ACHE HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVE
2019 COMPETENCIES
ASSESSMENT TOOL
ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Copyright © 2019 by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives1
The American College of Healthcare Executives’ Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool is offered as an instrument for healthcare
leaders to use in assessing their expertise in critical areas
of healthcare management.
How to Use This Tool
This tool can be used in several different ways to identify
areas of strength and areas that may need professional or
skill development as well as a development plan. Some
examples on how this tool can be used are listed below.
• Self or organizational assessment. The tool is designed to
help you identify strengths and areas for development in
elation to ACHE’s competencies. It may provide valuable
information in your performance planning and review.
• Team or group development. The tool may help to link
individual performance to the goals of the organization.
Integrating knowledge and skills needed for effective
leadership will allow team members to achieve corporate
goals, objectives, and values.
• Employee selection or job descriptions. The tool may provide
the ability to look beyond the individual and understand
the composition of the entire workforce by exploring the
strengths, weaknesses, and gaps across the organization.
You can make more informed decisions regarding training
initiatives, allocate resources more effectively, and align
development opportunities with organizational goals.
• Academic or professional development programs. The tool may
help uncover knowledge and skills you may wish to update
or improve. Once you have completed the ratings, you will
get results that point to the competencies you should focus
on when choosing professional development opportunities.
This tool is self-scored with no right or wrong answers.
Use the results to make a development plan and complete
the Competencies Assessment Tool at a desired interval to
measuring growth over time.
To assess expertise in the five domains of this tool, consider
where you, the person, or the team you are assessing would
fall on the scale of skill acquisition.
• Novice (1)–An individual’s primary focus is
understanding and gaining information in order to
comprehend the skills needed. You have the level of
experience gained in a classroom setting or on-the-
job training. You are expected to need help when
performing this skill.
• Competent (3)–People with considerable experience
develop competence in solving problems within the
learned guidelines and rules. You are able to successfully
complete the competency as requested. Help from
experts may be required from time to time, but you can
usually perform the skill independently.
• Expert (5)–Experts work intuitively analyzing,
ecognizing patterns, critiquing and solving
problems with ideas and expertise. You are known
as the expert in this area. You can provide
guidance, troubleshoot, and answer questions
elated to this competency.
For your convenience, a complete list of ACHE
esources, including readings, programs, assessments,
and self-study courses, are included in the back of the
directory and referenced by number in each section of
the assessment.
About This Tool
The competencies are derived from job analysis surveys
of healthcare leaders across various management and
administration disciplines. They are aligned with the
challenges and opportunities experienced by leaders
today. The tool is reviewed and updated annually.
Within the Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment
Tool, the competencies are categorized into five critical
domains: Communication and Relationship Management,
Leadership, Professionalism, Knowledge of the Healthcare
Environment, and Business Skills and Knowledge. The
definitions for the domains are as follows:
Professionalism
Leadership
Knowledge
of the
Healthcare
Environment
Business Skills
and
Knowledge
Communication
and Relationship
Management
*derived from HLA Model
ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Copyright © 2019 by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives 2
1. Communication and Relationship
Management
The ability to communicate clearly and concisely with
internal and external customers, establish and maintain
elationships, and facilitate constructive interactions with
individuals and groups. This domain includes:
A. Relationship Management
B. Communication Skills
C. Facilitation and Negotiation
2. Leadership
The ability to inspire individual and organizational
excellence, create a shared vision and successfully manage
change to attain the organization’s strategic ends and
successful performance. Leadership intersects with each
of the other four domains. This domain includes:
A. Leadership Skills and Behavio
B. Organizational Climate and Culture
C. Communicating Vision
D. Managing Change
3. Professionalism
The ability to align personal and organizational conduct
with ethical and professional standards that include a
esponsibility to the patient and community, a service
orientation, and a commitment to lifelong learning and
improvement. This domain includes:
A. Personal and Professional Accountability
B. Professional Development and Lifelong Learning
C. Contributions to the Community and Profession
4. Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment
The understanding of the healthcare system and the
environment in which healthcare managers and providers
function. This domain includes:
A. Healthcare Systems and Organizations
B. Healthcare Personnel
C. The Patient’s Perspective
D. The Community and the Environment
5. Business Skills and Knowledge
The ability to apply business principles, including systems
thinking, to the healthcare environment. This domain
includes:
A. General Management
B. Financial Management
C. Human Resource Management
D. Organizational Dynamics and Governance
E. Strategic Planning and Marketing
F. Information Management
G. Risk Management
H. Quality Improvement
I. Patient Safety
Healthcare leaders should demonstrate competence in
aspects of all five of these domain areas. As you work your
way through the Competencies Assessment Tool, we hope
you will find it valuable and that it provides guidance
along your path of lifelong professional education as
you face the ongoing challenges of management and
leadership. We have made it available as a PDF file at
ache.org/CareerResources and hope you will share it
with other healthcare leaders.
About the Competencies
The competencies were derived from job analysis
surveys conducted by Healthcare Leadership Alliance
associations. In addition to the American College of
Healthcare Executives, members of the Healthcare
Leadership Alliance are American Association of
Physician Leadership, American Organization of
Nurse Executives, Healthcare Financial Management
Association, Healthcare Information and Management
Systems Society, and Medical Group Management
Association. For more information on the HLA visit
www.healthcareleadershipalliance.org.
ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Copyright © 2019 by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives3
COMPETENCY LEVEL
Novice Competent Expert
1. Communication and Relationship Management
A. Relationship Management
Organizational structure and relationships XXXXXXXXXX
Build collaborative relationships XXXXXXXXXX
Demonstrate effective interpersonal relations XXXXXXXXXX
Develop and maintain medical staff relationships XXXXXXXXXX
Develop and maintain supplier relationships XXXXXXXXXX
Identify stakeholder needs/expectations XXXXXXXXXX
Provide internal customer service XXXXXXXXXX
Practice and value shared decision making XXXXXXXXXX
Other professional norms and standards of behaviors as defined
y professions such as AHA, physician’s oaths and
other professional pledges XXXXXXXXXX
Creating an ethical culture in an organization XXXXXXXXXX
Readings: 3, 10, 13, 18, 19, 34, 59, 67, 74, 85, 90, 94, 104, 105, 113, 118
Programs: 12, 16, 17, 18, 25, 40, 41, 43, 49, 53, 57, 67
Leadership Assessments: 1, 2, 6, 7
Self-Study Courses: 2, 3, 19
B. Communication Skills
Public relations XXXXXXXXXX
Principles of communication and their specific applications XXXXXXXXXX
Sensitivity to what is co
ect behavior when communicating
with diverse cultures, internal and external XXXXXXXXXX
Communicate organizational mission, vision, objectives
and priorities XXXXXXXXXX
Identify and use human and technical resources to develop
and deliver communications XXXXXXXXXX
Prepare and deliver business communications, including
meeting agendas, presentations, business reports and
project communications plans XXXXXXXXXX
Present results of data analysis to decision makers XXXXXXXXXX
Provide and receive constructive feedback XXXXXXXXXX
Use factual data to produce and deliver credible and
understandable reports XXXXXXXXXX
ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Copyright © 2019 by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives 4
COMPETENCY LEVEL
Novice Competent Expert
Readings: 10, 25, 122
Programs: 17, 40, 42, 53, 65
Leadership Assessments: 7
C. Facilitation and Negotiation
Mediation, negotiation and dispute resolution techniques XXXXXXXXXX
Team building techniques XXXXXXXXXX
Labor relations strategies XXXXXXXXXX
Build effective physician and administrator leadership teams XXXXXXXXXX
Create, participate in and lead teams XXXXXXXXXX
Facilitate conflict and alternative dispute resolution XXXXXXXXXX
Facilitate group dynamics, process, meetings and discussions XXXXXXXXXX
Readings: 3, 10, 13, 23, 32, 36, 69, 74, 85, 87, 101, 103, 112, 113, 118
Programs: 4, 40, 42, 49, 53, 67
Leadership Assessments: 5, 7
Self-Study Courses: 2, 19, 20, 25
COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Copyright © 2019 by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives5
COMPETENCY LEVEL
Novice Competent Expert
2. LEADERSHIP
A. Leadership Skills and Behavio
Leadership styles/techniques XXXXXXXXXX
Leadership theory and situational applications XXXXXXXXXX
Potential impacts and consequences of decision making in
situations both internal and external XXXXXXXXXX
Adhere to legal and regulatory standards XXXXXXXXXX
Champion solutions and encourage decision making XXXXXXXXXX
Develop external relationships XXXXXXXXXX
Collaborative techniques for engaging and working with physicians XXXXXXXXXX
Incorporate and apply management techniques and theories
into leadership activities XXXXXXXXXX
Foster an environment of mutual trust XXXXXXXXXX
Support and mentor