Frontline nurse managers’ strategic management competence in hospital settings -systematized review
Peltola, Satu-Marjaana (2026)
2026
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202604106102
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202604106102
Tiivistelmä
Health care faces a constant need for adjustments mainly due to changes in external environments, such as in politics, legislation and funding. This challenges management and nurse managers’ role, and this should not go unnoticed. Strategic management can offer solutions to tackle obstacles with a long-term approach. The purpose of this master’s thesis was to map strategic management competence of frontline nurse managers in hospitals and ways to develop it. The aim was to help to recognize this competence and to promote its development to improve the outcomes and operations of various units in hospitals.
This master’s thesis was carried out as systematized literature review by using data-bases of EBSCOhost, Wiley Online Library, Science Direct and ProQuest Central. Eight primary peer reviewed research articles were selected by the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality assessment tool of Hawker for the quality appraisal. The method of inductive content analysis was carried out to analyze the results.
There were two main categories in the results. Nurse managers’ strategic management competence formed from subcategories of strategic management competence in the unit, generated by skills perceived as strategic management, skills in financial management and recognizing own competence, and understanding strategic management competence in the organization, generated by awareness of unit’s position in organization strategies and importance of strategies. Other main category was developing strategic management competence, formed from subcategories of continuous development generated by management experience and education and organizational adjustments generated by attitudes and operating models.
Strategic competence was mainly recognized, but with shortage of skills to implement. Need for ways to support and improve management competence in general was recognised. Ways to improve nurse managers’ strategic management competence are continuous development with education, experience and organizational factors.
This master’s thesis was carried out as systematized literature review by using data-bases of EBSCOhost, Wiley Online Library, Science Direct and ProQuest Central. Eight primary peer reviewed research articles were selected by the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality assessment tool of Hawker for the quality appraisal. The method of inductive content analysis was carried out to analyze the results.
There were two main categories in the results. Nurse managers’ strategic management competence formed from subcategories of strategic management competence in the unit, generated by skills perceived as strategic management, skills in financial management and recognizing own competence, and understanding strategic management competence in the organization, generated by awareness of unit’s position in organization strategies and importance of strategies. Other main category was developing strategic management competence, formed from subcategories of continuous development generated by management experience and education and organizational adjustments generated by attitudes and operating models.
Strategic competence was mainly recognized, but with shortage of skills to implement. Need for ways to support and improve management competence in general was recognised. Ways to improve nurse managers’ strategic management competence are continuous development with education, experience and organizational factors.