title: What drives continuous improvement project success in healthcare?
abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a study of factors that affect continuous improvement (CI) project success in hospitals. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative regression analysis was performed on Likert scale survey responses. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on open-ended survey responses and written reports on CI projects. Findings The paper identifies managerial and employee factors that affect project success. These factors include managerial support, communication, and affective commitment. Affective commitment is the extent to which employees perceive the change as being needed or necessary. Practical implications The results highlight how managerial decisions, approaches to communication - including communication before, during and after CI projects affect project success. The results also show that success depends on the way employees perceive proposed changes. This suggests the need for a more individualized approach to CI, lean, and broader change initiatives. Originality/value This research is the first to fuse project success and sustainability theory to CI projects, beyond Kaizen events, in healthcare environments. The research is particularly important at a time when healthcare organizations are required to make rapid changes with limited resources as they work toward outcome-based assessment and reimbursement rules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University , Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stelson
authors.affiliation: Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hille
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University , Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Chinweike
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eseonu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University , Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doolen
mesh_terms: D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007857:Leadership; D009042:Motivation; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Continuous quality improvement; Critical success factors; Employee involvement; Lean thinking; Organizational change; Quality improvement