Using strategic communities to foster inter-organizational collaboration

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 878-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Audet ◽  
Mario Roy
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Organizational Collaboration ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Taking Action

Purpose The purpose of this paper is: to report on an experiment in building up inter-organizational collaboration between healthcare organizations; and to identify how structure and some of the components of the strategic community (SC) approach to organizational change can have a long-term impact on inter-organizational collaboration. Design/methodology/approach This paper resulted from participative action-research held from 2007 to 2013. A systematic collection of data (field notes, 746 hours of observations, proceedings, 186 interviews, journals, focus groups, discussion forums) was conducted in the various cycles of the action-research. Findings Adapted to the healthcare sector, the SC has taken the form of a temporary inter-organizational collaboration structure composed of health professionals, first-level managers, general practitioners, specialized doctors, and non-profit organization representatives. The SC approach appeared to be an efficient strategy for taking action. Practical implications The SC approach appeared to be appropriate for cases where the inter-organizational collaboration had clearly declined, where several other attempts had failed, and where the care trajectory involved vulnerable clients who had to travel between different service points for the required care. Originality/value This study illustrates how SC helps to significantly improve inter-organizational collaboration in the healthcare sector. It likewise acknowledges the relevance of Thomson and Perry’s (2006) work in analyzing and emphasizing the dimensions required to ensure successful inter-organizational collaboration.

Performance measurement design: a contingency perspective from the Italian regional healthcare services

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Spanò ◽  
Mariavittoria Cicellin ◽  
Adriana Scuotto
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Design ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
Contingent Approach ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Regional Health Systems

Purpose In the last few decades, the effectiveness of the evaluation of human resources and their performances has become a crucial theme in the debates of the public sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyze key design characteristics of performance management system (PMS) that may be effectively adopted and deployed by management to enable the assessment for a health system improvement. Design/methodology/approach This paper falls under the field of studies that focuses on the design and implementation of PMS in the healthcare sector. This research adopted a qualitative approach across the case study method to understand the role of different contextual factors and their impact upon the design of PMS. Mainly drawing on previous studies on the Italian regional health systems, a target region has been selected for these purposes. Findings As a result, the new PMS was effectively working and was structured with a balanced focus on the region and the single healthcare organizations. The need for improving the information systems within the healthcare organizations was strongly emphasized. The crucial element of the new PMS was the transparency about the assessment procedures. Originality/value This paper contributes to the debate on factors that can influence the design of PMS in healthcare. Relying on a contingent approach, the authors put forward the need of a more comprehensive and integrated frameworks encompassing organic conception of PMSs, as well as of the interdependencies among their components.

A systematic review of Lean in healthcare: a global prospective

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 1370-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Vijaya Sunder M. ◽  
Raja Sreedharan ◽  
Ayon Chakraborty ◽  
Angappa Gunasekaran
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Fostered by a rapid spread beyond the manufacturing sector, Lean philosophy for continuous improvement has been widely used in service organizations, primarily in the healthcare sector. However, there is a limited research on the motivating factors, challenges and benefits of implementing Lean in healthcare. Taking this as a valuable opportunity, the purpose of this paper is to present the key motivating factors, limitations or challenges of Lean deployment, benefits of Lean in healthcare and key gaps in the literature as an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach The authors used the secondary data from the literature (peer-reviewed journal articles) published between 2000 and 2016 to understand the state of the art. The systematic review identified 101 articles across 88 journals recognized by the Association of Business Schools ranking guide 2015. Findings The systematic review helped the authors to identify the evolution, current trends, research gaps and an agenda for future research for Lean in healthcare. A bouquet of motivating factors, challenges/limitations and benefits of Lean in healthcare are presented. Practical implications The implications of this work include directions for managers and healthcare professionals in healthcare organizations to embark on a focused Lean journey aligned with the strategic objectives. This work could serve as a valuable resource to both practitioners and researchers for learning, investigating and rightly adapting the Lean in the healthcare sector. Originality/value This study is perhaps one of the comprehensive systematic literature reviews covering an important agenda of Lean in Healthcare. All the text, figures and tables featured here are original work carried by five authors in collaboration (from three countries, namely, India, the USA and the UK).

Value that matters: intellectual capital and big data to assess performance in healthcare. An empirical analysis on the European context

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginevra Gravili ◽  
Francesco Manta ◽  
Concetta Lucia Cristofaro ◽  
Rocco Reina ◽  
Pierluigi Toma
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structural Capital ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze and measure the effects of intellectual capital (IC), i.e. human capital (HC), relational capital (RC) and structural capital (SC), on healthcare industry organizational performance and understanding the role of data analytics and big data (BD) in healthcare value creation (Wang et al., 2018). Through the assessment of determined variables specific for each component of IC, the paper identifies the guidelines and suggests propositions for a more efficient response in terms of services provided to citizens and, specifically, patients, as well as predicting effective strategies to improve the care management efficiency in terms of cost reduction.Design/methodology/approachThe study has a twofold approach: in the first part, the authors operated a systematic review of the academic literature aiming to enquire the relationship between IC, big data analytics (BDA) and healthcare system, which were also the descriptors employed. In the second part, the authors built an econometric model analyzed through panel data analysis, studying the relationship between IC, namely human, relational and structural capital indicators, and the performance of healthcare system in terms of performance. The study has been conducted on a sample of 28 European countries, notwithstanding the belonging to specific international or supranational bodies, between 2011 and 2016.FindingsThe paper proposes a data-driven model that presents new approach to IC assessment, extendable to other economic sectors beyond healthcare. It shows the existence of a positive impact (turning into a mathematical inverse relationship) of the human, relational and structural capital on the performance indicator, while the physical assets (i.e. the available beds in hospitals on total population) positively mediates the relationship, turning into a negative impact of non-IC related inputs on healthcare performance. The result is relevant in terms of managerial implications, enhancing the opportunity to highlight the crucial role of IC in the healthcare sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe relationship between IC indicators and performance could be employed in other sectors, disseminating new approaches in academic research. Through the establishment of a relationship between IC factors and performance, the authors implemented an approach in which healthcare organizations are active participants in their economic and social value creation. This challenges the views of knowledge sharing deeply held inside organizations by creating “new value” developed through a more collaborative and permeated approach in terms of knowledge spillovers. A limitation is given by a fragmented policymaking process which carries out different results in each country.Practical implicationsThe analysis provides interesting implications on multiple perspectives. The novelty of the study provides interesting implications for managers, practitioners and governmental bodies. A more efficient healthcare system could provide better results in terms of cost minimization and reduction of hospitalization period. Moreover, dissemination of new scientific knowledge and drivers of specialization enhances best practices sharing in the healthcare sector. On the other hand, an improvement in preventive medicine practices could help in reducing the overload of demand for curative treatments, on the perspective of sharply decreasing the avoidable deaths rate and improving societal standards.Originality/valueThe authors provide a new holistic framework on the relationship between IC, BDA and organizational performance in healthcare organizations through a systematic review approach and an empirical panel analysis at a multinational level, which is quite a novelty regarding the healthcare. There is little research focussed on healthcare industries' organizational performance, and, specifically, most of the research on IC in healthcare delivered results in terms of theoretical contribution and qualitative analyzes. The authors even contributed to analyze the healthcare industry in the light of the possible existence of synergies and networks among countries.

scholarly journals Adoption of practices for organizational effectiveness in healthcare supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 915-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matloub Hussain ◽  
Fatima Al Hammadi ◽  
Dotun Adebanjo
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Organizational Effectiveness ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Process Output ◽  
Healthcare Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption of practices and investigating of commonalities/intensities between the factors for measuring organizational effectiveness (OE) across healthcare supply chains in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach System theory coupled with the Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer tool was applied to facilitate the linkage between different nodes of the healthcare chain. An exploratory approach was used to explore and measure the importance of various OE factors across various nodes of the healthcare supply chain. Data were collected using a two-stage questionnaire process addressed at personnel in the UAE’s healthcare sector. Findings The study identified that 62 OE factors in the health are supply chain. Of these, 15 are related to suppliers, 14 to the healthcare process, 12 to employees, 8 to patients and the community, 6 to government directives and 7 to branding. In total, 21 common factors were identified and clustered into groups based on commonalities and intensities. Research limitations/implications The study identifies the most important factors for healthcare organizations to achieve OE for different dimensions of operations or performance. These factors will provide valuable insights for decision makers in the sector; it will provide valuable insights to healthcare professionals and academia to investigate more on these factors. Originality/value While there is an increasing research interest in healthcare supply chains, this is the first study to investigate OE across the entire chain while also evaluating the importance of and commonalities in OE-enabling factors.

A case study of a non-profit organization in an emerging economy: O fonds in Latvia

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-172
Author(s):  
Brent McKenzie ◽  
Emily Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
History Of

PurposeThe focus of this research is to present a case study of a small Latvian-based non-profit organization (NPO), O fonds (Oncology Foundation), and how they are an exemplar of the challenges facing NPOs in countries that do not have a strong history of NPO success. The research is supported through primary data collection of multiple interviews and correspondence with the key informant of O fonds, the CEO. These insights were supported with secondary data analysis of the history of NPOs in emerging markets, as well as the history of cancer screening in Latvia.Design/methodology/approachIn order to address the gap in the existing research literature, a single firm case analysis was selected to provide the context of the study. A series of semi-structured questions focused on O fonds branding and rebranding activities were posed to the CEO of the firm. Subsequent personal interviews were conducted to analyze and interpret the original results. This primary data were linked to secondary data about the practices of O fonds, NPOs in Latvia and the roles and challenges of NPOs in emerging markets.FindingsThe analysis of the findings from the primary data collection found that O fonds' rebranding effort helped to achieve a more stable and significant place for NPOs in the healthcare sector in Latvia and of equal importance with the Latvian general public. Tangible results included more financial support from donors, with an added benefit of increased joint marketing activities with corporate donors. Furthermore, active involvement with O fonds and medical professionals resulted from the rebrand. Also, there was an increase in referral patients to O fonds so they could attempt to get these people support for cancer screening.Research limitations/implicationsQuestions as to issues of validity from the use of a single case study, and greater issues with a single case, single interview method are acknowledged. This potential limitation, with respect to this study, was deemed to be lessened based on the use of multiple interviews and sourcing of secondary company material with the CEO of O fonds. Further support by way of sharing of a secondary data, and organizational insights helped to address any major limitations in the research methodology, as helpful information and materials that might not have been readily available, or unavailable without this level of trust, could be obtained.Practical implicationsExploring how NPOs can rebrand their firm to better meet the needs of society and be most impactful will contribute to both managerial practice and academic literature. By examining how a non-profit rebranding process occurs, in an emerging economy, and determining how effective rebranding can be utilized as a turnaround strategy, is a contribution of this research. Given the limited non-profit rebranding literature, particularly in emerging markets, this study provides exploratory insights within a new context to help propel the field of knowledge.Social implicationsNPOs have been shown to play a valuable role in communities across many regions of the world as NPOs enable citizens to come together to collectively work toward a common goal with the purpose of bettering society. With respect to the focus on O fonds their aim of increasing early detection of cancer continues to rise, but more positively, the incidents of treatable cancer are also rising as the result of the former. Regrettably, this positive trend in increased cancer screening does not equate to lower mortality rates across all countries, particularly countries in emerging markets such as Latvia.Originality/valueThis is one of the first known studies of an NPO in the emerging market of Latvia, in general, and in the Latvian healthcare sector specifically. As there is a dearth of research in this field of study, and the fact that NPO growth is a critical component of society growth in emerging markets, there is an important contribution to be made to both practice, and society, from the findings from this research.

Healthcare sustainability and the role of intellectual capital

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 544-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Cavicchi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of intellectual capital (IC) in promoting the sustainable development (SD) program of the Emilia-Romagna Health Service. The contributions of the following assets were investigated: leadership and competences, culture, performance measurement and incentives systems, social capital and technologies. Design/methodology/approach The case study was conducted following a hierarchical approach: perceptions of the regional directorate of public and social health, the general directors and healthcare professionals of the regional health system (the setting) were analyzed through interviews, focus groups and documentation in order to investigate: the emerging definition of SD within the setting; the role of IC, if any, in the achievement of the regional SD goals. Findings SD culture did not expand at the operative level because of the lack of involvement of healthcare professionals in a permanent dialogue for sustainability. Sustainability projects were not systematic which restricted the development of staff awareness of sustainability issues. Social capital enabled environmental projects and medical projects that increased patients’ involvement in disease management. Technology could help the shift toward sustainability, but it requires consideration of tangible and intangible costs for its successful adoption. SD performance measurement and incentives were in their infancy and cost accounting continues to dominate the healthcare sustainability debate. Research limitations/implications Despite the low number of healthcare professionals involved in the focus groups, the paper represents one of the first attempts to frame their perceptions on SD implementation in healthcare. Practical implications Regional institutions should consider new ways of enacting SD which should be more inclusive of healthcare professionals. The establishment of a permanent interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainability would develop human, social and structural capital for sustainability. Healthcare organizations should monitor the environmental and social effects of their operations to enact their primary mission: the promotion of health. Originality/value The paper contributes to theory development related to the role of IC for SD in the public sector context and, in particular, in the healthcare sector where evidence is currently limited.

The role of accreditation in establishing academic legitimacy in graduate level non-profit management education

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Emiko Blalock
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Education ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Organizational Legitimacy ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Applied Fields

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the tension that a graduate education field called non-profit management education (NME) faces as it decides whether or not to adopt accreditation. The tension at hand is the politically wrought process of accreditation and the challenge many professional graduate education programs face in maintaining distinctive characteristics of their programs while conforming to the perceived legitimate norms within the larger field of higher education. Design/methodology/approach This case study is focused on a multi-day Summit, collecting data from participant presentations and discussions, observations and field notes and documents. Inductive coding and deductive coding are used to analyze data, framed under the theoretical framework of organizational legitimacy, strategy and homogeneity. Findings Three major themes are identified that illuminate the inherent tension between the ambiguous nature of legitimacy and the structured character of accreditation: arguing the field is unique, establishing threats to innovation and drawing boundaries. Originality/value This study offers unique insights into the political nature of accreditation and its ties to legitimacy for professional graduate education programs. With the expansion of graduate education into more applied fields and the increased pressure to provide programs that are directly related to professional and career advancement, many programs may benefit from accreditation standards while garnering legitimacy. However, it is imperative that those seeking accreditation understand they may risk losing the very elements that make their programs distinct.

Application of Lean Six Sigma in conservative dentistry: an action research at an Indian dental college

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Noronha ◽  
Shreeranga Bhat ◽  
E.V. Gijo ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Suma Bhat
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conservative Dentistry ◽  
Tools And Techniques

PurposeThe article evaluates the obstacles, lessons learned and managerial implications of deploying Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a dental college hospital in India.Design/methodology/approachThe work adopts the action research (AR) methodology to establish a case study, which is carried out using the LSS define–measure–analyze–improve–control (DAMIC) approach in a dental college. It uses LSS tools to enhance the productivity and performance of the Conservative Dentistry Department of a dental college and to unravel the obstacles and success factors in applying it to the education and healthcare sector together.FindingsThe root cause for high turn-around time (TAT) is ascertained using LSS tools and techniques. The effective deployment of the solutions to the root causes of variation assists the dental college to reduce the TAT of the Conservative Dentistry process from an average of 63.9 min–36.5 min (i.e. 42.9% improvement), and the process Standard Deviation (SD) was reduced from 2.63 to 2 min. This, in turn, raises the sigma level from 0.48 to 3.23, a noteworthy successful story for this dental college.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the results and recommendations of this research are focused on a single case study, it is to be noted that the case study is carried out with new users of LSS tools and techniques, especially with the assistance of interns. This indicates the applicability of LSS in dental colleges; thus, the adopted modality can be further refined to fit India's education and hospital sector together.Originality/valueThis article explains the implementation of LSS from an aspiring user viewpoint to assist dental colleges and policymakers in improving competitiveness. In addition, the medical education sector can introduce an LSS course in the existing programme to leverage the potential of this methodology to bring synergy and collaborative research between data-based thinking and the medical field based on the findings of this study. The most important contribution of this article is the illustration of the design of experiments (DOE) in the dental college process.

Understanding healthcare sector organizations from a dynamic capabilities perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Loureiro ◽  
João J. Ferreira ◽  
Jorge Simões
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Management Positions ◽  
The Impact

PurposeDynamic capabilities (DCs) need renewing to respond to changes emerging in the environment, and organizations must build up their capacities to sustain good performance levels. This study aims to identifying and characterizing the DCs existing in public health sector organizations by surveying the DC-related areas in health organizations, contributing to broader and more systematized knowledge in this field.Design/methodology/approachThe authors sent a questionnaire to 245 professionals with leadership and management positions in healthcare organizations in this study. The authors used multivariate methods to validate the variables used to measure the DCs.FindingsIn addition to highlighting the impact of DCs on public health organizations' performance, the study’s results allowed the authors to identify hidden capacities in the organizations of this sector, which only emerge when resource management difficulties occur. These changes and difficulties may interact with users and/or professionals' needs and make organizational management a particular challenge aggravated by quick responses to ensure the organization's survival.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature's call for a deeper understanding of the role of DCs and contribute to a greater practical understanding of how these capabilities influence the performance of such organizations.

Implementing quality initiatives in healthcare organizations: drivers and challenges

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdallah Abdallah
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Quality Initiatives ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Purpose – Various quality initiatives seem to have successful implementation in some healthcare organizations yet fail in others. This paper sets out to study the literature trying to understand drivers and challenges facing quality initiatives implementation in healthcare organizations then compare findings from literature with those of a structured questionnaire answered by 60 representatives from 18 hospitals. Finally it proposes a framework that mitigates challenges and utilizes drivers to ensure best implementation results. Design/methodology/approach – Literature regarding implementing various quality initiatives in the healthcare sector was reviewed. Representatives from several healthcare organizations were surveyed. Results from both approaches are compared to highlight the key challenges and drivers facing implementers. Findings – This research reveals that internal factors related to leadership and employees greatly affect quality initiative success or failure. Design and relevance play a major role in successful implementation. Practical implications – This research offers healthcare professionals greater success when implementing certain quality initiatives by taking success/failure factors into consideration. A general framework for successful implementation in the healthcare sector is provided. Originality/value – This article uncovers reasons behind success or failure in a comprehensive and practical way. It also explores how most popular quality initiatives are applied in hospitals.

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