The quality council: a catalyst for improvement.
Before quality improvement can occur, an environment must be created that demonstrates a decisive commitment to change. In this article, Sarah Tackett presents the concept of the "quality council," a structure that fosters employee participation and clearly defines the leadership roles needed to evaluate and implement improved processes. The quality council should be the first organizational step toward quality improvement because it will set the tone, establish policy, and create institutional readiness for the changes to come. Chaired by the organization's CEO, the council should consist of senior management and clinical department heads, administrators, and a quality advisor. Larger institutions may need several coordinated quality teams to focus on various areas. The author's lucid analysis of the process that the quality council should follow begins with the development of shared values that all employees can endorse. The next step is to select appropriate projects that have high interest and will result in an improved process, not just a new system or a predetermined solution to a problem. Ms. Tackett stresses the importance of picking the best possible team members, shifting workloads to allow a full focus on quality, and providing extra training in QI strategies to teams where needed. Finally, quality innovations should be recognized and shared throughout the institution.
Tackett
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Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH.
D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008332:Management Quality Circles / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States