Hey Boss, are you sure they are the managers you are looking for?

Abstract

The community health service (CHS) sector in
Australia has been undergoing extensive changes to keep pace
with the rapidly increasing needs for and scope of
community-based services. Competent managers are critical
to the successful implementation and sustainability of these
changes and the continuity of quality service provision. The
purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the
competency requirements of Levels II and III CHS managers
in Victoria, Australia. Position description analysis was
performed to identify educational, professional, experiential
and competency requirements that employers expect of
Levels II and III managers in CHS. The competency
requirements for CHS managers generated from position
description analysis were compared with those identified by
the literature and with recent research findings by the
current research team’s Managerial Competency Assessment
Project (MCAP) to identify any discrepancies. The results of
the comparisons indicated that educational and competency
requirements for CHS managers are different from those
required of the wider health service management workforce.
Therefore, specific strategies are needed to train and develop
current and future CHS managers. The study further
suggested that stronger partnerships between CHS
organizations, managers, and professional and research
institutions should be built to enable the development of a
competent CHS management workforce.