PUB HLTH 7500OL - Management Challenges in Health

Online - Online Teaching 4 - 2022

Healthcare organisations in the 21st century are being challenged by rapid changes. These include the impact of an ageing population that is straining healthcare resources and delivery, advances in medical technology, digitisation of workflow, increased consumer expectations about the quality of care, changes in the roles and responsibilities of healthcare organisations, competition for market dominance, unparalleled growth in the knowledge-based healthcare economy, and imbalances in workforce distribution. Due to these changes, healthcare organisations must adapt, learn and innovate. This requires a paradigm shift in the mindset and skills of healthcare leaders, managers and practitioners. In this course, you will learn management concepts, tools and techniques to address some of the daunting challenges that healthcare organisations are facing. The course modules consist managing organisational transformation, change strategy, services, and behaviour, and management of knowledge and employee performance in healthcare organisations. The course uses real-world health-related scenarios in its materials and assessments to develop optimal learning.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code PUB HLTH 7500OL
    Course Management Challenges in Health
    Coordinating Unit Public Health
    Term Online Teaching 4
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s Online
    Units 3
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites MANAGEMT 7123OL, MANAGEMT 7124OL, MANAGEMT 7125OL, MANAGEMT 7126OL, ECON 7244OL, MANAGEMT 7127OL, MANAGEMT 7128OL and MANAGEMT 7131OL
    Restrictions Restricted to Master of Business Administration students only
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Athar Qureshi

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Critically evaluate core management principles as they apply to the healthcare environment (including managing complexity; systems thinking; managing change; organisational behaviour; leadership).
    2 Evaluate and apply core principles of designing and managing systems in health service delivery.
    3 Use appropriate frameworks and tools to critique service delivery models in the broader healthcare context
    4 Apply current state analysis approaches to address organisational challenges.
    5 Create a future state vision for a healthcare organisation by developing a healthcare transformation strategy.
    6 Apply inter-professional communication, collaboration and teamwork skills to a healthcare management problem.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    4, 5, 6

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    1, 2, 5, 6

    Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency

    Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.

    1, 5, 6

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    1, 3, 4, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    The required reading list per module has been uploaded to the University library.

    Access the reading list in your MyUni through Leganto Course Readings.
    Recommended Resources
    In each module of the course, a variety of material is provided to you as additional/optional resources to expand your learning. These are in addition to the required readings.
    Online Learning

    ‘Announcements’ are used in MyUni to convey important and timely notification to students.

    ‘Discussion boards’ are used in MyUni to create opportunities for students to expand their learning by contributing questions or taking part in ongoing topic-based discussions.

    ‘Recordings’ are used to share weekly tutorial sessions with those students who couldn’t make it to the Zoom Tutorial sessions.

    All resources are available online in a Modular format.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    The course adopts a case-based learning approach. In each module, students are provided with a case study and a number of questions. They need to read the case and provide answers either in the reflective journals or in the weekly Zoom tutorial session.

    A weekly Zoom Tutorial session is conducted in which the tutor facilitates students’ learning, answers questions, and conducts problem solving activities with students based on scenarios shared with students in advance (problem-based learning).

    Students are expected to conduct ‘independent study’ throughout the course using all the materials and guidance provided to them in advance.

    The course uses Australian as well as international resources, case studies and publications, and includes interviews with industry specialists/practitioners sharing essential insights (hands-on knowledge).

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

     
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Week Title Topics
    1

    Module 1 – The Healthcare Landscape

    Healthcare organisations operate within a complex network of systems, each having a significant impact on healthcare processes, approaches, and outcomes. The focus of this week is to provide a framework to guide an understanding of the management challenges that will be addressed throughout this course.

    Weekly learning outcomes

    At the end of this week, you will be able to:

    • describe the Australian healthcare system
    • distinguish between traditional and complex organisations
    • articulate definitions of complex organisations; system of systems; systems thinking
    • distinguish between traditional and systems thinking
    • debate implications of VUCA factors demanding change in healthcare organisations
    1. Understanding health care systems
    2. Understanding the ecosystem of the healthcare industry
    3. Healthcare: The VUCA industry (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous)
    2

    Module 2 – Managing Transformation in Healthcare Organisations

    One of the grandest challenges facing healthcare organisations is their transformation to be fit-for-purpose in the 21st Century. This module focuses on successful and sustainable enterprise transformation to address the challenges that healthcare organisations are facing.

    Weekly learning outcomes

    At the end of this week, you will be able to:

    • describe organisational transformation in the healthcare industry
    • articulate the change process and types of changes; evaluate the need for change; critique, modify and improve the change process
    • investigate what needs changing in your healthcare organisation and determine the readiness for change
    • develop a change plan for organisational transformation that includes an approach to communicating change effectively
    1. Understanding organisational transformation in healthcare
    2. The change process
    3. Leading the organisational transformation/change
    3

    Module 3 – Managing Strategy in Healthcare Organisations

    Every senior manager must set the direction of their healthcare organisation. This module focuses on strategy development and implementation in the healthcare environment. In this module, you will explore the different tools available to perform a current state analysis of strategy, identify gaps, and develop and implement a new strategy suitable for a healthcare organisation.

    Weekly learning outcomes

    At the end of this week, you will be able to:

    • Apply current state analysis to identify gaps in your organisation's strategy
    • Develop an organisational transformation plan using the business transformation methodology (BTM)
    • Identify how digital transformation in the healthcare industry might improve health service delivery
    • Identify and manage a variety of strategy implementation issues
    1. Tools for analysing healthcare organisational strategy
    2. Towards an organisational transformation strategy
    3. Towards a digital transformation strategy
    4. Strategy implementation
    4

    Module 4 – Managing People in Healthcare Organisations

    The management of people is a key consideration that managers must address when transforming their organisations. This module will outline how managers can empower and motivate staff to build a culture of excellence in healthcare using organisational behaviour and performance management theories and concepts.

    Weekly learning outcomes

    At the end of this week, you will be able to:

    • Identify how organisational behaviour in a healthcare environment can be improved by utilising performance management theories and concepts
    • Implement motivation theories and job designs in your healthcare organisation to help the professional development of your employees
    • Implement intelligences and core self-evaluations to create a transformational culture in your organisation
    • Manage/balance power, influence and politics in your workplace
    • Perform core self-evaluation and performance management skills to manage underperformance in your organisation
    1. Building a Culture of Excellence
    2. Transformational not transactional culture
    3. Workforce Development
    4. Workforce Maintenance
    5. Performance management
    5

    Module 5 – Managing Healthcare Services

    In order to manage services, you need to understand the key features of the service, process design, facility location and servicescape design and how these impact service management. This week you will learn about these key features to develop the necessary skills required to manage services effectively and increase the efficiency of healthcare service.

    Weekly learning outcomes

    At the end of this week, you will be able to:

    • Describe the characteristics of healthcare services
    • Realise your organisation as a Servuction System to identify improvement areas in the system and enhance the patient experience
    • Investigate patient/consumer experience
    • Identify the role of ICT to improve healthcare services
    • Investigate and design an effective healthscape using the S-O-R Paradigm (stimulus-organism-response paradigm)
    • Engage in value-based competition with other healthcare organisations
    • Investigate service failure and implement recovery
    1. Understanding services
    2. The Patient Experience
    3. The Healthscape (Servicescape)
    4. Principles of Value-Based Competition in Healthcare
    5. Service Failure and Recovery
    6

    Module 6 – Managing Knowledge in Healthcare Organisations

    Develop your understanding of contemporary theories and practices of knowledge management and instil a clear understanding of the concepts of human-centric and technology-centric approaches to knowledge management as they apply to healthcare organisations.

    Weekly learning outcomes

    At the end of this week, you will be able to:

    • Identify knowledge-related behaviours, processes and challenges in your organisation
    • Apply knowledge management principles in your organisation
    • Evaluate the role of ICT to enhance knowledge-sharing in your organisation to enhance knowledge absorption
    1. Understanding healthcare organisations as knowledge-intensive organisations
    2. Understanding Knowledge Management in healthcare organisations
    3. Absorptive Capacity for innovation in healthcare organisations
    4. Knowledge Management Systems
    Specific Course Requirements
    N/A
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Due Assessment % Weighting
    Course Learning Outcomes being Assessed
    Related Weeks
    Assessment 1: Individual Case Report End of Week 2, Sunday 11:59pm

    25%

    1, 5 Week 1 & 2
    Assessment 2: Group Analysis Report – Part A & Part B End of Week 4, Sunday 11:59pm 35% 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 Week 1 - 4

    Assessment 3:
    Executive Brief & Pitch

    End of Week 6, Sunday 11:59pm 30% 1, 2, 3, 4 Week 1 - 5

    Assessment 4: Critical Business Reflection

    End of Week 6, Sunday 11:59pm 10% 1,5 All
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Please refer to your myUni course website for more information.
    Assessment Detail

    Please refer to your myUni course website for more information.

    Submission
    Assessments will be submitted through MyUni.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support

    Counselling for Fully Online Postgraduate Students

    Fully online students can access counselling services here:

    Phone: 1800 512 155 (24/7) 

    SMS service: 0439 449 876 (24/7) 

    Email: info@assureprograms.com.au

    Go to the Study Smart Hub to learn more, or speak to your Student Success Advisor (SSA) on 1300 296 648 (Monday to Thursday, 8.30am–5pm ACST/ACDT, Friday, 8.30am–4.30pm ACST/ACDT)

  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.