Denis Harrington

Quality management in Irish health care

This paper reports on the findings from a quantitative research study of quality management in the Irish health-care sector. The study findings suggest that quality management is what hospitals require to become more cost-effective and efficient. The research also shows that the culture of health-care institutions must change to one where employees experience pride in their work and where all are involved and committed to continuous quality improvement. It is recommended that a shift is required from the traditional management structures to a more participative approach. Furthermore, all managers whether from a clinical or an administration background must understand one anothers role in the organisation. Finally, for quality to succeed in the health-care sector, strong committed leadership is required to overcome tensions in quality implementation.

The challenges of implementing quality in the Irish hotel industry

This paper reviews the literature on the implementation of quality programs in the Irish hotel industry. Through a review of the literature in service quality, empowerment, and strategy implementation, key issues that affect the achievement of quality are identified. Many quality programs fail from lack of commitment on the part of senior management, middle management, and front‐line employees. Quality management is focused on involvement, communication, and teamwork; but studies show that the management of quality in contemporary hospitality organisations is lacking in these dimensions. The integrative nature of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model for business excellence might provide a useful framework for quality implementation in Irish hotels, and it is concluded that further research should be conducted to consider the potential of such frameworks in an Irish context.

Moving the quality effort forward – the emerging role of the middle manager

Improving quality has become the goal of many organisations and introducing such programmes has resulted in several accounts documenting the risks and failures attached to implementing these quality initiatives. Middle management resistance has been cited as a common form of resistance, though it is widely recognised, even among the managerial groups, that commitment from this level within the organisation is essential if implementation is to have any chance of success. However, some writers believe that the middle management position is misunderstood and that the quality drive by the organisation pushes this group into a stance of resistance. Regardless of whether the resistance is intentional or unintentional, there are serious managerial implications resulting from this problem, many of which carry strategic implications for the firm.

The challenges of implementing quality in the Irish hotel industry: a review

This paper reviews the literature on the implementation of quality programs in the Irish hotel industry. Through a review of the literature in service quality, empowerment, and strategy implementation, key issues that affect the achievement of quality are identified. Many quality programs fail from lack of commitment on the part of senior management, middle management, and front‐line employees. Quality management is focused on involvement, communication, and teamwork; but studies show that the management of quality in contemporary hospitality organisations is lacking in these dimensions. The integrative nature of the European Foundation for Quality Management model for business excellence might provide a useful framework for quality implementation in Irish hotels, and it is concluded that further research should be conducted to consider the potential of such frameworks in an Irish context.

The Business School in Transition: New Opportunities in Management Development, Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Creation.

Purpose – This paper aims to consider the extent to which business school transition has created new opportunities in management development, knowledge transfer and knowledge creation.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a critical review of knowledge exchange in a business school context with a particular focus on the “translation or management practice gap”.Findings – Change in the nature of research undertaken in business schools opens up new opportunities for collaboration between academia and practice. The paper points to the need for more innovative forms of research engagement encouraging academic‐practitioner collaboration and practice‐based management development initiatives.Research limitations/implications – The paper contributes to the debate on innovative forms of knowledge exchange and transfer and helps stimulate further studies examining potential approaches to fostering co‐learning and discovery and participatory forms of knowledge production.Practical implications – Changes in busi...

Quality Management in Irish Healthcare

This article reports the findings from a quantitative research study of quality management within the Irish Healthcare Sector. The survey results indicate that quality management has not fully permeated the sector although indications are that interest is growing in adopting this approach. The study revealed that, for all the hospitals, an aim to improve the quality of care delivered was the predominant factor for the uptake of quality. The findings suggest that even though quality management is in its infancy within the sector a substantial number of responding organisations reported that their programmes have been reasonably successful with patient satisfaction and quality awareness increasing as a result.

Exploiting managerial capability for innovation in a micro-firm context: New and emerging perspectives within the Irish hotel industry

Purpose – The paper has been developed from a critical review of available literature drawn from the micro firm, managerial capability and innovation management fields. The paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The paper has been developed from a critical review of available literature drawn from the micro firm, managerial capability and innovation management fields. Findings – Four criteria of micro firm managerial capability emerge from micro firm managerial traits in the literature namely, leadership; strategic thinking; problem solving and people relationships. The review also shows that micro firms are embedded in three resource pools which include stakeholder ties; the local community and the proximate market environment. Micro firm managerial capability is argued to emerge from the interaction of the managerial capability criteria and the resources in a process mediated by the resource based and dynamic capabilities perspectives from the strategic management literature. ...

Quality Management Initiatives in Irish Hotels — Emerging Agendas in a Changing Environment

This paper reports a quantitative study on the implementation of quality programmes in the Irish hotel industry. An extensive survey was carried out of all hotels registered with the Irish Tourism board. The study assesses the level to which Irish hotels use formal quality methodologies to manage quality in their organisations. Analysis of the data indicates that adoption of formal methodologies within the sector is limited. While quality management is focused on involvement, communication, and teamwork, the study suggests that the management of quality in contemporary Irish hospitality organisations is lacking in precisely these dimensions. The paper concludes that training and development for quality is fragmented and intermittent at best. Irish hoteliers while recognising the importance of quality have few specific quality mechanisms in place.

In search of excellence in Irish health care

As in the world‐wide context in recent years Irish health care has undergone much change, which has led purchasers and consumers alike to call for a more efficient and effective service. Many differing approaches are being utilised in an effort to become more responsive; however, only limited results have been shown. Thus, the search for excellence is both compelling and inevitable within the sector. Here one seeks to discern the elements that offer health‐care institutions the chance to excel from an organisational perspective in their quest to become more responsive and patient‐focused. Also provides details of some forthcoming research aimed at exploring the issues and outcomes of using the EFQM excellence model to support the search for excellence in Irish health care. A follow‐up article with the findings will be published in a later issue of this journal.

Organisational effectiveness in Irish health‐care organisations

The effective management of health services and the delivery of quality systems in Irish health‐care institutions have increased in significance in recent years. Consumers (patients) are expecting more of health‐care providers and are demanding higher standards of care and service. Simultaneously, those paying for health services have become more concerned about rising health costs and possible inefficiencies. As a result there is widespread interest in understanding what makes for an effective health service and in developing better practices to improve existing approaches to health‐care management and delivery. Reviews developments in quality‐service management in the Irish health‐care sector and focuses attention on the need for the development of a model for quality implementation in health‐care institutions.