Capstone Social Intelligence and Collaboration, Essay Example

Introduction

In today’s society, social media represents a unique opportunity to explore a variety of strategies that impact healthcare organizations throughout the world. In particular, social media serves as a positive marketing tool in many respects for healthcare organizations who strive to become increasingly visible and relevant within a local population and in a larger context, depending on their level of impact and quality of care. Social media is an interesting and unique phenomenon that provides a greater sense of discovery and analysis for healthcare practice in order to investigate new ideas and approaches to improve patient care and enhance an organization’s reputation in this regard. Social medial also requires a high level of social intelligence, a concept which impacts the development of organizational frameworks that impact the success of the organization in meeting its objectives. At Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, it is recommended that social media must have a much larger presence at the organization and must demonstrate a commitment to marketing, advertising, and promotion that will have a positive impact on employees and on patient care. Although there are naturally going to be concerns regarding social media and privacy issues, the benefits of social media outweigh the risks and provide an opportunity to examine the different issues that will benefit from a larger social media presence. The following discussion will address social media in the healthcare environment in greater detail and will address the importance of developing a marketing approach or strategy that will be effective in increasing knowledge and resources in order to improve the visibility and reputation of the organization through social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These objectives will aim to address some of the current weaknesses within the hospital regarding its marketing strategy and support a level of growth and commitment to its patient population.

Analysis

Many hospitals have begun to expand their presence on social media, and this may be attributed to a number of different areas of focus that support and engage the organization in order to achieve the desired outcomes. Hospitals are in a challenging position of sorts because they face difficult challenges that require ongoing attention and focus, as well as a means of understanding how the organization might improve its own degree of social media presence in order to be effective in advancing opportunities for growth and development on different levels. It is expected that social intelligence will be acquired in the following manner: “Analysts typically spend 80 percent of their time gathering information before they begin to analyze it. Social intelligence radically alters this process. Numerous tools allow analysts to create dynamic maps that pinpoint where information and expertise reside and to track new data in real time. The most effective way of obtaining new information is to engage a carefully mapped network of experts on specific subjects” (Harryson, Metayer, & Sarrazin, 2012). From this perspective, the concept of social intelligence is applicable to the healthcare environment because it facilitates information sharing in a new context, one that will provide important feedback regarding the organization, its employees and its patient care objectives (Harryson et.al, 2012). These practices also demonstrate that a social media strategy will influence patients and the care that they seek in a healthcare provider (Harryson et.al, 2012).

In order for an organization to benefit from a social media strategy, there must be an approach in place that will support a collaborative effort to actively engage employees in making decisions that will be in the best interests of the organization and its primary mission (Sibony, 2012). These practices also require a higher level understanding of the issues and challenges that social media may introduce, including the risks against privacy and other factors that will impact the end result. In addition, direct patient care should not be compromised as a result of social media; therefore, this process must be introduced gradually and with the intent to improve marketing and promotion. One area to consider is strategic planning, which has a significant impact on an organization’s current and future direction, as well as its overall performance (Song, Im, Bij, & Song, 2011). There are considerable issues related to strategic planning that require the input of key experts and leaders so that the appropriate decisions are made regarding where an organization is headed (Song et.al, 2011). Under these conditions, it is important to identify specific resources that will be effective in supporting the organization’s growth and development in the near future (Song et.al, 2011). Organizational performance is contingent upon the ability to utilize knowledge and resources effectively through strategic planning in order to accomplish the desired objectives and to be consistent in meeting the milestones that have been established, including those that are related to a greater social media presence (Song et.al, 2011).

It is also necessary to recognize the value of social media for healthcare employees, particularly as new procedures and discoveries are made that will have a positive impact on an organization and on its reputation (Mansfield et.al, 2011). This process requires a higher level understanding of the challenges related to social media and its acceptance within the medical community, as this process is challenging on many levels, particularly for those who are resistant to change (Mansfield et.al, 2011). Therefore, healthcare organizations must consider how the expansion of social media is a positive step towards the growth of the practice environment, including the potential number of patients who are seen and the type of resources that are available (Mansfield et.al, 2011). These practices will ensure that a healthcare organization is in a position for continued growth and has the ability to use social media for the greater good of its employees and its patients (Mansfield et.al, 2011).

Conclusion and Recommendations

Pocahontas Memorial Hospital is in a position to experience significant growth and to gain visibility with an approach to social media that will have a positive impact on organizational performance and the delivery of patient care. It is important to identify specific areas where there might be an expansion of efforts to accommodate social media needs, and this is also an important step in promoting a new direction in improving the visibility of the organization and the work that they perform. A hospital environment should be promoted for its positive contributions to healthcare practice and its commitment to patient care and related outcomes. For this organization, it is important to facilitate a social media strategy that will be effective in improving the lives of patients and in expanding the knowledge and resources that are required to meet the needs of the patients who are served. Therefore, the organization should examine its options with respect to a Facebook page and a Twitter account as a means of gaining greater visibility with local residents and potentially on a worldwide scale. These opportunities may have a positive and lasting impact on the organization and its reputation over time. It is necessary to develop training and education programs regarding social media as part of the hospital culture as a means of exploring the different areas where there is greater potential to be effective in sharing the organization’s vision and message in a positive manner. Employees must support this process and encourage the development of new practice methods to facilitate positive results for the organization and its people so that they are able to actively contribute to the overall message that they are aiming to address.

References

Harrysson, M., Metayer, E., & Sarrazin, H. (2012). How “social intelligence” can guide decisions. McKinsey Quarterly, 4, 81–89.

Mansfield, S. J., Morrison, S. G., Stephens, H. O., Bonning, M. A., Wang, S. H., Withers, A. H., … & Perry, A. W. (2011). Social media and the medical profession. Med J Aust, 194(12), 642-4.
Sibony, O. (2012). Collaborative strategic planning: Three observations. McKinsey Quarterly, 2, 94–97. Simerson, B. (2011). Strategic planning: A practical guide to strategy formulation and execution [eBook]. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Song, M., Im, S., Bij, H., & Song, L. (2011). Does strategic planning enhance or impede innovation and firm performance? Journal of Production Innovation Management, 28(4), 503-520.