Applying modern management principles to clinical administration of a behaviorally oriented inpatient unit

Very few clinical administrators are trained managers, and the combined role of clinician-manager is laden with conflicting expectations. This paper describes the planning, inception, and administration of a new, behaviorally oriented inpatient psychiatric unit in a university medical center that was designed by the unit's clinical director and assistant clinical director. Contemporary management practices were adapted and applied to the development and administration of the unit. The unit's clear boundaries have allowed it to maintain its integrity within the hospital system, and its decentralized horizontal organizational structure has fostered a sense of ownership and responsibility on the part of staff at the operating level. A participative, personnel-oriented approach to unit operations has led to minimal staff turnover and high morale.