An organization’s culture is comprised by the behaviors demonstrated by individuals within the organization. If leaders are serious about building a continuous improvement culture, then they need to model the way by setting the standard through their own behaviors, as well as help hold others responsible for theirs. In the book, Becoming the Change, John […]
How do you know if you are improving if you don’t measure progress against targets? The truth is you don’t. Setting targets and measuring progress towards them is a fundamental component of continuous improvement. The trouble is that if you don’t set meaningful targets you will not be able to understand whether your efforts are […]
Continuous improvement is the second dimension in the Shingo Model. It includes five of the ten principles of organizational excellence: assure quality at the source, improve flow and pull, seek perfection, embrace scientific thinking, and focus on process. Each of these principles are equally important to fostering a continuous improvement culture within an organization. Here […]
The idea of following five simple steps to solve a problem is very attractive. It’s something that sells in American culture – look at any bestseller list and you will probably find a few books promising that in some specified number of steps you will resolve whatever is plaguing you. When we have a problem, […]
An A3 is a structured problem-solving approach that relies on the scientific method. This process allows users to deepen their thinking around an issue and collaborate with others to understand the problem and create a plan to resolve it. While the term A3 actually refers to the size of the paper that is typically used, […]
One of the best ways to learn is by learning from others. That is part of the power of the Catalysis Healthcare Value Network. Below Jean Lakin, Administrative Director, Performance Improvement at University of Michigan Health System, shares how her team engages with others to learn.
It is the start of a new year, which for many people means setting resolutions or goals to work towards in the coming months. We often hear from healthcare leaders that they want to work on improving the culture within their team or their organization. According to the Shingo Model, the foundation of an improvement […]
As 2020 comes to a close, it is a good time to pause and reflect on the year. Reflection is integral to the learning and personal development process. This important part of the PDSA cycle helps us take stock of what went well and what we can improve on in the future. At Catalysis, our […]
This year has been challenging to all of us in many ways. While the organizations within our Catalysis community turned their focus to serving patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, we held true to our purpose of sharing knowledge to help healthcare organizations deliver higher value outcomes for patients, staff, and communities. As 2020 comes to […]
In Becoming the Change, a new book by John Toussaint, MD, and Kim Barnas, leader behavior is described as a condition in the workplace, saying “ this means that it must be considered as a factor in operations, and therefore, is open to improvement.” Throughout interactions with many healthcare organizations around the world, leaders at […]
