The effects of the Competent Manager Training Programme for the self-assessed management and leadership competencies of health and social care managers

Purpose This study aims to describe the effects of the Competent Manager Training Programme on health and social care managers’ self-assessed management and leadership competencies before and after the programme. Design/methodology/approach A one-group pretest–post-test design was used. Data were collected from 30 health and social care managers by one public well-being service county in Finland using an electronic self-assessed questionnaire administered before and after an organisation-tailored Competent Manager Training Programme. Data were collected in September 2024 and March 2025. The data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods. Findings Management and leadership self-assessed competencies improved significantly after the training programme. The overall mean score increased by 17.2%. The greatest gains were in change management, management of evidence-based practice, human resource management, management of well-being at work and financial management. All competencies showed statistically significant improvement, even development competence. Among background factors, completion of management studies showed the strongest and most consistent associations with competencies. Age, employment type, work experience and number of subordinates were also associated with competencies, whereas gender, education level and budget responsibility were not systematically associated with competencies. However, as the study lacked a control group, causal conclusions regarding the effects of the training programme cannot be drawn. Practical implications Training programmes for health and social care managers should be systematically organised to improve managerial self-assessed competence. Originality/value This study provides practice-based evidence that an organisation-specific training programme can improve self-assessed management and leadership competencies among health and social care managers.