A management system can help you understand your business, create alignment throughout your organization, measure and review performance in real-time, enable problem-solving in the gemba, and sustain improvements. These are just a few reasons why hospitals and healthcare systems around the world are implementing management systems. Data has shown that hospitals with management systems in […]
As 2021 comes to a close, it is a good time to pause and reflect on events from 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. The […]
Each week we share blogs in the hopes of inspiring healthcare leaders to accelerate change throughout the healthcare industry. We strive to share knowledge that will help transform organizations to a culture of improvement, delivering continually higher value outcomes for patients, staff, and communities. In 2021 we focused our blog content on building and strengthening […]
Leading in a continuous improvement environment is very different from the way many healthcare leaders have been taught. It isn’t about having all the answers and fixing every problem. It’s about enabling others to solve problems and helping people connect their work to the work of the system. It can be challenging for leaders to […]
A daily huddle, or improvement huddle as it is sometimes referred to, is an important component to a management system. Huddles provide an outlet for valuable communication that can be escalated and shared throughout the different levels of the organization. We have heard from many organizations that a consistent huddle process and management system enabled […]
Visual management helps to support culture transformation by turning data into information that can help tell the story about the business. In her book, Beyond Heroes, Kim Barnas acknowledges that the idea of publicly displaying defects is hard for some healthcare leaders to accept but also explains that, “patients and family know our faults and […]
Process observation is an essential part in the improvement process. The purpose is to observe whether a new standard is performing as expected and sustain improvements. This component of the management system is very closely linked to the Shingo Principle “focus on process.” When you are starting to implement process observation it can be unnerving […]
When you are a leader within an organization your behavior is observed and noticed by everyone. It’s important that you find a way to show confidence without coming across as arrogant. Leading with humility is a foundational Shingo principle that is critical to sustaining a culture of continuous improvement. This way of leading is not […]
A management system is a great way to learn and understand your business, create alignment throughout your organization, improve performance through visibility, enable problem-solving, and sustain improvements. For a management system to be most effective, all areas within an organization should adopt the elements from the frontline to the executive team. If your organization is […]
Respect for every individual is foundational to creating and sustaining a culture of continuous improvement. The Shingo Institute states, “Individuals are energized when this type of respect is demonstrated. Most associates will say that to be respected is the most important thing they want from their employment. When people feel respected, they give far more […]
