Managerial Competencies as Predictors of Employee Work Engagement in Healthcare Organizations: A Job Demands–Resources Perspective
Healthcare organizations operate in environments characterized by high job demands, resource constraints, and increasing service expectations. Under such conditions, sustaining employee work engagement becomes essential for maintaining service quality, employee well-being, and organizational performance. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) framework, this study examines the role of managerial competencies as organizational resources that may stimulate employee work engagement in healthcare institutions. The primary objective of this research is to investigate whether managerial competencies significantly predict employee work engagement and to determine the relative contribution of specific competency dimensions. The study focuses on five managerial competency domains: leadership, communication, strategic, operational, and emotional intelligence competencies. Data were collected through a survey conducted among 201 employees working in public and private healthcare institutions in Tuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Work engagement was measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), while managerial competencies were assessed using a competency-based evaluation instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression modeling.