title: Instituting organizational learning for quality improvement through strategic planning nominal group processes.
abstract: Healthcare managers are faced with unprecedented challenges as characterized by managed care constraints, downsizing, increased client needs, and a society demanding more responsive services. Managers must initiate change for quality, efficiency, and survival. This article provides information and strategies for (a) assessing the change readiness of an organization, (b) conducting an organizational diagnosis, (c) instituting a team culture, (d) developing a change strategy, (e) integrating the strategy with a quality improvement process, and (f) identifying the leadership skills to implement organization renewal. Nominal group processes, namely, SWOT and the Search Conference, are described, and case examples are provided. The implementation strategies have been used successfully in a variety of milieus; practical advice for success is described in detail.
authors.affiliation: Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, USA. dwhite@sju.edu
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D004496:Education, Continuing; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D007858:Learning; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010934:Planning Techniques; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States