Ingela Bäckström

Quality management and health : A double connection

The purpose of this paper is to examine and discuss the effects of quality management in the health care sector and the general effects of quality management on the health of the employees. Methodo ...

Approach for measuring health‐related quality management

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop an approach to measuring health-related quality management based on earlier research on the connection between quality management and employee heal ...

Learning from others to adapt quality management to the future

The purpose of this paper is to compare leadership behaviours from two different approaches with the leadership behaviours within quality management in order to find possible areas for developing leadership within quality management. A case study has been carried out at a Swedish award-winning organisation in order to study leadership behaviours. In-depth interviews have been carried out with the intention to explore how the manager has worked to become one of Swedens best workplaces. Leadership behaviours from three different approaches are summarised in ‘The Core Leadership Behaviours’. The analysis of the leadership methodologies and behaviours used by the leaders and the ‘Core Leadership Behaviours’ from the three different approaches has been summarised for each approach. The comparison indicates that there are interesting leadership behaviours in Change Oriented Leadership, as well as in KaosPilots, that are not established within quality management. The leadership behaviours could complement quality management to meet new and challenging demands from customers and co-workers.

Are healthy and successful organizations working accordingly to quality management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine if healthy and successful organizations are working accordingly to Quality Management. The purpose is also to describe in more detail how they are w ...

A health‐related quality management approach to evaluating health promotion activities

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper was to describe health promotion activities accomplished within a project and to measure the conditions for sustainable health within the case organizatio ...

Change of the quality management culture through health-promotion activities?

There is great demand for workplace health-promotion programmes that improve co-worker health and provide a return on investment, which is due to the continuous escalation of care costs and the prioritisation of co-worker health by businesses. Early research found that organisations that have achieved good co-worker health with low sickness absence through their conscious and well-structured work were also working according to Quality Management. Health-promotion interventions are possible in every organisation, but before starting a health-promotion programme it is necessary to analyse the organisation and especially its culture. The purpose of this paper is to measure in what way health-promoting activities influence the Quality Management culture, particularly the health-related values ‘Leadership commitment’ and ‘Participation of everybody’. A comparison between the Quality Management culture before starting a health-promotion project and the results a year later is presented. The results show that health-promotion activities do not affect the Quality Management culture, at least not from a year perspective. On the other hand, the results show that health-promotion activities can affect co-workers’ perception of their health.

Enhancing the study of Lean transformation through organizational culture analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and synthesize approaches to studying Lean transformation to further develop a comprehensive approach that integrates organizational culture analysis and performance measurement systems from a systems perspective. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual in nature and based on a review of the literature in the areas of measuring Lean transformation and studying organizational culture. Three questions guide this conceptual analysis: “What approaches have been used to examine Lean transformation in business and public sector organizations?”; “Is there evidence of a focus on organizational culture in the measurement practices in Lean transformation and, if so, how?”; and “What can we learn from organizational cultural theorists about developing a more comprehensive framework to study Lean transformation?”. The analysis was conducted in two phases: In Phase 1, a database search was conducted using the key words Lean transformation, studying Lean, studying Lean transformation, studying organizational culture in Lean and measuring Lean, from which eight papers were selected. In Phase 2, the authors reviewed two models for studying organizational culture. Findings Findings indicated that the dominant approach to study and measure Lean transformation is based on the performance measurement model. Based on this approach, there was little evidence of a focus on organizational culture, and few integrated the human dimensions with the tools and practices. The authors also found evidence of a greater awareness of the need to develop a balanced performance measurement system that reflects both the subjective soft measures and the objective hard measures. Among the approaches studied, two models did reflect integration between hard and soft measures: Dahlgaard et al.’s (2011) 4Ps and Najem et al. ’s (2012) assessment model for studying organizational culture in Lean. Both of these methods provide a strong framework from which to further enhance the study of Lean transformation by incorporating elements from Bantz’s (1993) organizational communication culture method and Martin’s (1992) Matrix concept. Originality/value This paper furthers the academic dialogue on measuring Lean transformation through its unique analysis of studying organizational culture.

How successful Swedish organisations achieve sustainable health

The costs connected with the rapidly increasing number of sick leaves have risen to alarming levels in Sweden and, for instance, Norway and the Netherlands. To find out how to handle the situation on an organisational level, a case study has been carried out at two organisations, which have been awarded for their excellent working environment and low number of sick leaves. One is a small manufacturing company and the other is a large public health care organisation. Both organisations are nonhierarchical with responsibility and authority delegated to different groups. The data collection has mainly been carried out through brainstorming in groups, structured in tree diagrams, complemented by interviews. Important methodologies for the managers are emphasis on low prestige and visibility, and functioning as coaches with activities aimed at building relations. On the basis of the result of this study, suggestions are presented, which are considered possible for other organisations to adopt.

Creation of value to society – a process map of the societal entrepreneurship area

Both science and those active within the societal entrepreneurship area need further knowledge and understanding about the phenomenon. By identifying and mapping out processes within societal entrepreneurship, opportunities to create knowledge and understanding are created. The purpose of this study has been to empirically study processes within societal entrepreneurship initiatives and compare them with a theoretical process map. The purpose has also been to confirm and develop this map. Three cases of societal entrepreneurship have been studied. Several data sources have been used to find activities and tasks within the initiatives. These have then been analysed using the process map. The empirical studies have confirmed and developed the theoretical process map that shows how societal value is crated within societal entrepreneurship. A process map of the societal entrepreneurship area that seems to cover general principles is presented.

The need for a long-term mindset when measuring the effects of lean on health-related quality management values: A case study from the public sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects a lean initiative has on the health-related quality management (QM) values, “Leadership Commitment” and “Participation of Everybody,” as well as on perceived co-worker health in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach A case study was carried out at a municipal division that had been working with lean for approximately 18 months. A questionnaire was used to measure the effect on health-related QM values both before and after the initial 18 month period. Documents from the intended lean implementation were studied at the starting point and after 18 months; this was followed up by examining new documents. The results from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS and the documents were analyzed by means of document comparisons and consensus discussion in the research group. Findings The effects on the health-related QM values; “Leadership Commitment” and “Participation of everybody” in this study showed that the values still permeated the organization to a relatively high extent after 18 months but that no statistical differences can be shown between the two measurement points. When measuring what effects a lean initiative has on values, a period of 18 months might be too short, if significance changes are expected. None the less, the results can be a way of monitoring the development of these softer values. Something that is equally important is to see if there have been any major changes, as a way of keeping the work with building a new culture alive and in focus. The results strengthen the assumption that a long-term mindset is needed when QM initiatives such as lean are applied within an organization especially when changes to values and workplaces are expected. Originality/value This study has further explored the QM in relation to lean in the respect of how the QM values “Leadership commitment” and “Participation of Everybody” are effected by a lean initiative.