I.G.6

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF MEETINGS

The question is sometimes asked, “What should be discussed in administrative staff meetings?” This question has special relevance in Centers where most meetings deal with clinical issues and needs; administrative issues may seem of less consequence.

Before suggesting typical agenda items for administrative meetings, it is important to delineate the boundaries separating program activities from administrative ones. Doing and managing the work of counseling, education, and consultation are program activities; administration focuses on Center operations such as personnel matters, budget and finance, marketing, and communications. Some staff members are mostly program producers, while others are mostly administrators, but they need each other.

The administrative team is comprised of the executive director, administrative/office manager, business/financial officer (if the Center has one), and office staff. Marketing coordinators also can play a useful role on the team. Program directors consult with the administrators when the business aspects of their program functions are being considered.

Many Centers are now using a management team – executive director, and key sub-directors – for leadership and management of the Center, instead of vesting these functions entirely in the executive director. There may be an overlap between a management team and what is called here an administrative team, especially if the management team includes the Center’s administrative manager and marketing coordinators. Be flexible in interpreting what is written here, using it as a way to think about the administrative task rather than as a recommendation to add to the Center’s administrative structure.

The following list suggests the building blocks that make up an administrative agenda. Keep in mind that this is a comprehensive list; not all of these items will be part of every meeting.

  1. Information. What is happening in the Center that various staff members need to know about -- events, programs, staff activities, changes in office procedures? Clearing the weekly calendar fits this category. What information needs to be passed on to the rest of the staff?
  1. Administrative management. This may include administrative policies and procedures, office management issues, tax matters, tracking income and expenses, financial reports, contacts with managed care and insurance companies, and administrative personnel issues. The focus is on the Center’s administrative system and how it is functioning. Administrative issues that need to be discussed by the whole staff should be identified, and someone delegated to make the presentation.

Administrative Staff Meetings, page 2

  1. Clinical management issues. The administrative team has mainly a supportive role in clinical management. Paper work, scheduling, receptionist activities, sending and receiving written and telephone messages, and especially contacts and follow up with managed care and insurance companies – these are examples of the vital support function the administrative team performs. It’s focus should be on making the administrative system as user-friendly for clinical team members as possible. Inevitably there will be tensions between clinicians and administrators, so part of the work of the administrative team is to identify issues and problems where the overlap is contentious or unproductive, and to propose solutions.
  1. Projects. Centers often parcel out tasks to individual staff members or create task forces to deal with special issues. The administrative meeting is a place to assign such work, preview the project or task, hear reports of work in progress, and to sign off on project completion.
  1. The Center’s mission and prospects. The primary responsibility for this, often termed strategic planning and Center development, lies with executive and program leaders working with the board of directors. However, the administrative team’s contribution should not be overlooked, especially in generating information and feedback from the perspective of administrative and office management. To keep boundaries clear, it is probably best for the executive director to ask for this input, which the director can then relay to the appropriate management and board committees.

Overall, the administrative team has a two-fold mission: to manage the administrative functions of the Center, and to assist the program staff in the exercise of their duties and tasks. The administrative staff meeting is the place where these functions are reviewed, coordinated, and communicated.

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The Samaritan Institute