Providing leadership to a decentralized total quality process

Integrating total quality management into the culture of an organization and the daily work of employees requires a decentralized leadership structure that encourages all employees to become involved. This article, based upon the experience of the University of Michigan Hospitals Professional Services Divisional Lead Team, outlines a process for decentralizing the total quality management process.     

Building leadership and management competencies of national immunization teams in 16 Gavi-eligible countries through the EPI leadership and management programme

BackgroundStrengthening leadership and management competencies among national Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) teams will be critical to achieving global immunization targets and other sustainable developmental goals. However, there is little empirical evidence of the effectiveness of investments in leadership and management capacity in the context of national EPI programs. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the EPI Leadership and Management Programme (EPI LAMP), a nine-month certificate program for EPI teams in national Ministries of Health from Gavi priority countries in Anglophone and Francophone Africa and Asia.MethodsWe used a mixed-methods longitudinal evaluation to describe EPI LAMP at four levels: (1) participant response to the training experience based on program administration records and satisfaction surveys; (2) change in management and leadership skill based on competency surveys and exit interviews; (3) change in behavior in the workplace based on exit interviews; and (4) impact of the training on EPI program performance based on the results of each delegate’s leadership project.ResultsIn the first three cohorts, the programme engaged 16 countries (63 participants) and achieved an 86% graduation rate (54 alumni). Participants demonstrated significant improvement in management and leadership competencies across eight domains with the largest improvement observed in the domain of governance and leadership. Women showed greater increases than men, especially in the domains of Operations Management and Political Advocacy and Dialogue. We observed no difference in the gains made by French-speaking delegates compared to English-speaking participants. Breakthrough projects developed by each team improved EPI program performance, as measured by metrics specific to each project.DiscussionOur results show that team-based leadership programs can foster improvements in management practice, collaboration, and problem-solving, and that engagement the broader policy and organizational context is needed to foster the systems thinking capacity required to address complex challenges and improve system performance.     

Internet course on total quality management.

The Internet provides new opportunities to information-based industries such as universities. If a vast majority of potential customers of our programs have access to the Internet, then it is conceivable that many universities will begin teaching Internet courses and that such courses could, in many cases, replace or at least augment existing face-to-face classroom activities. This paper is an account of one such course at Cleveland State University and the type of policy issues raised by the course at this institution.     

The Middle East total quality management conference

The Middle East conference on the implementation of the total quality management (TQM) system in medical centers took place November 30 to December 2, 1993, in Jerusalem. The conference was designed to assist health care providers in their efforts to improve efficiency and effectiveness. It was also an opportunity for professionals from the area to meet and exchange ideas with the intention of creating a forum for continued cooperation.     

Beyond resource management: towards total quality

Suggests that health organizations which have successfully introduced devolved management by involving clinicians are reaching a position where they can move forward beyond "Resource Management" towards managing in a total quality way. This is not an in-depth explanation of TQM (which in itself is rarely understood) but a brief examination of how health organizations can move towards becoming total quality organizations. The trend to decentralize the management of clinical services in hospitals is seen in many countries across the world and where well established, the natural evolution has been towards total quality management.     

Improving the accuracy of total quality management instruments

Total quality management (TQM) instruments are essential tools in defining concepts identified in an Ishikawa or ?cause-and-effect? diagram. Collecting meaningful and accurate data using TQM instruments is imperative if productivity and quality of care are to be enhanced. This article provides managers with techniques and guidelines that will enhance the reliability and validity of TQM instruments, thereby promoting organization efficiency and customer satisfaction.     

The leader's role in implementing total quality management

Quality experts state that ineffective leadership can hinder and even destroy efforts to implement total quality management (TQM). However, they rarely discuss the specific actions leaders should take in implementing TQM and when leaders should take them. This article discusses a four-phase TQM implementation model that includes specifications for leadership actions at each step.