Organizational Processes Research Articles

The role of standardized quality systems in the management of a healthcare provider

Review Article, Pol J Public Health, Vol. 134 (2024): 69-72 Daria Żuraw, Paulina Oleksa, Mateusz Sobczyk, Kacper Jasiński, Mikołaj Porzak, Alicja Sodolska, Monika Żybowska, Anna Rzewuska-Fijałkowska Student Scientific Association at the Chair and Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Research Methodology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland DOI_disc_logo 10.12923/2083-4829/2024-0015 © 2024 Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonComercial-No Derivs licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) Abstract Since the 1940s, the healthcare sector in Poland has been in constant evolution and requires constant improvement in the quality of services provided and customer-patient satisfaction. To facilitate quality management, systems dedicated to healthcare entities have been developed over the years, and others have been adapted to medical facilities. These methods are based on efficient, planned, repeatable, documented procedures based on current medical knowledge. The key is to choose the right system, tailored to the way the entity operates. A quality management system defines: organizational structure, available resources, procedures and processes to be implemented, the way information and documents communicate and flow, and the responsibility for quality assurance care and compliance. Creating awareness and a pro-quality attitude in the field of medical services makes it possible to learn about instruments and solutions aimed directly at healthcare provider, as well as those that can be adapted and subsequently implemented. Keywords: ISO standards, accreditation standards, total quality management, adverse events, medical mistake, management.

Institutional work aimed atincreasing employment orientation in mental health services.

The importance of employment in recovery from mental health illness has led to broad recognition of the integration of employment-oriented support into mental health treatment. However, there is variation in the extent to which an employment orientation permeates healthcare services. This article explores how managers and advisors in health and welfare services in Norway function as "change agents", who work to increase an employment orientation in mental health services. The empirical material consists of 20 interviews with change agents in health and welfare organisations. They work to implement a model - individual placement and support - to integrate an employment orientation in healthcare services. The findings are analysed using the framework of "institutional work" to elucidate the strategies used by change agents. The findings underscore a consensus on the health advantages of employment and that employment-oriented support belongs in mental health treatment. However, this concept requires further cultivation within healthcare services, with individual actors playing a key role as change agents. Depending on the stage of the various organisations in the change process and the actors' positions within the institutional context, the actors engaged in both creative and maintenance institutional work. The article´s findings are significant for how health organisations can work to achieve desired changes. This article contributes to the literature on collaboration and implementation of employment-oriented practices in healthcare by directing attention to the dynamics of organisational change processes and the efforts of individual actors to promote change.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INVESTMENT, REALISTIC REPORTS, AND FINANCIAL LOSS

During audit planning, auditors examine the business of different firms. Still, the target is to minimize the discrepancy in the real planned financial statement of inspection and summary reports of internal audits. On the other hand, expenditures on artificial intelligence have been increasing in Turkish firms; according to the National Artificial Strategy document, AI will be part of every organizational process, including internal audits. Moreover, the literature supports a positive relationship between internal audits and firms’ decreasing capital loss. So, this research aims to analyze the relationship between AI expenditures, internal audit reports, and the firms’ historical loss. To reach this aim, suitable data was analyzed from 732 incorporated companies that are members of the Chamber of Trade and Industry/Tekirdag/Turkey. Structural equation modeling results show that AI investments decrease the discrepancy between financial statements and internal audit reports (β=-0.045). On the other hand, discrepancies found in the internal audit reports compared to real financial statements are increasing firms’ financial losses by almost 10% (β=.118). In other words, investing in AI contributes to more realistic financial reports, resulting in fewer financial losses. From this perspective, this study is one of the leading studies that connects AI investment to internal audits and the financial performance of Turkish firms.

Engineering Anisotropy into Organized Nanoscale Matter.

Programming the organization of discrete building blocks into periodic and quasi-periodic arrays is challenging. Methods for organizing materials are particularly important at the nanoscale, where the time required for organization processes is practically manageable in experiments, and the resulting structures are of interest for applications spanning catalysis, optics, and plasmonics. While the assembly of isotropic nanoscale objects has been extensively studied and described by empirical design rules, recent synthetic advances have allowed anisotropy to be programmed into macroscopic assemblies made from nanoscale building blocks, opening new opportunities to engineer periodic materials and even quasicrystals with unnatural properties. In this review, we define guidelines for leveraging anisotropy of individual building blocks to direct the organization of nanoscale matter. First, the nature and spatial distribution of local interactions are considered and three design rules that guide particle organization are derived. Subsequently, recent examples from the literature are examined in the context of these design rules. Within the discussion of each rule, we delineate the examples according to the dimensionality (0D-3D) of the building blocks. Finally, we use geometric considerations to propose a general inverse design-based construction strategy that will enable the engineering of colloidal crystals with unprecedented structural control.

Who versus when: Designing decision processes in organizations

This paper analyzes concurrent versus sequential decision-making in a model where two units first communicate and then make decisions, attempting to both adapt to their local conditions and coordinate with their partner. Sequential decision-making improves overall information sharing compared to concurrent decision-making. However, first movers also have an incentive to over-adapt to their state, knowing second movers will conform to their decision. A surplus-maximizing headquarters prefers sequential decision-making to concurrent if and only if (i) the two units' local conditions have sufficiently different volatilities and (ii) their need to coordinate is sufficiently asymmetric or low. Finally, sequential decision-making is shown to be optimal even when allowing for additional governance structures involving the reallocation of decision rights across the units and the headquarters and is shown to render some commonly-analyzed forms of decentralization sub-optimal.

Behind the curtain: exploring the inter-governmental collaboration mechanisms for e-governance platforms

PurposeTo fill the gap, this article examines the inter-governmental collaboration mechanisms behind the platform curtain.Design/methodology/approachBehind the curtain is to look at what makes things happen backstage. For collaborative e-governance platforms, scholars have assumed that technological factors and user characteristics are the determinants for platform success. Little attention has been paid to the issue of how multiple governments, acting as platform co-builders and co-operators, interact and collaborate backstage to provide integrated e-services.FindingsBased on data from survey questionnaires sent to government employees, the results show that governments’ information processing capacities cannot directly affect collaboration; however, these capacities can impact collaboration via the mediating variable of horizontal relations. In addition, we found that higher-ranking authorities are better suited to intervene once horizontal relations have been established and that more adaptable organizations are better at forming horizontal relations with peers. For governments participating in collaborative e-governance platforms, our findings are practically applicable.Originality/valueThe research question reads as: How do various government departments acting as platform co-builders and co-operators judge their collaboration performance, and what collaboration mechanisms contribute to it? We study this research question by constructing a conceptual model based on the Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT) and the Collaborative Governance Theory (CGT), both suggesting information processing capacities, organizational flexibility, horizontal relations and vertical intervention as indispensable factors influencing collaboration performance in ICT-supported groupwork. We propose and test four hypotheses on the relationships among these four factors to reveal the inter-governmental collaboration mechanisms for cross-government platformisation projects.

Online Voting System

With rapid growth in technologies the old voting methods can change to advanced voting methods. Online voting software is a modern solution that can efficiently and securely facilitate the voting process for various groups and organizations. The use of such software eliminates the need for physical polling stations, as voters can cast their ballots from anywhere with an internet connection

An evolutionary perspective on capabilities for fluid product-markets: The contingent effects of routinization and renewal in marketing, R&D, and operations

The performance benefits of functional capabilities in marketing, technology, and operations rely on their routinization in organizational processes, but these also require renewal in response to environmental change. This raises a fundamental tension: is it better to maximally develop functional capabilities that offer the highest contingent benefit in present market conditions, and/or to modify capabilities as conditions change? We propose two measures of a firm's ability to renew its functional capabilities to align with market conditions: capability heterogeneity (variation in extant capabilities) and capability adaptability (selection among these strategic options). In a 20-year panel of 771 firms, we find environmental change increases the importance of these aspects of how capabilities are managed relative to what capabilities a firm possesses: In stable product-markets, capability heterogeneity and adaptability incur significant costs whereas functional capabilities improve profitability. In contrast, functional capabilities can be detrimental in fluid product-markets whereas heterogeneity and adaptability increase profitability. Notably, marketing capability remains beneficial across environments, acting as a profitable alternative to capability heterogeneity and adaptability when future conditions are uncertain. This evolutionary perspective contributes to ongoing theoretical debates on the conceptualization and consequences of capabilities, with practical implications for mitigating the risks of excessive inertia or change.

Flexible Austerity: Negotiating the Unequal Effects of Resource Shortages in Racialized Organizations

Resource shortages unfold unequally, often affecting the most socially disadvantaged people and exacerbating preexisting inequalities. Given that most resources are obtained through organizations, what role do organizational processes play in amplifying inequalities during shortages? I argue that workers engage in a practice I term flexible austerity. Flexible austerity describes how resource shortages become opportunities for decision-makers to more readily rationalize unequal resource allocation. I develop this concept by drawing on an ethnography of an urban academic hospital and leveraging data from before and during a nationwide shortage of medical intravenous (IV) opioids. I show that prior to this shortage, clinicians disproportionately assessed Black patients’ pain as “undeserving” of IV opioids, but they allocated these resources liberally because they felt constrained by evidence-based clinical best practices guidelines. During the shortage, clinicians constructed resource scarcity as necessitating austerity practices when treating Black patients, yet they exercised flexibility with White patients. This widened care disparities in ways that may have been detrimental to Black patients’ health. Based on these findings, I argue that resource shortages amplify inequalities in organizations because they provide new “colorblind” justifications for withholding resources that allow workers to link ideas of deservingness to allocation decisions.

The Role Of Business Analytics Adoption In Fostering Value Creation To Achieve Competitive Advantage In Industry 4.0

In the era of Industry 4.0, where disruption and uncertainty reign, the strategic adoption of business analytics emerges as a vital force in driving competitive advantage through value creation. This study investigates the pivotal role of business analytics adoption in fostering value creation to achieve a sustainable edge in Industry 4.0. By analyzing data from 237 E-commerce firms operating in fiercely competitive markets, the research explores the strategic imperatives for maximizing the utilization of data and information assets. It highlights the importance of integrating business analytics into organizational processes and fostering collaboration and dynamic capability to optimize decision-making and spur innovation. The findings underscore the necessity for firms to develop competencies in leveraging data-driven insights for competitive advantage. Moreover, this study contributes to bridging gaps in both Resource-Based Theory and dynamic capability literature, offering insights into practical actions for navigating the complexities of Industry 4.0. Ultimately, the research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing business analytics adoption as a strategic imperative for organizational success in the digital era, with implications for enhancing competitive advantage and driving sustained growth.

New Methods of Project Management Based on Web Environment

One of the main challenges of management in today's era, is to adjust organizations to the speed of changes in the business world. Rapid changes in technologies and working tools, continuous changes in market conditions, unpredictable fluctuations in prices, continuous changes in customers' tastes, etc. are factors that make decision-making and management difficult for organization managers. In such a situation, the delay in the implementation and delay in the exploitation of any of the organization's business goals can lead to the loss or serious reduction of the organization's expected benefits from this business goal. One of the issues in project-oriented organizations is that the planning of each project may include thousands or tens of thousands of activities, each activity contains different information in terms of physical, time and financial progress; Therefore, one of the new methods of project management is the use of intranet, extranet and internet environments in project management. This research examines new methods of project management based on web environments. The results of the research show that in the project management process, using the web environment, project and non-project processes of organizations and companies can be organized. It also controlled the management of teams and teamwork well.

PLANEJAMENTO ESTRATÉGICO DE RECURSOS HUMANOS: UMA ABORDAGEM DAS VANTAGENS COMPETITIVAS PARA AS ORGANIZAÇÕES

This study aims to analyze the process of Strategic Planning for Human Resources in an approach of competitive advantage for organizations and the benefits that organizations get when they deploy efficiently the HR strategic facing organizational competitiveness, addressing the concept and its range in the magnitude of the strategic process. Strategic Human Resource Planning is a fundamental process for any organization, as a whole, living moment in the spotlight in the current view, being the complexity of conducting strategic or decisions that impact the human resources and organizational corporation process. A deepening this subject can help companies improve their processes to achieve excellence in its services.

Interpersonal Relationships in Organizations: Building Better Pipes and Looking Through Prisms

In this review, we attempt to make sense of the broad, complex, incoherent, fascinating yet frustrating literatures that implicate interpersonal relationships in organizations by focusing on how relationships are treated and what relationships do for organizations and the people therein. We leverage the existing literature to push the study of interpersonal relationships in organizations in three ways. First, we conceptualize relationships in ways that are deeper than are typically studied, in terms of the nature of interpersonal bonds, the trajectory of relationships, and how relationships are measured. Second, we build on multilevel research that demonstrates how (top-down) organization-level processes and relational systems impact dyadic relationships and associated outcomes, and how (bottom-up) those same relationships implicate organizational processes and outcomes. Third, we realize the potential of viewing relationships not just as pipes for the direct transmission of knowledge and socioemotional support but as prisms for studying indirect processes of attention and interpretation.

Unveiling the intellectual nexus between Peirce’s synechism and Goldratt’s theory of constraints: insights for management and organization studies

Purpose Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914), recognized as the father of philosophical pragmatism, has been described as a philosopher’s philosopher. Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt (1947–2011), considered the father of the management philosophy theory of constraints (TOC), has been described as being, first and foremost, a philosopher. The TOC body of knowledge is mainly preserved as concrete methodologies used in the management discipline. By examining the foundational elements of synechism and the TOC, the purpose of this study is to investigate the intellectual connections between the arguments and legacies of Goldratt and Peirce. Although this connection is worthy of much further investigation, the research emphasizes the possible implications from a management philosophy perspective. Design/methodology/approach Based on a “review with an attitude,” the authors first examined the foundations of Goldratt’s TOC through the lens of Peirce’s synechism. Next, the authors then examined how the study of Peirce combined with a selection of contemporary research in the management and organizational studies domain could point out a direction toward completing Goldratt’s unfinished intellectual work to establish a unified science management while addressing some of the current gaps in the TOC body of knowledge. Findings Major findings show that synechism’s growth may extend TOC knowledge, improving managerial practice in organizations. Findings on the convergent ideas of both also reveal that Goldratt valued all synechism categories, emphasizing the importance of not overlooking Firstness. Furthermore, the study analyzes the abductive inference demonstrated in the two use cases, introducing an additional metaphor to the management of organizational systems inspired by Peirce’s philosophical concepts. The research concludes that incorporating TOC and synechism principles can enhance management and organizational practices and enrich management philosophy and theories. Research limitations/implications This pioneering research opens promising opportunities to draw parallels between Peirce and Goldratt. Interdisciplinary collaboration will enhance the rigor and validity of integrating synechism and TOC. Experts in organizational behavior, systems theory and complexity science can provide valuable insights into this debate, while practitioners and consultants could help identify barriers and opportunities for integrating synechistic principles. Practical implications The study proposes a novel abductive approach using Peirce’s cable metaphor as an initial framework to build a unified science of management based on evolutionary stages: TOC, common sense and connectedness. Originality/value This research reinforces the argument that contemporary management practices need philosophical thinking. The authors argue that re-evaluating the foundations of management thought enriches the decision-making process in organizations and the understanding of contemporary theories in management and organizational studies.

Mobilising Affect for Public Art: Affective practices in voluntary organising.

Voluntary organising frequently relies on affective intensities to direct organisational efforts. However, it is not well understood how these intensities are cultivated across time and different contexts to engage and coordinate heterogeneous actors. By applying a practice approach to affect, this paper proposes the concept of affective practices to theorise how affect is mobilised in materially driven (inter)actions to shape actions and relationalities around organisational goals. The analysis of ethnographic data from a long-term public art project reveals that four affective practices - enticing, envisioning, attending and asserting - are pivotal to sustaining the distributed process of voluntary organising. The sense of fascination, enthusiasm, care and discomfort that these affective practices mobilise instigates participation, support, acceptance and compliance from diverse partners, volunteers and the local public. Contributing to the affective turn in practice theory, the paper theorises how affective processes are cultivated as situative accomplishments in an ongoing and translocal organisational process, highlighting the important role played by the vibrant presence of matter in affective practices. Additionally, the study expands our understanding of how an interplay of affective intensities engages and aligns diverse individuals and groups in voluntary organising by fostering coalitional moments in the organisational process.

Development of Digital Transformation Maturity Assessment Model for Collaborative Factory Involving Multiple Companies

Recent advancements in digital transformation (DX) in the industrial sector have spotlighted digital collaborative factories, which emphasize relationships with partners, particularly in the manufacturing sector. However, existing DX maturity assessment models primarily focus on evaluating individual companies, lacking consideration of partnerships and thereby failing to reflect the complexities of collaborative systems. To address this limitation, this study aims to develop a DX maturity assessment model tailored to digital collaborative factories while accounting for collaborative relationships. Initially, 25 existing DX maturity assessment models were reviewed, and the evaluation elements related to collaboration were extracted from each. Accordingly, the maturity assessment model was created with 15 evaluation factors, including organizational aspects, process management, quality control, and logistics operations. Finally, to verify the applicability of the model, the DX maturity levels of a lead company—a forklift-manufacturing company—and its partner—an automotive component manufacturer—within the same value chain were assessed, and the model’s suitability was evaluated. The results indicate that the lead company needed to improve on the intelligence, connectivity, and automation aspects, while its partner needs to streamline production process operations and technological connectivity. This approach enables manufacturers to obtain more reliable information in resolving issues arising from collaboration with partners, as well as in establishing future strategies. The findings suggest that strengthening collaboration systems among partners and advancing DX based on digital collaboration will raise competitiveness within the manufacturing sector.

Testing an Organizational Implementation Process Model Related to Teachers' Implementation-Related Attitudes and Behaviors: a Multilevel Mediation Analysis.

The effectiveness of school-based universal prevention programs is frequently diminished due to low-quality implementation. Organizational factors support high-quality implementation because of their broad influence across implementers. Conceptually, implementation leadership (i.e., behaviors that prioritize, reward, and support evidence-based practice [EBP] implementation) works to embed a favorable implementation climate (i.e., implementers' collective perceptions that their organization prioritizes, rewards, and support EBP implementation) leading to improved implementation citizenship behavior and attitudes toward EBP. This organizational implementation process model has some empirical support but has not been tested in a multilevel framework or related to hypothesized attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The sample included 319 teachers across 39 US public elementary schools; all were implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Multilevel mediation (level 1 = teacher, level 2 = school) was used to test the indirect association of implementation leadership on implementation-related attitudes and behaviors via implementation climate across two time points (fall and spring). At the school level, the organizational implementation process model was validated related to implementation citizenship behavior, but not attitudes toward EBP. At the teacher level, the process model was validated related to both outcomes, and there was a significant direct effect of implementation leadership on attitudes toward EBP. Developing strong leaders for implementation seems key to achieving high-quality EBP implementation. Implications for schools, principal training, and research are discussed.

Organizational change: challenges for workplace psychosocial risks and employee mental health

BackgroundConstant organizational change is the norm in many companies today. At present, evidence on the impact of organizational change on psychosocial risks at work and employee mental health is limited. We investigate organizational change and its association with psychosocial risks and mental health in three consecutive surveys covering 12 years.MethodsThe study was based on data from three cross-sectional waves (2006, 2012, 2018) of the German BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey, comprising 53,295 employees. Four change indicators (i.e., introduction of new software, changes in goods and services produced/provided, downsizing and restructuring), five indicators of psychosocial risks (i.e., time pressure, interruptions, multitasking, working to the limits of capability, and working very quickly) and four mental health indicators (i.e., sleep disturbances, nervousness, tiredness and depressive symptoms) were investigated. We applied Poisson regression analysis to examine associations between organizational change, psychosocial risks, and mental health.ResultsAccording to the pooled analysis of all three waves, the majority of employees reported having experienced at least one organizational change, such as downsizing or restructuring, between 2006 and 2018. Organizational change was negatively associated with psychosocial risks (e.g., working to the limits of one’s capability, PR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.48–1.86) and with employee mental health (PR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.61–2.04).ConclusionsOrganizational change is omnipresent in the modern economy. Our research suggests that transformation processes in organizations can bear risks to employees’ health as psychosocial risks increase. Therefore, companies planning organizational change should accompany such processes with occupational health and safety measures.

Best practices for business process automation description – a case study

ABSTRACT Organizations in competitive, regulated environments must enhance business processes for efficiency, quality, and compliance while minimizing risks and costs. Process automation solutions play a vital role in achieving these goals, though the variety of tool descriptions creates challenges for compatibility and interoperability. This hinders innovation and competitiveness. The adoption of standard specifications or widely accepted best practices for automation descriptions offers a solution. This research aims to identify a set of best practices to guide process-oriented organizations in evaluating their current automation practices, ensuring alignment and fostering improvements in business process automation.

Designing an integrated care pathway for spondyloarthritis: A Lean Thinking approach.

Integrated care pathways (ICPs) are crucial for delivering individualised care. However, the development of ICPs is challenging and must be well designed to provide the expected benefits. Regarding this, healthcare organisations are increasingly adopting management systems based on Lean Thinking to improve their organisational processes by eliminating non-value-added steps. This study elucidates the process and evaluates the impact of applying Lean Thinking to redesign an ICP for patients with spondyloarthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting young adults. A multidisciplinary team was assembled and trained in Lean Thinking. Patient's perspective was gathered through a focus group. Guided by an expert methodologist, the team constructed a value stream map of the entire care pathway and analysed each step. Five work streams were defined to increase value at each step, leading to targeted process improvements. Key process and outcome metrics were collected and compared in 2-month baseline and post-implementation audits. A total of 118 patients were included in the baseline audit (September-October 2022), and 116 in the post-implementation audit (January-February 2023). Process redesign resulted in statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05), including a reduction in the mean number of hospital visits per patient over a 2-month period from 2.54 (SD = 0.93) to 1.84 (SD = 0.79), an increase in complementary exams scheduled on the same day (81.4% to 94.8%) and an increase in baseline disease and treatment education (from 22.2% to 84.2% and from 18.2% to 84.6%, respectively). Regarding standardisation of clinical practice, there were significant increases in collecting data for medical records on composite activity indices (76.3% to 95.7%), reporting of pharmacological treatment adherence (68.6% to 94%) and providing nonpharmacological recommendations (31.3% to 95.7%). The application of Lean Thinking to redesign the spondyloarthritis ICP led to significant improvements in outpatient appointment scheduling, reduced patient hospital visits, improved interdepartmental coordination and standardised clinical practice.