Sustainable Quality Management Systems in the Current Paradigm: The Role of Leadership

Sustainable quality management in hospitals: The experiences of healthcare quality managers

BACKGROUND

Quality management systems are essential in hospitals, but evidence shows a real literature gap on the sustainable implementation of quality.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore and identify enablers towards sustainable quality management in hospitals. Research design and Study Sample: Interviews were conducted with 23 healthcare quality managers from 20 hospitals. Data collection and/or Analysis: Data collection and analysis were conducted simultaneously by using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven and following the COREQ Guidelines. Thematic analysis from interview transcripts was performed in NVivo 12.

RESULTS

The results reveal two categories: (1) quality in the organisation's DNA and (2) quality in the professional's DNA. The first category consists of: bottom-up and top-down management, the organisation-wide integration of quality and an organisational culture shift. The second one consists of: quality awareness, understanding the added value, the encouragement and engagement, the accountability and ownership for quality. Moving towards sustainable quality management systems in hospitals requires a good interaction between a bottom-up approach and leadership to ensure continuous support from healthcare stakeholders.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to existing conceptual and theoretical foundations with practical insights into sustainable quality management. The findings can guide quality departments and hospital management to regain professionals' commitment to quality and to establish a sustainable quality management system.

Eco-Friendly Ester Fluid for Power Transformers versus Mineral Oil: Design Considerations

Mineral oil has long been used as an adequate coolant and dielectric medium in power transformer design. However, it is flammable and environmentally risky as it may be leaked or spilled. Therefore, ester fluids, which have been increasingly used in the last two decades, look promising as an ideal dielectric option. This research aims to better understand how using ester fluid insulation in power transformers impacts their physical and electrical dimensions, including their load-losses, impedance, masses, and equipment dimensions. Three case studies were carried out in a Portuguese electrical equipment manufacturer’s facility, with varying electrical parameters and physical properties of the mineral oil and ester-filled power transformers. The main results enhanced the known good electrical behavior of ester fluids, namely creating a lower electric field around winding wedges, yet the use of ester fluids led to higher load-losses, larger masses, additional radiators and, consequently, higher manufacturing costs. Nevertheless, the contribution of ester-filled power transformers to the improved environmental safety (reducing spillage and fire risks), among other advantages, makes ester fluids a truly eco-friendly option for power transformer design.

Innovative Approaches to Model Visualization for Integrated Management Systems

With a growing number of standards and their related requirements for manufacturers and/or service providers, there is a need to simplify their application process. The aim of this article is to propose a simplified implementation of multiple management system standards (MSSs) through visualization management. Results of visualization provide a perspective of interrelatedness of requirements of MSSs, and how they fit in the overall context. The three standards used in this project, defined as a complex triplet of integrated management systems (IMSs), are: Quality (QMS), Environment (EMS) and Event Sustainability (ESMS) Management Standards. Visualization is developed by creating clusters using a program intended for creating small world networks. This step is preceded by the creation of a database in a spreadsheet format for data mining, where the requirements are divided into specific and common ones. The main emphasis will be on facilitating the assessment of synergies. The resulting visualized composed cluster model of selected areas includes the clauses. It is possible to further extend the model by adding other standards, depending on needs of interested parties. In essence, the model is a part of visual process, and it simplifies, speeds up and clarifies managerial decision-making processes related to the implementation of the MSSs.

Exploring Characteristics of Sustainability Stimulus Patterns of Project Managers

The role of projects in the transition of organisations towards sustainability is addressed in a growing number of studies, and “sustainable” project management is considered one of the most important project management trends today. As sustainability is a normative concept based on subjective values and beliefs, project managers are bound to experience different stimuli and inhibitors for the consideration of sustainability in their projects. Earlier studies identified three distinct stimulus patterns: Intrinsically motivated, Task-driven, and Pragmatic. However, little is known about these three groups of project managers’ personal and professional characteristics and their work environments. Following up on earlier studies, this paper explores the social-demographic and professional-related characteristics that the three stimulus patterns represent in a quantitative, survey-based study on a sample of 433 project managers. Analyses of descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, and Cronbach’s alpha) and inferential statistics (chi-squared, t test, and ANOVA) were used. The findings of the study support the conclusion that sustainability is a personal trait based upon the individual’s attitude towards sustainability. The study also reveals that the stimulus patterns of project managers significantly differ over industries and types of projects. The study intends to help organisations implement sustainability strategies by deepening their understanding of project managers’ stimulus to consider sustainability in their projects. The study contributes to the emerging knowledge on sustainable project management and specifically to the understanding of stimulus patterns of project managers.

Rethinking Sustainable Community-Based Tourism: A Villager’s Point of View and Case Study in Pampang Village, Indonesia

Community-based tourism (CBT) considers one sustainable form of tourism to enhance tourists’ and local communities’ relationships. By investigating and studying the previous scientific production of the CBT field in general and, in particular, rural CBT, the researchers found that the local communities’ roles in shaping this type of tourism have been given great importance. This literature mainly focuses on rural CBT from the academic researcher’s perspective. This study aimed to understand the villager’s view on rural sustainable CBT in Pampang Village, Indonesia. In our research, we used the triangulation method based on three kinds of data: in-depth structured interviews, non-participant field observations, and quantitative sustainability aspects of the local attractions. The research results helped us design a model for the formation of sustainable rural CBT activities in Indonesia, which depends on formal and informal leader figures in the community instead of only the community’s solidarity, as much previous research has indicated.