ABSTRACT

OF

EVALUATION

OF

COMPETENCIES

OF

INDIAN

HEALTHCARE LEADERS:
I.

Leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of a vision or a set of goals. Irrespective of the number of men you lead the concepts, role and skills required are the same. Burns, in his landmark book, Leadership (1978) observed that leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth. There are three well-known styles of leadership: laissez-faire, transactional, and transformational leadership.

II.

III.

IV.

Leadership is essentially the process of building and maintaining a sense of vision, culture and interpersonal relationships, whereas management is the co-ordination, support and monitoring of organisational activities.

V.

Leaders are responsible for guiding the overall performance of their organizations. There are a lot of models of leadership to emulate and learn from but present scenario of marketing and competitiveness calls for additional competencies.

VI.

It is important to identify the critical competencies which will guide the healthcare leaders to achieve optimal outcomes in this consumer driven sector. Knowing their areas of strength allows healthcare leaders to perform their roles with confidence; knowing their areas of weakness enables them to take the first step in overcoming the weakness.

VII.

The term competency is derived from competence or competency, commonly defined as the ability to do something successfully. We use the word competencies when describing the actions or behaviours expected from a person occupying a certain role successfully. In 2003, the Institute of Medicines report Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality called for a core set of competencies across the professions to ultimately improve the quality of healthcare in the United States. This article reviews the processes and outcomes associated with the development of the Health Leadership Competency Model (HLCM), an evidence-based and behaviourally focused approach for evaluating leadership skills across the professions, including health management, medicine, and nursing, and across career stages

VIII.

IX.

The NCHL Model contains three domains with 26 competencies: The three domains Transformation, Execution, and People capture the complexity and dynamic quality of the health leaders role and reflect the dynamic realities in health leadership today. Of the 26 competencies, eight are technical (or skills and knowledge) competencies.

X.

AIM of the study:

Identify and evaluate the competencies of Healthcare leaders in select hospitals in India.

i. Objectives of the study:

Identify the existing leadership competencies of healthcare executives. Assess and compare the identified levels of competencies with selected leadership model in healthcare organizations. Recommend key leadership competencies required for healthcare leaders in Indian scenario.
XII.

The total sample collected for the study was 106 of which 78 were doctors and 28 were Nursing executives that is 73.5% and 26.5% respectively. The various competencies of Healthcare leaders were identified Review of literature and the competencies were shortlisted. by

XIII.

XIV.

Two questionnaires were framed using the National Centre for Healthcare Leadership, Health Leadership Competency Model, version 2.0. The questionnaires were framed to elicit answers to the following questions from select healthcare leaders of India. The two questions are: Please rate your level of competence. How important do you think the following competencies are for you to perform your duties efficiently and effectively?

XV.

A total of 106 questionnaires were completed and returned which makes it 40.15% response rate. Structured questions were quantified and were tabulated on an excel sheet. The data that was collected from both questionnaires. The data was tabulated in various combinations and was analysed using SPSS 15.Data was described with Mean, Standard Deviation, frequency with percentage. The data was subjected to paired t test and independent t test for evaluation. The data was also subjected to cronbachs alpha for reliability of scales.

XVI.

XVII.

The scales of the competencies were subjected to cronbachs alpha and it has been found that in both the questionnaires the cronbachs alpha is more than 0.6 for all competencies. In most of the competencies it is more than 0.8 which means that the scales are reliable.

XVIII.

The findings of the study are: a. The study has been able to identify competencies of healthcare leaders.
b. The study clearly identified a gap in the perceived existing competency

and required competency levels in all the 26 he competencies except, communication skillsy of healthcare leaders.
c. The study has found the competency gap amidst public and private

sector, trained and untrained healthcare leaders.

d. Healthcare leaders in public sector perceived their competency to be

higher than that of private sector.

e. None of the competencies average of means has reached beyond 04 in

the scale which means Indian healthcare leaders rated themselves in between good and very good.
f. In the analysis of domains it is evident that Indian health leaders dont

rate themselves high in transformational competencies which means they are still working at operational level and they have not decentralized decision making to subordinates.
g. The study reveals a scope for leadership trainingmanagement capacity in

health sector. h. The areas in which lack of knowledge or skills was most significant were identified. This will help us identify the competencies required for various levels of leadership positions.