Henri Fayol, a French industrialist of the early twentieth century, identified several management functions, such as organizing, planning, commanding, coordinating, and controlling. For purposes of this paper these five functions will be explored in terms of their use in one section of a large urban hospital, the transcribing section of the Radiology Department.
The working unit under discussion handles all the transcription of the radiologists' dictated reports in a busy urban hospital in which hundreds of patients are scanned each day for various radiology examinations. There is one supervisor for this unit and two shifts of transcription workers. The transcription supervisor works under the Radiology Administrator who, in turn works under the Department Head of Radiology. In the planning capacity, the transcription supervisor contracts with a computer consultant to have a program tailor-made to the needs of the section, which facilitates speedy replication of standard reports and precisely fits the format of the report form, which prints in quadruplicate. The supervisor hires competent, experienced transcribers, sends them for training on the computer and radiology program, schedules their work and vacations, handles evaluation and quality control, and interfaces with her supervisor and department head.
Organizing functions in this work unit consist of making sure that each shift is adequately covered, hiring extra workers during overload times, accommodating individual needs and schedules (outside appointments, family responsibilities, and special personal needs). The specific duties of each shift are routinized such that every worker is self-policing. Each one knows how and where to pick up the dictated tapes, proofread the reports, verify unusual medical terms, and deliver to clerical workers who distribute the various copies to other sections of the hospital.
There is little need for commanding in this work unit,...