The microfoundations of physicians' managerial attitude.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Physician Leadership

Background:

• Accountable care models necessitate new skills for physician-managers.
• Middle managers in healthcare require operational management expertise.
• Understanding the psychological traits influencing managerial roles is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify psychological microfoundations (traits) of physicians' managerial attitude.
• To analyze the influence of narcissism, specialization, and organizational identification on managerial roles.
• To differentiate between managerial and clinical attitudes in physicians.

Main Methods:

• Primary data collected from ward unit heads in the Italian National Health Service.
• Logistic regression model used to predict managerial attitude levels.
• Analysis focused on narcissism, specialization choice, and organizational identification.

Main Results:

• Higher levels of narcissism correlate with increased managerial attitude.
• Strong identification with the organization is linked to a greater managerial orientation.
• Physicians with technique-oriented specializations show a higher probability of managerial attitude.

Conclusions:

• Findings aid hospital managers in strategic human resource management.
• Identification, training, and selection of middle managers can be optimized.
• Balancing technical knowledge with managerial skills is key for effective leadership.