Managerial Skills of Hospital Administrators: Case Study of Turkey.

The aim of this study is to identify the decision-making and problem-solving skill levels of hospital administrators and to determine these skills’ interrelations with other administrative skills. The study comprised a population of 494 hospital administrators (head doctors, hospital managers, head nurses and their assistants) and was carried out in 26 hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health in the city centre of Ankara. Three hundred and thirty-four administrators (67 per cent of the population) participated in the study. To identify the decision-making, problem-solving and other administrative skill levels of the hospital administrators, a scale developed by Sperry (2003) and adapted into Turkish by Şimşek (2006) was used.As a result of the study; a weak, positive and statistically significant relationship has been found between the decision-making and problem-solving skills of hospital administrators and their motivation, loyalty and team performance skills. However, it was determined that there is a moderate, positive and statistically significant relationship between the skills of the delegation and empowerment, effective and strategic communication, conflict management, coaching, consulting and negotiating, the fit of organizational resources with human resources, and time and stress management.It could be suggested that more research be carried out into the reasons why other management skills are at moderately developed levels and that training programmes be organized to develop these skills. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]