Introduction
Healthcare management is a dynamic profession in the United States considering that the field experiences new and demanding challenges each year. As a result, healthcare managers and leaders are under intense pressure to carry out a wide range of roles using limited resources (Garman et al., 2006, p. 360). Therefore, there is the need for managers and leaders to acquire different competent skills in organizational management to improve the growth and performance of their respective organizations. In addition, the skills and competencies possessed by different healthcare managers and leaders must demonstrate the ability to address the complex issues in the healthcare field (Garman et al., 2006). This essay evaluates the significance of the interpersonal, conceptual, participatory, and leadership competencies in helping healthcare managers and leaders to achieve organizational growth.
Competent skills in healthcare management
Leadership Skills
Healthcare leaders and managers should possess the ability to inspire excellence in their junior staff and the healthcare organization at large. In addition, the managers have the responsibility of developing, communicating and ensuring that the organizational vision is attained. Moreover, to achieve organizational improvement and performance, there is the need for managers to oversee various changes and strategic plans within the organization. As a result, the managers should possess effective leadership skills, which enable them to carry out the above-mentioned roles (Guo & Anderson, 2005, p. 12).
Conversely, leaders within the healthcare sector should realize that the current issues in healthcare such as patient expectations and the need for evidence-based management have transformed healthcare facilities into business enterprises. Therefore, to achieve organizational growth and improved performance, healthcare managers and leaders should inspire excellence, trust, responsibility, teamwork, commitment, and loyalty in their junior staff and their respective organizations at large (Garman et al., 2006).
Conceptual skills
Leaders and managers should possess various conceptual skills such as adaptability, planning, and creativity to achieve effective management of their respective organizations. Therefore, various academic programs available to healthcare managers ensure that they acquire skills in business law, strategic management, business management, organizational behavior (OB), and many more (Guo & Anderson, 2005). As a result, the leaders and managers who have successfully completed their courses in healthcare management should demonstrate their understanding of the link between different health issues and the environment.
For instance, healthcare managers who possess the skills to link various health complications to the underlying community-based or population issues are in a better position to develop strategies that address different issues effectively. In addition, individuals with the basic competencies in various fields such as public health, prevention of diseases, population dynamics, and environmental management will also understand the interaction between two or more factors to cause a particular health complication or issue. Therefore, leaders with various conceptual skills in a wide range of fields are better positioned in addressing different healthcare issues (Guo & Anderson, 2005).
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills or emotional intelligence defines the ability of a manager to interact and work with other people. Therefore, interpersonal skills enable managers to interact with other individuals such as investors, customers, and competitors. In so doing, they get to form collaborations, which provide the means to expand market contacts, increase shared capital, and develop competitive services. In addition, just like other business enterprises, the healthcare sector requires managers with the appropriate interpersonal skills who can negotiate for a place in the volatile healthcare market with different competitors (Garman et al., 2006).
Participatory Skills
Participatory skills come into play during participatory management whereby different healthcare professionals must set and manage their work standards. In addition, participatory management entails preparing healthcare managers and leaders for new responsibilities and organizational structure (Guo & Anderson, 2005). Therefore, as healthcare organizations expand, there is the need to bring in new managers and delegate new responsibilities to existing managers. As a result, the participatory skills enable managers and leaders to set their own standards and adjust to various responsibilities and environments more efficiently.
Conclusions
The essay explores various competencies, which enable healthcare managers and leaders to achieve growth and improved performance in their respective organizations. From the discussions above, it is notable that healthcare managers and leaders possess different skills such as leadership, participatory, interpersonal, and conceptual competencies, which play a pivotal role in ensuring that they discharge their duties and managerial roles effectively. Therefore, there is the need for all healthcare managers to apply these skills in their day-to-day activities to achieve organizational growth and improvement.
Reference list
Guo, K.L. & Anderson, D. (2005). The new healthcare paradigm: Roles and competencies of leaders in the service line management approach. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 18 (7), 12-20.
Garman, A.N., Butler, P., & Brinkmeyer, L. (2006). Leadership. Journal of Healthcare Management, 51 (6), 360-67.