In the past, it was widely believed that Total Quality Management (TQM) was linked to business and manufacturing activities. However, nowadays, this practice is actively employed by different service providers including medical facilities (Ramseook-Munhurrun, Munhurrun, & Panchoo, 2011). It could be said that this strategy has a vital impact on the quality of the provided services and is regarded as one of the most suitable approaches to enhance the efficiency of hospitals and other medical institutions (Ramseook-Munhurrun, et al., 2011). Simultaneously, the rising popularity of patient-centered care also defines the need to focus on quality while paying exceptional attention to the satisfaction of customers (Constand, MacDermid, Bello-Haas, & Law, 2014).
Based on the factors depicted above, it is apparent that TQM plays a pivotal role in healthcare management and patient-centered care. Consequently, the primary goal of the paper is to discover the importance of senior management and its involvement in TQM and understand the need to involve all stakeholders in the process. This analysis will be based on the findings acquired from an interview with a nurse leader and high-quality academic sources.
Involvement of Senior Management in TQM
In the first place, it was essential to analyze the need and significance of senior management and its involvement in TQM. It is widely believed that top management identifies strategic initiatives and has a critical impact on cultivating change (Mustafa & Bon, 2012). Its commitment and leadership practices form the basis for relevant decision-making, and these aspects determine whether TQM will be a success or failure (Al-Shdaifat, 2015). These statements underline that, from the theoretical perspective and information acquired from the previous research studies, the involvement of senior management is of paramount importance, and its substantial investment in these practices is a requirement.
To review this question from the practical viewpoint, I had a conversation with one of the nurse leaders. In this case, Green (personal communication, December 13, 2016) stated: “Leaders have to be actively involved, as they may need to modify the mission of the hospital and redesign its strategy and main goals”. This statement signifies that not only do the managers have to be interested in the company’s financial prosperity, but they also have to be highly committed and regarded as role models for the employees and managers. At the same time, it may be necessary to devote some additional financial resources to successfully implement these changes.
“For example, training, well-developed monitoring and control systems, and creating new action plans may require additional spending,” Green (personal communication, December 13, 2016) claimed. Providing favorable conditions for the development of TQM practices is critical. Otherwise, being unable to cultivate these changes and communicate a new vision to the audience may be considered as crucial sources of failure. “At my workplace, management exists separately, and this gap creates difficulties in communication. As a result, we cannot meet the goals that are expected of us” Green (personal communication, December 13, 2016) explained. Consequently, the lack of contribution of senior management may result in the ineffective implementation of TQM and low service quality.
Importance of Involving Stakeholders in the Process
Another matter that has to be considered is the need to involve different stakeholder groups in the implementation of TQM. In this case, it is evident that, nowadays, organizations pay critical attention to service quality while addressing the needs of various stakeholders (Mosadeghad, 2014). Simultaneously, the participation of different stakeholders such as management, employees, and community is regarded as one of the factors that affect the delivered outcomes (Mosadeghad, 2014). For example, nurses, who are in direct contact with the patients, have to understand the objectives of the medical institution and shape the right customers’ perceptions of the perceived service quality (Kieft, Brouwer, Francke, & Delnoij, 2014). Consequently, involving different social groups and organizational units as early as possible will assist in avoiding misunderstandings, improving communication, and enhancing the quality of the provided services.
“Being a leader nurse implies always finding a connection between two sides that are the community and senior management of the hospital. I can freely state that fulfilling the needs of these stakeholder groups will help implement the methods of TQM successfully,” Green (personal communication, December 13, 2016) explains. In this instance, Green states this point from the perspective of the nurse and highlights that, in the first place, the patients have to be regarded as the most important stakeholder group. Meeting their needs will assist in creating the desired image of the hospital in the market. “I stated earlier that successful development of TQM is dependent on top management.
I can admit that they have to communicate their goals clearly and early to their employees. At my workplace, some nurses were unaware of these changes, and it raised some conflicts with management and patients”, Green (personal communication, December 13, 2016) discovers. Based on the findings presented above, involving different types of stakeholder groups as early as possible is important. This practice will result in the effective implementation of the TQM strategy with a subsequent, positive impact on service quality and the company’s image. Consequently, before and during the development of the TQM approach, senior management has to consider the needs and preferences of the patients and attitudes of the community and focus on communicating a new vision to the employees and managers while complying with the governmental regulations and policies.
References
Al-Shdaifat, E. (2015). Implementation of total quality management in hospitals. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 10(4), 461-466.
Constand, M., MacDermid, J., Bello-Haas, V., & Law, M. (2014). Scoping review of patient-centered approaches in healthcare. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1), 271.
Kieft, R., Brouwer, B., Francke, R., & Delnoij, D. (2014). How nurses and their work environment affect patient experiences of the quality of care: A qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 14(2), 249.
Mosadeghad, A. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 3(2), 77-89.
Mustafa, E., & Bon, A. (2012). Role of top management leadership and commitment in total quality management in service organization in Malaysia: A review and conceptual network. Elixir Human Resource Management, 51(1), 11029-11033.
Ramseook-Munhurrun, P., Munhurrun, V., & Panchoo, A. (2011). Total quality management adoption in a public hospital: Evidence from Mauritius. Global Journal of Business Research, 5(3), 67-77.