A Comparative Research of Management Characteristics in the Sectors of Healthcare and Economy

CILJ RADA Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti karakteristike menadžera u hrvatskom zdravstvu i usporediti ih s rezultatima velikog empirijskog istraživanja u hrvatskom gospodarstvu koje su proveli Pere Sikavica i Fikreta Bahtijarević Šiber te utvrditi razlikuju li se bitno temeljne funkcije menadžmenta u zdravstvenim organizacijama, njihova važnost i čimbenici uspješnosti od onih u gospodarstvu. METODE Podatci su primarni, prikupljeni prilagođenim anketnim upitnikom preuzetim iz knjige MANAGEMENT – Teorija menadžmenta i veliko empirijsko istraživanje u Hrvatskoj, autora Pere Sikavice i Fikrete Bahtijarević Šiber. Originalni upitnik sadržavao je 82 pitanja podijeljena u 11 tematskih cjelina. Prilagođeni upitnik korišten u ovom istraživanju sastojao se od 25 pitanja podijeljenih u 6 tematskih skupina opći podatci, osnovne funkcije menadžmenta, delegiranje ovlasti i odgovornosti, znanja i vještine menadžera, stilovi vođenja i upravljanje vremenom menadžera. Upitnik je strukturiran na način prikladan za izradu komparativne analize s rezultatima istraživanja MANAGEMENT – Teorija menadžmenta i veliko empirijsko istraživanje u Hrvatskoj, autora Pere Sikavice i Fikrete Bahtijarević Šiber. Podijeljeno je 179 anketnih upitnika od kojih je vraćeno popunjenih 155. Za obradu podataka korištene su metode kvantitativne i kvalitativne analize. REZULTATI Empirijsko istraživanje za potrebe ovog diplomskog rada provedeno je u KBC SPLIT. Ispitanici su bili zdravstveni radnici VSS i VŠS na rukovodećim položajima. Većina ispitanika bile su žene (62,58%) za razliku od empirijskog istraživanja u gospodarstvu gdje su većina bili muškarci (74%). Prosječan ispitanik u zdravstvu je žena u dobi od 41- 50 godina i muškarac od 51 – 60 godina. U gospodarstvu prosječan ispitanik je muškarac u dobi od 40 – 45 godina. Većina ispitanika u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu, veći je dio svog radnog vijeka provela u istoj organizaciji. Ispitanici su podijeljeni u tri razine menadžmenta, najviša (Top Management), srednja (Middle Management) i najniža (Lower Management). Vrijeme koje menadžeri u zdravstvu troše na osnovne menadžerske funkcije planiranja, organiziranja, kadroviranja / upravljanja ljudskim potencijalima, vođenja, kontrole kao i na medijativne procese donošenja odluka, komuniciranja i motiviranja, gotovo je jednako utrošku vremena menadžera u gospodarstvu. Menadžeri rangiranjem važnosti pojedinih menadžerskih aktivnosti, pokazuju određenu suglasnost oko najvažnijih menadžerskih aktivnosti u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu. Od različitih čimbenika koji imaju utjecaj na menadžerski uspjeh jednima i drugima „dominantan“ je utjecaj „vlastitih sposobnosti.“ Menadžeri u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu, u visokom postotku prepoznaju važnost „delegiranja ovlasti na suradnike“, ali smo na deklarativnoj razini, jer po rezultatima neusporedivo rjeđe te iste ovlasti delegiraju. Također u visokom postotku „često i uvijek“, koriste ideje svojih suradnika u rješavanju problema. Kad je riječ o potrebi za specifičnim menadžerskim znanjima i vještinama od tehničkih, socijalnih do konceptualnih postoje razlike između menadžera u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu. Preferencije pojedinih „znanja i sposobnosti“, kao i njihov intenzitet, kod menadžera u gospodarstvu, ukazuju na činjenicu prema kojoj je menadžer u gospodarstvu „nešto“ bliži obrascu klasičnog menadžera. Među menadžerima u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu postoji visoki konsenzus kad je riječ o „najpoželjnijim“ i „najmanje željnijim“ osobinama, koje bi trebao ili ne bi trebao posjedovati menadžer. Moralne vrijednosti kao što su poštenje, odlučnost i objektivnost visoko su rangirane kod svih menadžera. Rang „najmanje željnijih“ osobina gotovo je „zrcalna slika“ poželjnih. Rang preferirajućih menadžerskih osobina ne pokazuje razlike kod menadžera u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu. Presudnim za menadžerski uspjeh, menadžeri u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu smatraju kombinaciju školovanja i iskustva, dok zabrinjavajuće malo uvažavaju „talent“ dobiven rođenjem. Analizirajući karakteristike vođe „bliže“ ispitanicima, možemo zaključiti da menadžeri u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu, utjelovljuju osobine „tradicionalnog“ menadžera. Rezultati pokazuju kako 64% posto anketiranih menadžera u zdravstvu funkcionira po transakcijskom stilu vodstva, a 36% po transformacijskom stilu, za razliku od gospodarstva gdje je omjer transakcijskog i transformacijskog tipa vodstva 53% : 47%. Prepoznavanje karakteristika „vođe“ i njegovih menadžerskih prednosti u odnosu na tradicionalnog „menadžera“, jednako je strano menadžerima u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu. Precjenjivanje demokratičnosti vlastitog stila vodstva karakterizira menadžere u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu. . Analiza percepcije stila vodstva „pretpostavljenog“ menadžera pokazuje trend rasta „autokrata“ i smanjivanje „čistih demokrata“ u odnosu na rezultate samopercepcije stila vodstva. U zdravstvu i gospodarstvu omjer pojedinih stilova vodstva je oko 40% - 41 % za autokratski, 37% – 38% za konzultativni i 22% za demokratski. Način donošenja odluka, u rasponu od autokratskog do demokratskog gotovo jednako je zastupljen. Vrijeme kojim raspolažu, menadžeri u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu, troše na iste aktivnosti s ponešto različitim rangom. Rang „kradljivaca vremena“ u zdravstvu i gospodarstvu pokazuje male razlike i ukazuje na velike gubitke dragocjenog vremena. ZAKLJUČAK Rezultati istraživanja upućuju na zaključak kako se temeljne funkcije menadžmenta u zdravstvenim organizacijama, njihova važnost i čimbenici uspješnosti bitno ne razlikuju od onih u gospodarstvu.The objective of this thesis was to research the characteristics of managers within the Croatian healthcare system and to compare them to the results of a large-scale empirical research conducted by Pero Sikavica and Fikreta Bahtijarević Šiber of managers in the Croatian economic system, as well as to determine whether the basic managerial characteristics, their importance and factors of success, differ considerably in healthcare organisations. THESIS METHODOLOGY Primary data was collected through the use of an adjusted questionnaire found in the book Management – Theory of Management and Large Empirical Study in Croatia by authors Pero Sikavica and Fikreta Bahtijarević Šiber. The original questionnaire consisted of 82 questions divided into 11 thematic units. The adjusted questionnaire, used in this research, consisted of 25 questions divided into 6 thematic units: general information, basic management functions, delegating power and responsibility, management know-how and skills, leadership styles and time management. The questionnaire is organized in a manner suitable for conducting a comparative analysis with the results of the study presented in Management – Theory of Management and Large Empirical Study in Croatia by authors Pero Sikavica and Fikreta Bahtijarević Šiber. Out of 179 distributed questionnaires, 155 were returned completed. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used while processing the gathered information. RESULTS Empirical research required for this thesis paper was conducted in KBC SPLIT. Test subjects were healthcare workers with a university or a college degree in management positions. Majority of subjects were women (62.58%) as opposed to the empirical research in the economic sector where the majority were men (74%). The average test subject in healthcare sector is a woman between ages 41- 50 and a man aged 51 – 60, while in the economic sector the average test subject is a man aged 40 – 45. Majority of subjects, both in healthcare and economic sector, spent a large part of their working life in the same organization. The subjects were divided into three management levels, Top, Middle and Lower Management. The time which managers in healthcare sector spend on basic management functions of planning, organizing, staffing / human resources management, leading and controlling, as well as mediational processes of decision making, communicating and motivating, is nearly equal to the time spent by managers in the economic sector. Managers, by ranking the importance of specific management activities, show certain compliance on the most important management activities in healthcare and economy. Of the various factors which have an influence on the managerial success to both test subject groups, the influence of ‘personal abilities’ is the ‘dominant’ one. Managers in healthcare and economy, in a high percentage, recognize the importance of ‘delegating power to co-workers’ but only on a declarative level, since the empirical data shows a significantly lower percentage of those who actually do delegate these powers. Also, a high percentage ‘often and always’ uses their co-workers ideas in problem solving. While speaking of the need for specific management know-how and skills, varying from technical and social to conceptual ones, differences between managers in healthcare and economic sector do exist. Preferring certain ‘know-how and skills’, as well as their intensity, with the managers in the economic sector points to the fact that a manger in the economic sector is ‘somewhat’ closer to the model of a classic manager. In both groups of managers there is a high concordance when considering the most and the least ‘desirable’ characteristics a manger should or should not possess. Ethic characteristics, such as honesty, determination and objectiveness, are highly ranked with all managers. The rating of ‘the least desirable’ characteristics is nearly a mirror image of ‘the most desirable’ ones. This rating shows no difference with either groups of managers. A determining factor of managerial success for both managers in healthcare and economic sector is a combination of education and experience, while they show a troublingly low level of respect for ‘innate’ abilities. Analysing leadership characteristics ‘closer’ to the subjects we can conclude that both managers in healthcare and economic sector embody the characteristics of a ‘traditional’ manager. The results show that 64% of subjects in healthcare operates using transactional style of leadership, as opposed to subjects in the economic sector where the ratio between transactional and transformational style is 53% to 47%. Recognizing the ‘leadership’ characteristics and their managerial advantages as opposed to characteristics of the traditional ‘manager’ is equally odd to both mangers in healthcare and economic sector alike. Overrating democratic aspects of their own leadership style characterizes both managers in healthcare and economic sector alike. Comparing the results of self-perception of personal styles of leadership, the analysis of the data shows a growing trend in recognizing leadership styles of the ‘senior’ managers as ‘autocrats’ and a decrease in the perception of them as ‘pure democrats’. In both healthcare and economic sector the ratio of individual styles of leadership is approximately 40% - 41% for autocratic, 37% - 38% for consultative and 22% for democratic style. The manner of decision making, ranging from autocratic to democratic, is nearly equally represented. Managers in healthcare and economic sector spend the time at their disposal on the corresponding activities, with a slight difference in their ranking. The ranking of ‘time robbers’ in healthcare and economic sector shows little difference and points towards major losses of precious time. CONCLUSION The results of this research point out to the conclusion that the basic management functions in healthcare organizations, their importance and success factors, do not differ significantly to those in the economic sector