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Article
Publication date: 2 May 2008

Defining competencies for hospital management: A comparative analysis of the public and private sectors

Rubin Pillay

The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of providing managers in both the public and private sectors with the requisite competencies to help address…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of providing managers in both the public and private sectors with the requisite competencies to help address efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness in the delivery of health services.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross sectional survey using a self administered questionnaire was conducted among hospital managers in South Africa. Respondents were asked to rate the level of importance that each proposed competency had in their job and to indicate their perceptions about the adequacy of health management training programs in South Africa.

Findings

Hospital managers in both sectors feel that people management and self management skills are the most valuable for the efficient and effective management of hospitals, followed by “hard management skills” and skills related to the ability to think strategically. Specific skills or knowledge related to health care delivery were perceived to be least important. Public sector managers were also more likely to seek future training, and were also more adamant about the need for future management development programs.

Originality/value

This research provides the evidence that there is a great need, as well as a significant demand, for a degree program in health management at South African institutions. The findings will be useful in the conceptualization, design and delivery of health management programs aimed at enhancing current and future management and leadership capacity in the health sector.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/17511870810870547
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

  • Hospitals
  • Managers
  • Competences
  • Public sector organizations
  • Private sector organizations
  • South Africa

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Book part
Publication date: 22 December 2005

H.R. Versus Finance: Who Controls Corporate Health Care Decisions and does it Matter?

Forrest Briscoe, James Maxwell and Peter Temin

The past two decades have witnessed a transformation in the corporate human resource (HR) function – moving away from a role of balancing multiple interests toward a…

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Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed a transformation in the corporate human resource (HR) function – moving away from a role of balancing multiple interests toward a narrower focus on business objectives – yet we know little about how this change occurred. This study finds that the functional backgrounds of senior HR managers played an important role in determining the changing health benefits of large corporations. Managers with finance backgrounds controlled costs more than those with traditional HR backgrounds and contracted with fewer health plans – yet surprisingly without measured differences in health care quality management. These results suggest that more attention should be paid to the backgrounds of managers in the wider evolution of HR.

Details

Advances in Industrial & Labor Relations
Type: Book
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-6186(05)14001-3
ISBN: 978-0-76231-265-8

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Article
Publication date: 9 June 2020

Job strain, gender and well-being at work: a case study of public sector line managers

Inga Jona Jonsdottir, Gudbjorg Linda Rafnsdottir and Thorhildur Ólafsdóttir

The purpose of this paper is to further the understanding of public sector line managers' work-related well-being and health in relation to job strain, gender and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to further the understanding of public sector line managers' work-related well-being and health in relation to job strain, gender and workplace social support.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was sent to all senior and middle line managers (N = 357) in three administrative departments of Iceland's largest municipality. The response rate was 64.7%. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the data.

Findings

A minority of respondents experience high job strain. However, for these managers, the risk of experiencing emotional exhaustion is about fivefold, compared to those not experiencing high job strain. Social support is an important buffering against job strain and enhances well-being. Female managers are more likely than their male counterparts to report myositis, back or shoulder pain and sleeping difficulty.

Practical implications

The study emphasises that workplace social support attenuates the negative impact of job strain on line managers' work-related well-being. Furthermore, it demonstrates that in a society at the forefront in gender equality, gender differences in health symptoms exist among line managers in the public sector – a finding that highlights the importance of studying all aspects of workplace well-being by gender. This calls for future research using a more comprehensive survey data and interviews to shed light on the pathways through which female line managers' health is negatively affected.

Originality/value

Knowledge relating to well-being and health of line managers in the public sector is scarce. This study contributes to filling that gap. As work-related well-being is often gender-blind, the value of the study is also the investigation of the gender patterns in the authors’ data.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-10-2019-0134
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

  • Public sector line managers
  • Job strain
  • Gender
  • Well-being
  • Health symptoms
  • Workplace social support

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2004

Talking to health managers about change: heroes, villains and simplification

Ian Greener

This paper presents contextual and empirical analyses of the pressures on senior health managers in the NHS through an examination of the documents produced by the NHS…

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Abstract

This paper presents contextual and empirical analyses of the pressures on senior health managers in the NHS through an examination of the documents produced by the NHS National Co‐ordinating Centre for Service Delivery and Organisation on “Managing change”. The result is a discussion and advocacy of the means through which “knowledge” with “knowing” might be brought together in the NHS to move it more towards an evidence‐based approach to management.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14777260410560811
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

  • Change management
  • Management development
  • National Health Service

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Article
Publication date: 3 April 2017

Implementing workplace health promotion – role of middle managers

Just Bendix Justesen, Pernille Eskerod, Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen and Gisela Sjøgaard

The purpose of this paper is to address a missing link between top management and employees when it comes to understanding how to successfully implement and embed…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address a missing link between top management and employees when it comes to understanding how to successfully implement and embed workplace health promotion (WHP) as a strategy within organizations: the role of the middle managers.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework based on review of theory is applied within an empirical multi-case study that is part of a health intervention research project on increased physical activity among office workers. The study involves six Danish organizations.

Findings

Middle managers play a key role in successful implementation of WHP, but feel uncertain about their role, especially when it comes to engaging with their employees. Uncertainty about their role appears to make middle managers reluctant to take action on WHP and leave further action to top management instead.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations included the middle managers’ low attendance at the half-day seminar on strategic health (50 percent attendance), the fact that they were all office workers and they were all from Denmark.

Practical implications

Middle managers ask for more knowledge and skills if they are to work with WHP in daily business.

Social implications

Implementing and embedding WHP as a health strategy raises ethical issues of interfering with employees’ health, is seen as the employee’s personal responsibility.

Originality/value

This study adds to knowledge of the difficulties of implementing and embedding WHP activities in the workplace and suggests an explicit and detailed research design.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-04-2016-0030
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

  • Leadership
  • Physical activity
  • Implementation
  • Middle manager
  • Work health promotion
  • Workplace health management

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Article
Publication date: 27 June 2008

Management for sustainable health: A TQM‐inspired model based on experiences taken from successful Swedish organizations

Åsa Wreder, Maria Gustavsson and Bengt Klefsjö

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to describe how a large organization has successfully worked to achieve sustainable health; compare the work of the large…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to describe how a large organization has successfully worked to achieve sustainable health; compare the work of the large organization with methodologies used by smaller successful organizations; and then to create a model for how managers of larger organizations can work to create sustainable health.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data were gathered through interviews with managers at different organizational levels and workshops with employees, within a case study in a large bank which received the award “Sweden's best workplace”. The data were also compared to results from earlier case studies of three smaller organizations that have received the same award.

Findings

The results of the studies show coinciding results as to the importance of management commitment and methodologies, such as employee involvement, delegation, goal deployment and coaching, to create a health‐promoting work environment. This indicates that larger organizations do not need any specific methodologies.

Practical implications

Based on the experiences from four successful organizations, managers should mainly consider doing the following: start measuring and evaluating the consequences of sickness absence in their organization; and adopt a management strategy based on humanistic core values that are supported by methodologies and tools.

Originality/value

The paper adds understanding about how managers of large organizations could work practically to overcome management problems in today's working life and support the work and organizational factors earlier described in the literature to create a health‐promoting work environment that stimulates the development of sustainable health.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02656710810881881
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

  • Managers
  • Personal health
  • Total quality management
  • Organizational culture

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Article
Publication date: 28 October 2013

Managing between the agendas: implementing health care reform policy in an acute care hospital

Roslyn Sorensen, Glenn Paull, Linda Magann and JanMaree Davis

This paper aims to assess administrative and clinical manager stances on health system reform. Understanding these stances will help to identify cultural differences and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to assess administrative and clinical manager stances on health system reform. Understanding these stances will help to identify cultural differences and competing agendas between these two key health service stakeholders and contribute to developing strategies to improve organisational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology was used comprising in-depth open-ended interviews conducted in 2007 with 26 administrative and clinical managers who managed clinical units.

Findings

This paper provides empirical insights into the ways that administrative and clinical mangers conceive of their managerial roles in relation to health care reform and performance improvement in health services. The findings suggest that developing a hybrid clinical manager culture as a means to bridge the gap between administrative and clinical manager stances on reform objectives, while possible, is not yet being realised.

Research limitations/implications

The research has relevance for health services that are experiencing organisational transformation. However, its location in one health service limits the generalisability of findings to other sites. Further research is needed to assess the opportunities for a hybrid culture to emerge as well as its effect.

Practical implications

While attention is predominantly directed to clinician groups as a key stakeholder in implementing health reform policies, this paper has implications for how administrative managers also structure their roles and responsibilities to create an organisational climate conducive to change. This will include strategies to support clinical managers to make the transition from a predominantly clinical, to a clinical managerial, orientation.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a significant problem in health service governance, namely the divide between the value stances of dual hierarchies. This problem is only now gaining prominence as a significant barrier to health reform.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-11-2011-0119
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

  • Organizational culture
  • Clinical governance
  • Health services
  • Hospital managers
  • Managerialism

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Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Managers’ perceptions of mental illness in Barbadian workplaces: an exploratory study

Dwayne Devonish

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of private and public sector managers in Barbados regarding the concepts of mental health and illness at work. It…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of private and public sector managers in Barbados regarding the concepts of mental health and illness at work. It also explored their interactions and experiences with persons with mental illness at work and various forms of support and resources needed to improve the overall management of these persons within the organisational setting.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study used an exploratory research design based on two focus groups of private and public sector managers.

Findings

The findings revealed that both private and public sector managers understood the distinction between the concepts of mental health and mental illness. However, managers believed that high levels of stigma and discrimination exist in both private and public sector workplaces due to a lack of understanding of mental illness, cultural norms, and socialisation in Barbados regarding mental illness and negative stereotypes. However, workplace education and promotion, associated workplace policies, and employee assistance programmes (EAPs) were identified as key strategies for effectively addressing issues of mental health stigma and the management of persons with mental illness at work.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the qualitative approach used and small sample selected based on non-probability sampling, generalising the findings to larger populations is heavily cautioned.

Practical implications

Organisations in both private and public sectors should emphasise workplace mental health interventions such as mental health education and awareness, the development and implementation of supportive and flexible policies, and EAPs. These strategies are likely to help destigmatisation efforts and enhance managers’ understanding of mental health and the management of persons with mental illness.

Originality/value

This study provided a rich and in-depth understanding of mental health and illness from the perspective of private and public sector managers in a small developing country in the Caribbean. The Caribbean region possesses a dearth of empirical research concerning issues of mental health and illness at work.

Details

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-09-2016-0047
ISSN: 1755-6228

Keywords

  • Management
  • Mental health
  • Mental illness
  • Stigma
  • Caribbean

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Article
Publication date: 18 May 2012

Determinants of managerial competencies for primary care managers in Southern Thailand

Faridahwati Mohd‐Shamsudin and Nirachon Chuttipattana

The purpose of this paper is first, to identify the critical managerial competencies of primary care managers; and second, to determine the relationship between…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is first, to identify the critical managerial competencies of primary care managers; and second, to determine the relationship between personality and motivation, and managerial competency.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted involving distribution of questionnaires to 358 rural primary care managers in Southern Thailand.

Findings

The survey found six critical managerial competencies: visionary leadership; assessment, planning, and evaluation; promotion of health and prevention of disease; information management; partnership and collaboration; and communication. Both personality and motivation are found to significantly influence primary care managers' managerial competency. In particular, conscientiousness (i.e. perseveres until the task is finished, does a thorough job, full of energy, does things efficiently, and a lot of enthusiasm) is related to all managerial competencies. It is clear that extrinsic and intrinsic factors (i.e. quality of supervision and leadership, organizational policy and administration, interpersonal relationship, working conditions, work itself, amount of responsibility, and job recognition) are influential in primary care manager motivation that can significantly improve morale.

Research limitations/implications

The short version of the personality instrument may limit the generalization of some of the findings. Future research is needed to assess the relationship between managerial competency and performance. Further research could be done in other countries to see if this conclusion is in fact correct. It would also be useful to research if the findings apply to other health and social areas.

Practical implications

Personality and motivation are able to co‐predict managerial competency whereby motivation tends to have a stronger influence than personality. These findings will be useful to policy makers and to those responsible for the human development in the preparation of management training and development programs. Moreover, top management should not overlook the motivational system as a way to encourage managers to be competent in their job.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to our understanding of managerial competency within the context of rural primary care sectors. The success of any organized health program depends upon effective management, but health systems worldwide face a lack of competent management at all levels. Management development for health systems, particularly at the first line of supervision, must be given much higher priority for investment.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14777261211230808
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

  • Thailand
  • Health care
  • Primary care
  • Rural areas
  • Management skills
  • Personality
  • Motivation
  • Managerial competency
  • Primary care managers

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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2019

Managers’ learning process during a health-promoting leadership intervention

Åsa Tjulin, Bodil Landstad, Stig Vinberg, Andrea Eriksson and Emma Hagqvist

The increasingly demanding psychosocial working conditions in Swedish public sector workplaces call for implementation of workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions…

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Abstract

Purpose

The increasingly demanding psychosocial working conditions in Swedish public sector workplaces call for implementation of workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions. There is a need to increase first-line public sector managers’ capacities for health-promoting leadership. The purpose of this paper is to investigate first-line managers’ experiences of participating in an intervention aimed at strengthening health-promoting leadership. More precisely, the aim is to study what obstacles and prerequisites the intervention have for their learning processes to become health-promoting managers.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study in Northern Sweden at workplaces in the county council and municipalities was conducted. The data were gathered through individual interviews with 18 participating first-line managers. Inductive-content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings

The results identify time for reflection and collegial discussions about leadership as prerequisites for learning about health-promoting leadership. Managers experienced the intervention as a confirmation of the leadership behaviours already gained. However, the health-promoting leadership intervention was seen as a contradiction, since organisational prerequisites to implement WHP measures were perceived to be lacking. The managers were not involved in the planning of the intervention and questioned why the organisation did not involve them more when the educational activities were created.

Originality/value

When the organisation understands how and when its managers learn, what they need and want to learn about WHP, and what they already know, tailored participatory interventions can be facilitated that consider the unique prerequisites for the particular organisation.

Details

Health Education, vol. 119 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-02-2019-0004
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

  • Health promotion
  • Social interaction
  • Learning
  • Qualitative methods
  • Intervention

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