Uche Nwabueze

Implementing TQM in healthcare: The critical leadership traits

The provision of leadership by the senior management team in organisations is universally acclaimed by most quality management experts as critical to the successful implementation of total quality management (TQM). However, there is little empirical evidence as to the particular traits of leadership required for successfully leading a TQM programme apart from the all too common suggestion of the need to have top management commitment. Based on a survey of 50 chief executive officers randomly selected from the British National Health Care System, the paper delineates the essential leadership traits for the effective implementation of TQM in a healthcare environment.

Process improvement: the case of a drugs manufacturing company

Purpose – Based on a case study of a drugs manufacturing plant in the UK, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how best to improve manufacturing processes using a hybrid model of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR). Insights are provided to a phased implementation of TQM at the strategic, organisational, and process levels of the organization.Design/methodology/approach – The case method was utilized to demonstrate the implementation of a theoretical concept.Findings – Managers naively agree that process improvement failures may be due to the absence of executive‐level commitment and poor execution; however, it is evident from the papers findings that the poor performance of process‐related techniques is based on the fact that they are often applied organisationally rather taking an operations, strategy and people focused, approach, which would require the interdependence that must exist between strategy and people, people and strategy; and strategy and operatio...

The implementation of TQM for the NHS manager

The implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the NHS has become an anachronism. Most NHS managers have lost interest in TQM as a strategy for improving organizational performance because of the general belief, that TQM fails to tackle the critical needs of organizations in trouble, particularly on issues such as improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This paper, through the use of a case study, suggests a common sense, practical approach to the implementation of TQM in healthcare; a Systems Management approach.

The rise and decline of TQM in the NHS

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to delineate the factors responsible for the decline of total quality management (TQM) in the National Health Service (NHS). It is suggested that if these factors were initially identified and eliminated prior to implementation, the decline of TQM as a strategy for improving the provision and delivery of quality patient care could have been prevented. Design/methodology/approach – The case study approach was chosen because it is the preferred method when “how” or “what” questions are being posed. It is applicable as is evident in this paper where the researcher has little control over events and when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life context. The case study enables the researcher to give an accurate rendition of actual events; it contributes uniquely to the knowledge of individual, organisational, social, and political phenomena. The semi-structured face-to-face interview constituted the main data collection technique of the research. In...

Organisational improvement: one hospital's experience of implementing TQM

The implementation of total quality management (TQM) in the British National Health Service (NHS) has become an anachronism. Most NHS managers are not interested in TQM as a strategy for improving organisational performance and patient care because of the general belief among NHS managers that TQM fails to tackle the critical needs of organisations in trouble, particularly on issues such as improving organisational performance, efficiency and effectiveness. The paper, however, through the use of a single case study, can confirm contrary to the views of NHS managers, that the concept and philosophy of TQM is indeed an effective approach in achieving organisational performance improvement when a systems approach to implementation is adopted. Furthermore, the paper suggests that the most successful and sustainable approach to the implementation of TQM in healthcare is the systems management approach that aligns structure, systems and outcomes.

Achieving competitive advantage through effective communication in a global environment

Considerable research has been conducted to analyze the effects of elements such as information technology, efficiency, and innovation on the performance of a company (Bhatt & Grover, 2005; Bowonder et al, 2010; Ogrean et al, 2009; Piccoli & Ives, 2005). However, company success is dependent on effective communication particularly in a multicultural and competitive global environment yet the types of effective communication that impact competitiveness have not been well explored. Although companies are aware of the importance of communication, far less attention is paid to promoting the use of effective communication within and outside the organization as compared to other factors. The Macondo oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico provides a topical case study of how global companies can suffer performance losses due to ineffective communication. Traditional views of organizational competitive advantage have failed to directly address the importance of communication as a differentiator. This paper addresses the importance of effective communication in building and maintaining performance success (Tucker et al 1996) and explores three key types of effective communication in maintaining success through competitive advantage. These three types include the right combination of “soft” and “hard” information gathering, superior interpersonal communication and the appropriate use of information and communication technologies. We use the Macondo case study as a venue to test the successes and failures of communication on performance We find where there is a lack of effective communication an organization’s global competitive ability is severely impaired. Further, we address how communication impacts the other elements that contribute to competitive advantage such as efficiency, responsive public Received: August, 2017 1st Revision: October, 2017 Accepted: December, 2017 DOI: 10.14254/20718330.2018/11-1/4 Journal of International Studies S ci en ti fi c P a pe rs