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I certify that the attached paper is my original work. I am familiar with, and acknowledge my responsibilities which are part of, the University of Phoenix Student Code of Academic Integrity. I affirm that any section of the paper which has been submitted previously is attributed and cited as such, and that this paper has not been submitted by anyone else. I have identified the sources of all information whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, all images, and all quotations with citations and reference listings. Along with citations and reference listings, I have used quotation marks to identify quotations of fewer than 40 words and have used block indentation for quotations of 40 or more words. Nothing in this assignment violates copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property laws. I further agree that my name typed on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student's signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature):
Linda Adkins

Organizational Design Paper
Linda Adkins
March 18, 2012
HCS/514

Allegheny Valley School (AVS) a company of Northeastern Human Services (NHS)

AVS (n. d.) “Founded in 1960, Allegheny Valley School (AVS) operates residential and therapeutic programs throughout Pennsylvania for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities” (p. 1). AVS is a member of Northeastern Human Services (NHS) family of companies. AVS gives care for their individuals from childhood and throughout their adult lives. A plan for each individual is designed to achieve a high level of independence along with enhancing the quality of his or her lives. Because of the nature of the business, the company runs with many teams of people in many areas. Since AVS was acquired by NHS, the internal and external factors and the way the company runs are very different and impersonal.

AVS has an outstanding community residential environment and many facilities that care for more than 900 adults, children, and the elderly. AVS operates more than 125 programs and several facilities in nine counties in Pennsylvania. The company has more than 2,300 employees. AVS is a Vales (n. d)”Decentralized organization that relies on several individuals being responsible for making business decisions and running the business” (p. 1). Much of corporates upper level management personnel are in various buildings within 50 miles from the group homes and program centers. Files are located in many areas, mostly where that particular record is made or used. They are controlled by the person who makes them or receives them. In AVS, records can be paper or computer transmitted from group homes to program centers, medical suites, corporate offices, and administrative offices daily. The company also has information and documents that go to state and federal levels. The federal government county and the state of Pennsylvania are the main sources of funding for AVS. The company also receives donations from many organizations and private sources.

AVS was acquired by NHS on May 30, 2008. AVS serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and NHS serves individuals in the mental health community. NHS (n. d.)”NHS offers a full range of integrated services in the areas of mental health, addictive diseases, autism, education intellectual/developmental disabilities, juvenile justice, therapeutic family care and other specialized services” (p. 1).The two companies are very different as far as their clientele is concerned and the way they do business. AVS was a company where employees knew everyone from the Company Executive Officer to all levels of management. NHS is a large organization and does not allow this because of distance and the overall size of the company. There are managers, administrators, human resources, and many other personnel that employees contact from a one-800 number. If an employee has a complaint, employees call a one-800 number instead of going to a manager. It is very impersonal in relation to the way the AVS Company was run.

Because of the way NHS runs its business, there have been major cutbacks. These jobs have been mostly in upper management such as human resources, administrative, and so on. Employees call a business consultant in other states now if there is a problem. Because of the difference in the clientele between the two companies, the regulations are different also. These differences have caused many issues with state and federal regulations. For example, the companies are state, county, and federally funded. AVS is 10% percent county funded and 90% federal and state. The county funding is called the Waiver Program. NHS is 90% Waiver and 10% state and federally funded. Recently NHS lost $150,000,000 a year from the Waiver Program that has caused a huge deficit in the budget. The company is shutting down some of the group homes funded by the Waiver Program. These homes were AVS homes; employees have no idea if any of the NHS homes are being closed.

The communication between employees of AVS and the new NHS organization has been different. Employees do not find out anything that affects the company until it is done and jobs are being lost. AVS has also lost several employees from the medical department, direct care workers, and nurses. Everything is very different, even when employees did not agree with new ideas or anything that affected the company, AVS always communicated information pertinent to what was going on.

The accountability in many areas has become very difficult and scary. The reason for this is lack of importance of communication. When management needs answers to important questions, it is days before they get that answer. By this time that particular problem has caused problems for several different people in different departments. Employees are quitting in every department. Because NHS lost a large part of their funding for 90% of their company, employees fear for their jobs. There has been very little communication about what the possibilities or what the threats are for employees or the company. The main communication has been an interview with an NHS executive stating the organization is at risk of going back to institution if the funding stream is not corrected.

The internal and external factors that shaped AVS as a company have changed dramatically since NHS acquired the company. Because of the size, logistics, difference in clientele, lack of communication, and the loss of a major funding stream, employees believe the company is at risk of closing. All factors that shaped AVS as an organization in reference to size, organizational structure, and processes are completely different now that NHS bought the company. Personnel at all levels are trying to adjust and figure out what and how this organizational structure and their processes will define the company that was once AVS, which is now a company of NHS.

References

Allegheny Valley School (n. d.) .AVS. Retrieved from www.avs.net

NHS (n. d.).Welcome to NHS Human Services. Retrieved from www.nhsonline.org

Velez O. (n. d.). Centralized vs. Decentralized organizational structure, Retrieved from www.Smallbusiness.chrom.com

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