Asking effective questions is foundational to creating the conditions for better critical thinking and learning. This is an important part of a leader’s role within an organization striving for Organizational Excellence. Many effective questions are often referred to as Humble Inquiry questions. Introduced by Dr. Edgar Schein, Humble Inquiry is the practice of asking open-ended […]
Leader standard work defines what activities you as a leader should be doing, when you should be doing them, and how you should be approaching each one. Leader standard work includes activities that you should be doing on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. These activities need to support the principles of organizational excellence. It […]
Our mission is to inspire healthcare leaders to accelerate change in their organizations. This year’s Summit focused on how individuals can become the change they wish to see in healthcare. Our presenters shared about focusing on your personal development, building a resilient culture within an organization, and how to take action when learning something new. […]
An A3 is typically thought of as a business process related to strategy or problem-solving. An A3 can also be a powerful personal development tool. Let’s walk through how to use an A3 for personal development. Starting on the left-hand side as usual, think about your leadership actions and behaviors and ask yourself the following […]
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.
