The effect of organizational level and practice area on managerial work in hospital dietetic services

All areas of practice in hospital dietetic services include a management component; however, the nature of the managerial role in various areas of dietetic practice has not been identified clearly. The definition of dietetic practice in the Conceptual Framework for the Profession of Dietetics supports the importance of managerial skills. The effect of organizational level and practice area on managerial activities and roles of professional staff in hospital dietetic services was examined in this study. The nationwide sample included professionals in hospitals with 300+ beds. A total of 3,280 dietetic professionals participated. Five groups were defined: low administrative, low clinical, middle administrative, middle clinical, and upper administrative. Mintzberg identified 10 managerial roles and categorized them as interpersonal, informational, or decisional. The 10 roles were used as the basis for developing an 80-item instrument on which respondents rated each item for importance and time demand. Perceived importance of managerial activities tended to be greater at higher organizational levels. The managerial aspects of the lower clinical and upper administrative position were the most clearly defined. The lower clinical group tended to rate all of the managerial roles as significantly less important than did those in other positions; however, the middle clinical position included a substantial managerial responsibility.