Three Seas Economic Journal 15 Vol. 3 No. 4, 2022 1 Odessa National Medical University, Ukraine (corresponding author) E-mail: daryaguz26@gmail.com ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6429-2191 ResearcherID: ACK-4158-2022 2 Odessa National Medical University, Ukraine Е-mail: elena.rudinskaya@gmail.com ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0059-7295 This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30525/2661-5150/2022-4-3 MODERN COMPETENCIES AND TASKS OF MANAGERS OF HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS Daria Huz1, Olena Rudinska2 Abstract. Purpose. The purpose of the article is the scientific and theoretical substantiation of modern competencies and tasks of health care managers. Tasks. Achievement of this goal necessitated the following tasks: to analyze the role of managers and their impact on the activities of health care institutions; to consider the scope of management activities of managers of modern medical institutions; to consider the main competencies of managers of health care institutions; to determine the current tasks of managers and their impact on the activities of health care institutions. Object. The object of the study is health care institutions. Methodology. The information base of the study was formed by legislative and regulatory documents, periodicals, electronic resources. The work uses general scientific and special methods: monographic research, generalization, systematization. This made it possible to consider the impact of modern environmental factors on the functions and responsibilities of managers in health care institutions. Also to explore the modern competencies and tasks of managers and their impact on the activities of health care institutions. Results. The role of managers and their influence on the activities of health care institutions are considered. The influence of modern environmental factors on the functions and responsibilities of managers in health care institutions is analyzed. The purpose of health care institutions is considered. Two spheres of management of managers are defined: external and internal. The main competencies of managers in health care institutions are considered. The necessity of performing additional duties by managers in today's unstable economic conditions is substantiated. The modern tasks of managers and their impact on the activities of health care institutions are analyzed. Value/originality. It is found that when managing health care institutions, managers must take into account endogenous and exogenous challenges to make effective management decisions and manage the quality of health care institutions. It is determined that the key competencies of an effective manager are conceptual, technical and interpersonal skills. It is concluded that in modern conditions the heads of medical institutions also face new challenges, which are determined by such modern trends as: management in difficult conditions, management in conditions of constant change, management in a creative way. Conclusion. In today's volatile economic environment, healthcare managers must develop critical new skills and competencies to ensure the effective development of healthcare institutions. Healthcare managers must also continuously improve them in accordance with market requirements. When managing health care institutions, managers must take into account endogenous and exogenous challenges to make effective management decisions and quality management of health care institutions. Constant changes in environmental factors lead to changes in the competence and responsibility of health care managers. Key words: health care institutions, management, manager, domains of management, competences, tasks. JEL Classification: I10, I19, M11, M19 1. Introduction The healthcare sector requires significant changes in the management system as well as in the management of healthcare institutions. Improving the functions and tasks of managers is one of the most effective tools to improve the management of modern healthcare institutions. In today 's unstable economic environment, Three Seas Economic Journal 16 Vol. 3 No. 4, 2022 managers must develop new critical skills and competencies to ensure the effective develop- ment of healthcare institutions. Management in health care institutions has significant features that are determined by the specifics of the activities of medical institutions. Healthcare organizations are complex and dynamic. The nature of organizations requires managers to provide leadership as well as supervision and coordination of employees. Organizations were created to achieve goals that are beyond the capabilities of any single individual. In healthcare organizations, the volume and complexity of tasks performed in the provision of services are so great that individual employees working independently cannot cope with the work. In addition, the complex tasks of service delivery in healthcare organizations require the coordination of many highly specialized disciplines that must work in harmony. Managers are needed to ensure that organiza- tional tasks are performed in the best possible way to achieve organizational goals and that appropriate resources, including financial and human resources, are adequate to support the organization. That is why the study of modern competencies and tasks of health care managers is relevant and appropriate. The purpose of the article is the scientific and theoretical substantiation of modern compete- ncies and tasks of heads of health care institutions. Achievement of this goal necessitated the following tasks: to analyze the role of managers and their impact on the activities of health care institutions; to consider the scope of manage- ment activities of managers of modern medical institutions; to consider the main competencies of managers of health care institutions; to deter- mine the current tasks of managers and their impact on the activities of health care institutions. The work uses general scientific and special methods: monographic research, generalization, systematization. This made it possible to consider the impact of modern environmental factors on the functions and responsibilities of managers in health care institutions. 2. Analysis of recent research and publications Theoretical and practical aspects of health care management are considered in the scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists O. V. Baeva (2022), V. I. Borshch (2022), M. Cuthbert (2012), I. A. Golovanova, V. M. Zhdan, N. L. Kusyk, A. Marriner-Tomey (2008), Cheban, L. Roussel, RC. Swansburg . M. Cuthbert, C. Duffield, J. Hope (2012), A. Marriner-Tomey (2008), Lingur L., Marty- niuk O. (2022) considers the role of managers in the activities of health care institutions; tasks of managers, their functions and competencies. Baeva O. V. (2022), considers health care institutions as an object of management; functions of managers in the activities of health care institutions. Borshch V. I., Rudinska O. V. (2022), considers strategic health care management; role of the strategy; prossess of thestrategy development; challenges and realities of emergencies. However, despite active scientific research and certain achievements, insufficient attention is paid to the problems of effective management of health care institutions at the micro level. 3. Health care institutions as an object of management Healthcare organizations operate in conditions of uncertainty, competition, risk, complexity of management decisions, etc. As a result, the manager's responsibility for performance, profit, and fierce competition increases. The manager must be effective, independent and responsible for the organization of financial, material, labor and information resources. Management is important both for the individual manager and for each employee. Provides knowledge of the principles of teamwork, cooperation and business communication, office management, conflict resolution, basics of labor law, etc. An organization is a specific social formation systematically focused on the production of goods and (or) provision of services. All organizations have the following common features: 1. Purpose. 2. Personnel. 3. Structure. The goal of an organization is closely related to its mission. Healthcare organizations set goals in several directions: 1. Social responsibility, manifested in the improvement of public health. 2. Medical care of the population. 3. Needs and welfare of employees. 4. Profits of the organization (for commercial healthcare institutions). Three Seas Economic Journal 17 Vol. 3 No. 4, 2022 Management is a set of principles, methods, means and forms of management of economic organizations in order to improve their efficiency and increase profits in market conditions. Methods and tools for researching the needs and demands of consumers are of great importance for management in a market economy. This is where management meets marketing. Marketing is considered as an integrative function of management, which transforms the needs of consumers into the profit of the enterprise. Management can be divided into: production management; financial management; personnel management; innovation management; marketing management (Roussel, Swansburg, Swansburg, 2006). 4. Areas of management A manager is a leader who works in the economic, industrial and market sphere, has professional knowledge in the field of organization and management of production. The manager organizes specific activities of subordinate employees and simultaneously performs many management functions. The manager performs interpersonal, informational, and decision-making roles. Managers must consider two spheres as they perform different tasks and make decisions (Table 1). These are the external and internal spheres. The external sphere refers to influences, resources and actions that exist outside the organization but significantly affect it. These factors include community needs, population characteristics, reimbursement from commercial insurance companies, and government plans. Table 1 Areas of management of health care institutions External Internal Community demographics/ needs Licensure Accreditation Regulations Competitors Managed care organizations Staffing Budgeting Quality services Patient satisfaction Physician performance New service development The internal domain refers to those areas that managers must address on a daily basis, such as ensuring the right number and types of staff, financial performance and quality of service. These internal areas reflect the activities of the organization where the manager has the most control. 5. Key competencies of the leader Management is necessary to support and coordinate the services provided in health care organizations. Management is a process consisting of social and technical functions and actions that take place in organizations in order to achieve predetermined goals through human and other resources. To perform these functions effectively, a manager must possess several key competencies. The term "competence" means a state in which a person has the necessary or sufficient abilities or qualities to perform certain functions. The key competencies of an effective manager include the following: conceptual, technical and interpersonal skills (Figure 1). These competencies are defined as follows: 1. Conceptual skills are those skills that involve the ability to critically analyse and solve complex problems. For example: a manager analysing the best way to deliver a service or identifying a strategy to reduce patient complaints about food. Figure 1. Key competencies of an effective manager in healthcare institutions THREE KEY COMPETENCIES OF MANAGERS Conceptual skills. Example: a manager analysing the best way to deliver a service or identifying a strategy to reduce patient complaints about food. Technical skills. Example: а manager develops and implements a new employee incentive program or develops and modifies a computerized recruitment model. Interpersonal skills. Exampls: empathy, active listening, and emotional intelligence. Three Seas Economic Journal 18 Vol. 3 No. 4, 2022 2. Technical skills are skills that reflect experience or ability to perform a specific work task. For example: a manager develops and implements a new employee incentive program or develops and modifies a computerized recruitment model. 3. Interpersonal skills are skills that enable a manager to communicate (Marriner-Tomey, 2008). In today 's economic environment, to ensure the effective development of healthcare institutions, managers must develop two critical skills – business planning and budget manage- ment. Service priorities must be set to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively to meet the most important health care needs of the population. The business planning approach is based on identifying service needs and objectives, and planning how best to allocate available resources to achieve these objectives. Health facility managers can work within agreed business plans if they are able to understand, control and manage costs using the budget as a framework. 6. Relevant functions and tasks of the manager The function of institution management is to provide medical care in all its forms at the highest level. Other functions of management of medical institutions include: 1. Provide a safe environment with minimal cross-exposure. 2. Maintain patient privacy, comfort and accessibility during their stay. 3. Protection of people and property, including records, controlled substances and equipment. 4. Simplify navigation for professionals, patients and visitors. 5. Coordinate the use of shared equipment and resources to ensure timely assistance. 6. Control costs associated with complex business lines. Management of health care institutions has its own specifics due to the complexity, multi- dimensionality and socio-economic nature of the industry. Given the peculiarities of the activities and development of health care institutions, as well as their functioning in a turbulent environ- ment, managers face new challenges: 1. Management in difficult conditions involves: – availability of reliable and transparent approaches to decision-making on health care financing; – the presence of complex and delicate appro- aches to decision-making regarding the reor- ganization of services in health care systems; – understanding and using new approaches to evaluating and prioritizing new health technologies; – development of new approaches to the treatment of chronic diseases and long-term conditions; – availability of consistent and thought-out plans for combating infectious diseases; – ability to adopt a range of strategies to enable health care providers to work closely with other institutions whose activities affect health. 2. Management under the conditions of constant changes provides: – ability to develop robust capital and service development plans in an increasingly globalized world; – finding new ways to develop strategy in a political context that continues to become increasingly complex; – development of appropriate levers and incentives for use in financing and commissioning and thereby bringing about desired changes in healthcare delivery; – creating a broader culture and environment in which IT development can be most effective; – providing human resource management focused on the development of new ways of working required in a changing world; – possess the necessary powers of influence and persuasion to work effectively with clinicians and board members; – using these influencing and persuasive skills to develop strong partnerships with other agencies in a way that also ensures shared goals are achieved. 3. Management in a creative manner involves: – developing emotional intelligence to understand the style and behavior of other people; – developing as reflective and self-aware practitioners; – development and continuous updating of core management skills such as project and resource management; – ability to design and implement robust yet flexible processes to improve services and ensure appropriate user engagement; – the organization's focus on diversity and inclusion. Healthcare facility management focuses on coordinating funds, assets and people to focus on providing a high level of patient care. Healthcare also involves levels of compliance, security and emergency planning. All of this creates a Three Seas Economic Journal 19 Vol. 3 No. 4, 2022 functional healthcare environment that is convenient for healthcare professionals and comfortable for the people they treat. 7. Conclusions In today 's volatile economic environment, healthcare managers must develop critical new skills and competencies to ensure the effective development of healthcare institutions. Healthcare managers must also continuously improve them in accordance with market requirements. When managing healthcare institutions, managers must take into account endogenous and exogenous challenges in order to make effective management decisions and quality management of healthcare institutions. Constant changes in environmental factors lead to changes in the competencies and responsibilities of health care managers. Thus, the key competencies of an effective manager include conceptual, technical and interpersonal skills. In modern conditions, the heads of medical institutions also face new challenges, which are determined by such modern trends as: management in difficult conditions, management in conditions of constant change, management in a creative way. References: Baeva, O. V. (2022). 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C., & Swansburg, R . J. (2006) Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. 4 ed. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett. Received on: 6th of November, 2022 Accepted on: 15th of December, 2022 Published on: 30th of December, 2022