Background: Healthcare managers are expected to lead and manage planned organizational change intended to improve healthcare process quality. However, their complex working conditions offer limited decision control, and healthcare managers often feel ill prepared and inadequately supported to perform their duties. Healthcare managers have previously described their need for organizational support, but we lack knowledge of the preconditions and resources that help managers implement planned change.

Methods: This prospective cohort study examined healthcare managers at three Swedish hospitals implementing lean production and two Swedish hospitals implementing their own improvement model. Questionnaire data from 2012, 2103, and 2014 were used in following up. We used t-tests and a linear mixed model design in analysing the data.

Results: Healthcare managers who perceived strong support from managers, employees, colleagues, and the organization and managers with the longest managerial experience had the least negative appraisal of change. Managers who perceived strong support from employees, management, and the organizational structure perceived higher levels of healthcare process quality.

Conclusions: Long managerial experience and strong support from managers, employees, and the organization are important formanagers’ appraisal of, work on, and successful implementation of planned change. Top management must therefore ensure that the healthcare managers have sufficient managerial experience and support before they delegate to them the responsibility to implement planned change