title: What health care managers do: applying Mintzberg's structured observation method.
abstract: Aim The aim of the present study was to explore and describe what characterizes first- and second-line health care managers' use of time. Background Many Swedish health care managers experience difficulties managing their time. Methods Structured and unstructured observations were used. Ten first- and second-line managers in different health care settings were studied in detail from 3.5 and 4 days each. Duration and frequency of different types of work activities were analysed. Results The individual variation was considerable. The managers' days consisted to a large degree of short activities (<9 minutes). On average, nearly half of the managers' time was spent in meetings. Most of the managers' time was spent with subordinates and <1% was spent alone with their superiors. Sixteen per cent of their time was spent on administration and only a small fraction on explicit strategic work. Conclusions The individual variations in time use patterns suggest the possibility of interventions to support changes in time use patterns. Implications for nursing management A reliable description of what managers do paves the way for analyses of what they should do to be effective.
authors.affiliation: PhD candidate, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rebecka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arman
authors.forename: Lotta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dellve
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wikström
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Törnström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D003657:Decision Making; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015401:Nursing Administration Research / Q000379:methods*; D019370:Observation / Q000379:methods*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D012107:Research Design; D035844:Researcher-Subject Relations; D013548:Sweden; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology