scholarly journals Lean leadership attributes: a systematic review of the literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 713-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjeld Harald Aij ◽  
Maurits Teunissen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Lean Thinking ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Philosophy ◽  
Leadership Attributes ◽  
Health Care Leaders ◽  
Reducing Costs ◽  
New Framework

Purpose Emphasis on quality and reducing costs has led many health-care organizations to reconfigure their management, process, and quality control infrastructures. Many are lean, a management philosophy with roots in manufacturing industries that emphasizes elimination of waste. Successful lean implementation requires systemic change and strong leadership. Despite the importance of leadership to successful lean implementation, few researchers have probed the question of ideal leadership attributes to achieve lean thinking in health care. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into applicable attributes for lean leaders in health care. Design/methodology/approach The authors systematically reviewed the literature on principles of leadership and, using Dombrowski and Mielke’s (2013) conceptual model of lean leadership, developed a parallel theoretical model for lean leadership in health care. Findings This work contributes to the development of a new framework for describing leadership attributes within lean management of health care. Originality/value The summary of attributes can provide a model for health-care leaders to apply lean in their organizations.

scholarly journals A framework for implementing lean principles in the supply chain management at health-care organizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-492
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Marzouq Almutairi ◽  
Konstantinos Salonitis ◽  
Ahmed Al-Ashaab
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Care Organization ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Framework

Purpose The main purpose of this paper is to present lean implementation in hospital supply chain management (HSCM) and propose a new conceptual framework tailored specifically to the needs of Saudi health-care organizations. Design/methodology/approach This paper starts with an in-depth review of existing frameworks or models for lean implementation in health care in general and in HSCM specifically. Based on the literature studies and taking experts’ opinions into account, a new framework for lean implementation in the Saudi HSCM is presented. Findings A new lean implementation framework is offered to decision-makers in the health-care organization for implementing a lean approach in HSCM practices. Research limitations/implications This study focused on health-care organizations, which were selected from hospitals operated by the Ministry of Health and only those hospitals that are accredited by both the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions and the Joint Commission International. The framework is limited to Saudi health care. Practical implications The lean supply chain management (LSCM) framework is easy to understand and use without much complexity. This simplicity makes the LSCM applicable in health-care settings. Further, LSCM was validated in three different hospitals, and it helped them to identify and improve their non-added activities, thereby readying them for lean deployment in HSCM. Originality/value Little attention has been paid to implementing a lean approach by health-care providers in developing countries. This study presents a new framework that is considered the first of its kind for implementing lean in HSCM in Saudi. This framework could help HSCMs’ decision-makers to implement lean successfully in HSCM practices.

Strategies during digital transformation to make progress in achievement of sustainable development by 2030

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Ziadlou
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Central Research ◽  
Innovation Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Care Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore strategies during transformation to obtain sustainable development and to identify the human-based factors contributing to the transformation. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study explored the strategies that health-care leaders need to adopt during transformation to achieve the Sustainable Development of the United Nations' agenda by 2030. The study was conducted in early 2020 among ten health-care leaders in the USA. The research design was an exploratory qualitative approach that used a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire asked of ten US health-care leaders who had experience in leading health-care transformation in their organizations. The study findings identified that health-care leaders can facilitate the achievement of Sustainable Development by establishing strategies in knowledge improvement, innovation development, motivation increment, global strategy and local strategy alignment, leadership support and partnership development. Findings Six major themes emerged from the data linked to the central research question: “What are the strategies during digital transformation to make progress in the achievement of Sustainable Development by 2030?” The compressed collection of themes for the study included the following six major themes: knowledge development; innovation development; motivation; global strategy establishment; leadership; collaboration enhancement; and two minor themes, namely, mindset change and vision creation. Research limitations/implications Due to the few numbers of participants selected for this study (N = 10) may not be generalizable to other settings. The implication of this study is to identify the significant factors contributing to making progress in sustainable development in health-care organizations. The health-care leaders can learn what significant strategies can be helpful to establish future-based organizations toward achieving sustainability. Practical implications The results of this study provided actionable strategies to empower the employees and increase managerial innovation in health-care organizations. Social implications Promoting partnership of health-care organizations with social and global activities such as sustainable development goals that are contributing in 5Ps: People, Prosperity, Peace, Partnership and Planet. Originality/value The main reason for the study was that health-care leaders worldwide could have a novel study that delineates the digital transformation strategies needed for creating impactful outcomes toward achieving sustainable development. Moreover, this unique study provided a useful outlook for health-care leaders to establish future-based health-care organizations while learning the dynamic of digital transformation is the key for health-care organizations to adapt their strategies for a sustainable future.

Imprecise DEA framework for evaluating health-care performance of districts

Kybernetes ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 706-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ertugrul Karsak ◽  
Melis Almula Karadayi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Evaluation Methodology ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relative Evaluation ◽  
Health Care Performance ◽  
Care Performance

Purpose This paper aims to address performance measurement in the health-care sector, which gains increasing importance for most countries because growing health expenditures and increased quality and competition in the health sector require hospitals to use their resources efficiently. Health policy-makers and health-care managers stress the need for developing a robust performance evaluation methodology for health-care organizations. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents an imprecise data envelopment analysis (DEA) framework for evaluating the health-care performance of 26 districts in Istanbul, a metropolis with nearly 15 million inhabitants. The proposed methodology takes into account both quantitative and qualitative data represented as linguistic variables for performance evaluation. Moreover, this study reckons that weight flexibility in DEA assessments can lead to unrealistic weighting schemes for some inputs and outputs, which are likely to result in overstated efficiency scores for a number of decision-making units (in here, districts). To overcome this problem, a weight restricted imprecise DEA model that constrains weight flexibility in DEA is proposed. Findings The proposed imprecise DEA approach sets forth a more realistic decision methodology for evaluating the relative health-care performance and also enables to determine the best district in terms of health-care performance in Istanbul. Originality/value This paper includes the quality dimension, which has been overlooked in previous studies, into the health-care performance evaluation of districts. Moreover, it circumvents unrealistic weight flexibility which may distort the relative evaluation of health-care performance.

Strategic leadership and management factors driving sustainability in health-care organizations in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suparak Suriyankietkaew ◽  
Pavinee Kungwanpongpun
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Strategic Leadership ◽  
Sustainable Leadership ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Management Factors

Purpose This empirical study aims to identify the essential strategic leadership and management factors underlying sustainability in healthcare. It also examines which factors drive sustainability performance outcomes (SPO) in health-care organizations, an analysis lacking to date. It provides a strategic leadership and management perspective toward sustainable healthcare, responding to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Design/methodology/approachThe investigation adopted Sustainable Leadership as its research framework. Using a cross-sectional survey, 543 employees working in health-care and pharmaceutical companies in Thailand voluntarily provided responses. Factor analyses and structural equation modeling were employed.Findings The results revealed an emergent research model and identified 20 unidimensional strategic leadership and management factors toward sustainability in healthcare. The findings indicate significant positive effects on SPO in health-care organizations. Significant factors include human resource management/development, ethics, quality, environment and social responsibility, and stakeholder considerations.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted in one country. Future studies should examine these relationships in diverse contexts. In practice, health-care firms should foster significant strategic leadership and management practices to improve performance outcomes for sustainability in healthcare.Originality/value This paper is the first empirical, multidisciplinary study with a focus on strategic leadership, health-care management and organizational sustainability. It identifies a proxy for measuring the effects of essential strategic leadership and managerial factors for sustainability in pharmaceutical health-care companies. It advances our currently limited knowledge and provides managerial implications for improving performance outcomes toward sustainable healthcare.

Measuring change attitudes in health care organizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-285
Author(s):  
Kira Isabel Hower ◽  
Holger Pfaff ◽  
Christoph Kowalski ◽  
Michel Wensing ◽  
Lena Ansmann
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Attitudes Toward Change ◽  
Change Attitude

Purpose Measuring attitudes of healthcare providers and managers toward change in health care organizations (HCOs) has been of widespread interest. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the psychometric characteristics and usability of an abbreviated German version of the Change Attitude Scale. Design/methodology/approach The Change Attitude Scale was used in a survey of healthcare providers and managers in German hospitals after the implementation of a breast cancer center concept. Reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and bivariate analysis were conducted. Findings Data from 191 key persons in 82 hospitals were analyzed. The item-scale structure produced an acceptable model fit. Convergent validity was shown by significant correlations with measures of individuals’ general opinions of the breast center concept. A non-significant correlation with a scale measuring the hospital’s hierarchical structure of leadership verified discriminant validity. The interaction of key persons’ change attitude and hospitals’ change performance through change culture as a mediator supported the predictive validity. Research limitations/implications The study found general support for the validity and usability of a short version of the German Change Attitude Scale. Practical implications Since attitudes toward change influence successful implementation, the survey may be used to tailor the design of implementation programs and to create a sustainable culture of high readiness for change. Originality/value This is the first study finding that a short instrument can be used to measure attitudes toward change among healthcare providers and managers in HCOs.

Can complexity science inform physician leadership development?

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Marie Grady
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Complexity Science ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Physician Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physician Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe research that examined physician leadership development using complexity science principles. Design/methodology/approach Intensive interviewing of 21 participants and document review provided data regarding physician leadership development in health-care organizations using five principles of complexity science (connectivity, interdependence, feedback, exploration-of-the-space-of-possibilities and co-evolution), which were grouped in three areas of inquiry (relationships between agents, patterns of behaviour and enabling functions). Findings Physician leaders are viewed as critical in the transformation of healthcare and in improving patient outcomes, and yet significant challenges exist that limit their development. Leadership in health care continues to be associated with traditional, linear models, which are incongruent with the behaviour of a complex system, such as health care. Physician leadership development remains a low priority for most health-care organizations, although physicians admit to being limited in their capacity to lead. This research was based on five principles of complexity science and used grounded theory methodology to understand how the behaviours of a complex system can provide data regarding leadership development for physicians. The study demonstrated that there is a strong association between physician leadership and patient outcomes and that organizations play a primary role in supporting the development of physician leaders. Findings indicate that a physician’s relationship with their patient and their capacity for innovation can be extended as catalytic behaviours in a complex system. The findings also identified limiting factors that impact physicians who choose to lead, such as reimbursement models that do not place value on leadership and medical education that provides minimal opportunity for leadership skill development. Practical Implications This research provides practical applications for physician leadership development and emphasizes that it is incumbent upon physicians and organizations to focus attention on this to achieve improved patient and organizational outcomes. Originality/value This study pairing complexity science and physician leadership represents a unique way to view the development of physician leaders within the context of the complex system that is health care.

Country-of-origin and brand positioning for health care services

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Meese ◽  
Thomas L. Powers ◽  
Andrew N. Garman ◽  
Seongwon Choi ◽  
S. Robert Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Consumer Culture ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Eastern Health ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Brand Positioning ◽  
High Involvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between country-of-origin (COO) and brand positioning in the context of the high-involvement service of health care. This paper compares and analyzes different positioning strategies used in Europe, North America and the Middle East.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses content analysis of promotional materials for a sample of 168 health-care organizations located in 14 countries to identify brand positioning strategies used, such as foreign, local and global consumer culture positioning. A chi-square analysis and post hoc testing is used to examine how positioning strategies differ among regions.FindingsThe findings indicate that European and Middle Eastern health-care organizations most frequently use foreign consumer culture positioning, while North American institutions tend to use global consumer culture positioning. The findings indicate that health-care organizations in countries with a better reputation for care use different positioning strategies than in countries with a lesser reputation for quality care.Practical implicationsThe findings are of value to international advertising and marketing professionals and hospitals seeking to attract patients globally in a competitive marketplace. Hospitals must consider their positioning relative to both domestic and international competitors and the COO of their target audience.Originality/valueCOO is important in high-involvement service industries because consumers lack the information needed to evaluate service quality. Consumers may rely on COO and brand positioning signals more heavily relative to goods or low-involvement services. However, little prior research exists examining COO effects and brand positioning for high involvement services and for health care specifically. This paper makes a unique contribution by filling this gap.

Exploring the emotional experience of lean

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan Taylor ◽  
Robert McSherry ◽  
Susy Cook ◽  
Emma Giles
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Symbolic Interactionist ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Thematic Network Analysis ◽  
New Framework

PurposeThis research aims to contribute to the literature on Lean implementation in healthcare by studying the emotional experiences of the relevant actors related to a Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW) in a UK healthcare context. The purpose of this study was to go beyond what people think about Lean and towards an exploration of their subjective, emotional and “feeling” experience and whether that emotional experience influenced Lean implementation.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological and symbolic interactionist qualitative case study was undertaken. Data related to participants' emotional experience were collected through non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic network analysis.FindingsThis paper provides novel insights into the emotional experience of Lean as experienced through an RPIW. The findings reveal that participation in an RPIW is much more than a technical process. It influences how people feel about themselves, is based on relationships with others, and requires mental, physical and emotional effort. All of these factors influence engagement with, initiation of and sustainability of the RPIW.Research limitations/implicationsA new conceptual framework for the planning and implementation of RPIWs has been developed. However, because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the framework and proposed practice implications.Originality/valueDespite emotions being an integral part of individual and social everyday life, emotional experience has not been studied in relation to Lean. This study is the first to explore emotions in relation to Lean, with implications for practice as to how RPIWs are managed with a new framework for implementation being proposed.

Managing gender diversity in healthcare: getting it right

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Vanderbroeck ◽  
Jean-Blaise Wasserfallen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Maximum Benefit ◽  
Team Productivity ◽  
Published Research

Purpose Diversity, notably gender diversity, is growing in health care, both at the level of teams and the level of organizations. This paper aims to describe the challenges for team leaders and leaders of organizations to manage this diversity. The authors believe that more could be done to help leaders master these challenges in a way that makes diverse teams and organizations more productive. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on previously published research, using gender diversity as an example, the paper first describes how diversity can both have a positive and a negative influence on team productivity. Next, it describes the challenge of gender diversity at an organizational level, using Switzerland as an example. Findings The first part of the paper espouses the causes of gender diversity, undoes some of the myths surrounding diversity and presents a model for effective management of diversity in teams. The second part looks at gender diversity at an organizational level. Drawing from sources inside and outside healthcare, the effects of the “leaking pipeline”, “glass wall” and “glass ceiling” that prevent health-care organizations from leveraging the potential of female talent are discussed. Practical implications The authors propose a model developed for intercultural teamwork as a framework for leveraging gender diversity for better team productivity. Proposals are offered to health-care organizations on how they can tip the gender balance at senior levels into their favor, so as to get the maximum benefit from the available talent. Originality/value Applying the “how to” ideas and recommendations from this general review will help leaders of health-care organizations gain a better return on investment from their talent development as well as to increase the productivity of their workforce by a better use of diverse talent.

Patient safety culture: finding meaning in patient experiences

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 595-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea C. Bishop ◽  
Brianna R. Cregan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Safety Culture ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Patient Safety Culture ◽  
Patient Experiences ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Stories

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine what patient and family stories can tell us about patient safety culture within health care organizations and how patients experience patient safety culture. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 11 patient and family stories of adverse event experiences were examined in September 2013 using publicly available videos on the Canadian Patient Safety Insitute web site. Videos were transcribed verbatim and collated as one complete data set. Thematic analysis was used to perform qualitative inquiry. All qualitative analysis was done using NVivo 10 software. Findings – A total of three themes were identified: first, Being Passed Around; second, Not Having the Conversation; and third, the Person Behind the Patient. Results from this research also suggest that while health care organizations and providers might expect patients to play a larger role in managing their health, there may be underlying reasons as to why patients are not doing so. Practical implications – The findings indicate that patient experiences and narratives are useful sources of information to better understand organizational safety culture and patient experiences of safety while hospitalized. Greater inclusion and analysis of patient safety narratives is important in understanding the needs of patients and how patient safety culture interventions can be improved to ensure translation of patient safety strategies at the frontlines of care. Originality/value – Greater acknowledgement of the patient and family experience provides organizations with an integral perspective to assist in defining and addressing deficiencies within their patient safety culture and to identify opportunities for improvement.

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