in the hands of elective bodies
and consider popular participation in
administration.
• Freedom to field units or agencies away from
headquarters and near to people.
• Functional autonomy to various departments in
respect of their several functions

DECENTRALIZATION:
• The nursing service in larger hospitals is
decentralized according to wards like medical ,
surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and so on.
• Some of the activities are better left to the
decentralized specialist.
• Speed ,closeness of attention, Identification of self
with the objectives are the consequnces of
decentralization.

(6) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBILITY:
• Delegation implies transfers of certain authority
for specified function by the superior to the
subordinate authority.
• In Nursing service administration administrator
should be able to delegate some of their own
duties ,tasks, and responsibilities as a solution to
overwork.

Delegation has three essential aspects
Assignment of Duty: As one person cannot
perform all the task, administrator must allocate
a part of work to subordinate.
Grant of Authority: If the delegated duty is to be
discharged by subordinates they must be
entrusted authority.
Creation of Accountability: Delegation of duties
implies an accountability from the side of
subordinate. With allocation of power and duties
there must be accountability on the part of
subordinate.

Reasons for delegating :
1.Aassigning routine tasks
2. Assigning the tasks for which the nurse administrator don’t
have time
3. Problem solving
4. Changes in administrators own job emphasis
5. Capability building.

Following are suggested ways for nurse
administrators for successful delegation
Train and develop subordinates
Plan ahead , it prevents problem.
Control and coordinate the work of subordinates. To
prevent errors ,develop ways of measuring the
accomplishment of objectives with communication
standards ,measurement and feedback, and credit.

Following are suggested ways for nurse administrators
for successful delegation
Following up by visiting
subordinates frequently
Coordinate to prevent
duplication of effort.
Solve problems and think about
new ideas.
Accept delegation as desirable

Following are suggested ways for nurse administrators
for successful delegation
Know the subordinates’
capabilities , and match the
task or duty to the employee.
Agree on performance
standards.
Take an interest in employees

Following are suggested ways for nurse
administrators for successful delegation
Assess results.
Give appropriate
rewards.
Don’t take back
delegated tasks.

Delegation of
responsibility for
Hospital Nursing
Service:

(7) PRINCIPLE OF CO-ORDINATION
• Co ordination is the integrating process in an
orderly pattern of group efforts in an organization
towards the accomplishment of a common
objective.
• Co-ordination is very important in nursing service
because total care of patient is an organized effort
of many other departments with nursing
department

7) PRINCIPLE OF CO-ORDINATION
• Co-ordination may be internal and external .
• Internal co-ordination refers to the blending of
all efforts and activities and forces operating
within the organization. These are planning,
organizing, directing and control.
• External co-ordination refers to the blending of
all efforts, activities operating outside the
organization.

Factors contributing to co-ordination
Communication Orderly plans Supervision
Leadership Departmentation
Direct
contact

Factors that contribute to co-ordination
are:
• Communication: Effective communication
network system is to be arranged among the
personnel.
• Orderly plans: Standing plan like policies ,
procedure, standing order communicates the
expected behavior required for co-ordinate
action.
• Supervision: Effective supervision ensures
observation and guidance which in turn
contributes to co-ordination.

• Leadership: Leadership motivates the group,
increases interest giving identity to group efforts.
• Departmentation: Departmentation arranges the
activities, assigns duties, facilitates delegation of
authority in different position , clarifies
objectives in each unit.
• Direct contact: Direct contact permits exchange
of ideas, problems ,as well as to understand
each other leading to effective co ordination.
Factors that contribute to co-ordination
are:

(8) PRINCIPLES OF CONTINUITY
No organization is static, there should be
provision for reorganization depending on the
changing needs. This reorganization should be
continuous.

(9) PRINCIPLES OF OBJECTIVES
• .
Every organization and every
part of organization must have
an inherent expression of the
purpose.

Objectives of nursing service administration:
1. To give the highest possible quality of nursing care in
terms of total patient needs ( physical, spiritual ,
psychological , social, rehabilitative and educational
needs ).
2. To assist the physician in the medical care of patient
and to carry out such therapy as is prescribed.
3. To promote program of in service education for
nursing personnel.

Objectives of nursing service administration
4.To promote and encourage nursing research
studies .
5. To assess the quality of the nursing services.
6. To promote participation in the allied health
organizations and supportive community
activities.

(10) ESPIRIT DE CORPS
This implies the harmony and mutual
understanding among the members of the
organization.
In order to achieve the best possible
results, individual and group efforts are to
be effectively integrated and co-ordinate.
Management should not follows the policy of “divide and
rule”, rather it should strive to maintain a team spirit and
co-operation among the employees, so that they can work
together as a team for the accomplishment of common
objectives.

CONCLUSION
Administrative skill has become indispensable
in providing creative, need fulfilling patient care
in nursing service.
Careful application of principles of
administration is important for ensuring quality
nursing care as nursing has to respond to the
demands imposed by the changes, to accomplish
the goals of the profession.

Principles of administration with application

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Principles of administration with application