Competencies required of health service managers in the 1990s.

A mailed survey of three hundred and twenty Australian health service managers provided a ranked list of competencies perceived as essential for effective management. A high level of concordance was evident as to the relative importance of forty-nine competencies generated in four focus groups. Of seven clusters of competencies: leadership, decision-making and public relations/communication were ranked most highly. Only eight differences between the various groups of managers reached significance and these related to level of manager, years of management experience, discipline and size and type of organisation. This study extends understanding of the 'real world' management development needs of one group of the health industry. In conclusion, it is suggested that educators and managers need to cooperate more closely to develop learning programs which facilitate the acquisition, practice and assessment of identified competencies.