Correlation between Creativity and Entrepreneurial Skills in Managers of Educational Hospitals

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Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives
Since creativity is assumed to be the mainstay of the spirit of entrepreneurship, therefore it is necessary due measures be taken to establish the degree of creativity of health managers if one is to have any reasonable hope of developing enterepreueship in healthcare organizations. One way to do so might be to assess health managers’ creativity and determine if there is a correlation between their creativity and entrepreurship. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between creativity and entrepreneurship skills among managers of educational hospitals in Ahvaz.
Material and Methods
This research was descriptive-analytical and applied in terms of purpose. The present research population consisted of managers of educational hospitals in Ahvaz city and data were collected by census method from 110 senior (management, metrons, educational assistants of hospitals) and mid-level (supervisors, head nurses, service officers, heads of finance and administration, laboratory and radiology officers) managers through a questionnaire. In this study, two questionnaires were used: the Creativity Questionnaire, developed by Dorabjee et al., and the Smith Entrepreneurship Skills Questionnaire. The former consists of 12 five-point Likert scale items indicating the extent of the organization's support for creativity while the latter consists of 16 questions summarized in four components with each component having four questions. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed in accordance with professors and experts opinions. The reliability of the questionnaires was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which was 0.83 and 0.88 for creativity questionnaire and entrepreneurial skills questionnaire, respectively. Data were analyzed using absolute and relative frequency, mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise linear regression in SPSS software version 22.
Results
The mean score of creativity for managers was 44.74±7.91. 64.6% of managers were found to be very creative and 35.4% were relatively creative. The mean score of managers' entrepreneurship skills was 3±0.67 which was considered at an appropriate level. Pearson correlation coefficient was estimated -0.27 (P=0.017) between age and creativity and -0.31 (P=0.04) between work experience and creativity indicating a small size and negative correlation between the former variables and a moderate and negative correlation between the latter ones. Likewise, Pearson correlation coefficient between age and entrepreneurial skills was calculated -0.28 (P=0.01) pointing to a small size and negative correlation between these two variables. As for the correlation coefficient between work experience and entrepreneurial skills was -0.32 (P=0.005) showing that these two variables have a moderate negative correlation. However, creativity and entrepreneurial skills were found to be positively and strongly correlated (r= 0.645, P<0.001). Simple linear regression showed that managerial skills among entrepreneurial skills come to determine 44.4% of creativity (P<0.001).
Conclusion
Managers of Ahvaz teaching hospitals were found to possess the required level of creativity and entrepreneurial skills as measured by the research tools in the present study with the creativity component showing a strong correlation with entrepreneurial skills. Management skills might be the most important indicators of creativity among hospital managers, it is suggested the barriers to creativity in the organization be removed, a financial system be formulated to encourage entrepreneurs, support creativity and innovation in the organization by formulating the necessary policies and guidelines, as well as holding classes and training courses to strengthen management skills among managers. Also, given the negative correlation between age/work experience on the one hand, and creativy/entrepreneurial skills on the other, it seems reasonable that due measures had best be taken to pave the way for the younger generation taking on managerial responsibilities.
Practical implications of research
The findings of the present study seem to point to a strong and significant relationship between creativity and entrepreneurial skills. Therefore, appropriate training programs should be designed and implemented to increase the creativity of hospital managers. Also, due to the high level of creativity and entrepreneurial skills of the managers of educational hospitals in Ahvaz, the trustees should take action to provide the best possible conditions for benefiting from this capacity.
Ethical considerations
Observance of ethical instructions: This study is based on the protocols of the ethics committee in the research of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences with the code of ethics number IR.AJUMS.REC.1399.269 and also the study was conducted with the consent of the statistical population of the study.
Conflict of interest
The authors state that there is no conflict of interest in the present study.
Acknowledgment
This research has been done with the financial support of the Student Research Committee of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences with the number 99S27. The authors are grateful to all the directors who participated in this study.