The health care system is rapidly changing while at the same time due to the dynamic business environment. As a result, the concept of health care management has gained popularity over the last decade as people strive to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the sector. Health care management, therefore, mainly focuses on the use of tactics and strategies to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare organizations. The demand for health care managers is increasing their role is not appreciated and embraced across the globe ( Al-Sawai, 2013) . Effective health care management is essential for the provision of quality health care services while enhancing the success of hospitals or health facilities.
Synopsis of the Resources
The first resource was written by Slipicevic and Masic (2012), and it mainly focuses on the managerial skills and knowledge that a health care manager should have. The researchers identified various skills that a health care manager should have, including some knowledge such as information management. The research was primarily based in the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second resource was authored by Al-Sawai (2013), and it explores various leadership styles that health care should possess to manage a health entity effectively. Some of the leadership styles that are discussed in the resource include transformational, shared, collaborative, conflict management, and ethical leadership. The leadership styles are explored in detail by the author of the research article.
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Context and Approach used in the Sources
To explore the concept of health care management, Slipicevic and Masic (2012) conducted a qualitative survey in the form of a questionnaire to collect sufficient data about the management knowledge and skills that are required of a health care manager. The questionnaire was filled by various health care managers in different parts of the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina. The qualitative research-based approach that was used by the authors was aimed at determining the current knowledge and skills that health care managers should have to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health care organizations. The identified skills and knowledge were categorized into four groups that included interpersonal skills, information management, analytical skills, and acting skills. Source identified the priority skills that a health care manager should have. Interpersonal skills should be given priority in health care management followed by action skills. Nonetheless, information management and analytical skills are also necessary.
The resource by Al-Sawai (2013), on the other hand, used systematic literature review approach to explore effective health care management, especially concerning leadership styles. The author reviewed various articles to determine the best leadership styles that should be applied by health care managers. Al-Sawai (2013) viewed effective health care management in the context of leadership styles. Effective health care management mainly relies on the type of leadership style that is applied by a manager. The leadership style in the health care management should be sensitive to values, cultures, and capability of a specific organization. The source implies that no single leadership style can apply to all health care organizations because they have different values and cultures. Health care leaders should be able to maintain organizational progress to adapt to the changing healthcare environment. Thus, the two sources are relevant to health care management and leadership.
Functions, Skills, and Traits of Health Care Management Supervisor
Functions
According to Slipicevic and Masic (2012), health care supervisors or managers are required to perform complex tasks as well as responsibilities to the provision of quality health services while addressing the needs of staff. Al-Sawai (2013), on the other hand, argues that the function of a health care management supervisor is to influence group activities while ensuring that employees can cope with changes to achieve the set goals and objectives. Importantly, the role of health care supervisor is to instruct, direct, and control employees to make sure that they adequately perform their duties. However, with constant changes in the healthcare environment, the role of health care management supervisor is expected to keep on changing. Healey & Marchese (2012) maintains that changes in the health care environment are inevitable because they are influenced by external factors that organizations and managers have no control over. Thus, the role of supervisors in the sector is expected to change with time.
Skills and Traits
An effective health management supervisor should have exemplary interpersonal skills that enable him or her to relate to other people. The supervisor should be self-conscious, inspire and motivate others, and able to understand and respond to the emotional needs of employees (Slipicevic & Masic, 2012). Effective communication and collaboration skills are also required to build a beneficial interpersonal relationship. The supervisor should also have acting skills that are required to plan, direct, and implement strategies. Some of the acting skills that the supervisor should have include goal setting and entrepreneurial abilities. Entrepreneurial skill is necessary for effective health care management supervisory role, especially concerning seeking and utilizing opportunities to ensure that the organization achieves its goals and objectives. Also, analytical skills are necessary to help in planning and analyzing available information and data.
The ability to delegate duty is one of the traits that an effective management supervisor should have because it does not only promote relations but also motivates employees, as they feel valued by the organization. The second trait is the ability to empower others to achieve a common goal. Al-Sawai (2013) explains that management supervisor in the health care setting should be able to use transformational leadership tactics to empower employees. Besides, a supervisor should be able to resolve conflicts that emerge between employees, as the interpersonal conflict is always inevitable in any working place.
Management Concepts
Values
Values generally refer to the beliefs that are shared by members of a given culture or organization. Some of the common values in management include integrity, diligence, and accountability. Values are essential in management in the health care sector because it ensures ethical and fair decisions and actions that favor all stakeholders (Healey & Marchese, 2012). Supervisory managers should ensure that he or she upholds values that enhance effective management in an organization.
Authority
Authority is the right to command and supervise other employees, including making certain decisions that apply to all employees. For instance, authority gives the supervisory manager the power to command employees to execute some health care practices that are aimed at improving the quality of care. A supervisory manager should ensure that he or she is using authority to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the health organization (Healey & Marchese, 2012).
Span of Control
The span of control is the total number of employees a manager can supervise effectively. A manager should be assigned a given number of employees to enhance effective management in a health organization. A larger span of control is associated with a flatter organizational structure. A small span or control, on the other hand, is linked to steeper organizational structure. The supervisory managers should be assigned an appropriate number of employees to improve their effectiveness (Healey & Marchese, 2012).
Delegation of Duties
The delegation of duty involves assigning tasks or responsibility to another person to execute it, especially junior employees. The delegation of duties is one of the traits that define a successful leader. A manager a health care setting should always delegate duties to other employees to ensure that healthcare services are delivered in time (Healey & Marchese, 2012).
Unity of Command
The principle of unity of command stipulates that an employee should be responsible to one supervisor or manager (Healey & Marchese, 2012). Many supervisors should not supervise employees. A supervisory manager in a health care organization should make sure that employees are assigned supervisors based on their departments. Unit of command improves performance in the workplace.
Basic Leadership Styles
The article by Al-Sawai (2013) describes various types of leadership styles. First, the transformational leadership style is used by leaders to motivate followers to perform beyond expectations. The transformational leader creates a collective purpose and common vision that binds all employees. Secondly, a collaborative leadership style where leaders work towards achieving mutual benefits in a team or workplace. Collaborative leadership empowers employees to make their own decisions. Thirdly, shared leadership style, which is team-level management that involves empowering staff to make decisions that benefit an organization. Share leadership style is based on teamwork and effective collaborations.
Effective health care management is inevitable in the current healthcare environment that is highly dynamic. The current health care system is not only involved in delivering care services to patients but also addressing the needs of employees and other stakeholders. A health care manager should have relevant knowledge and skills to improve efficiency and effectiveness in an organization. Besides, a health care manager should apply relevant leadership style to improve the performance of employees.
References
Al-Sawai, A. (2013). Leadership of healthcare professionals: where do we stand? Oman Medical Journal , 28 (4), 285-287.
Healey, B. & Marchese, M. (2012). Foundations of Health Care Management: Principles and Methods . Jossey-Bass.
Slipicevic, O., & Masic, I. (2012). Management knowledge and skills required in the health care system of the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina. Materia Socio-Medica , 24 (2), 106-111.
