Defining Resilience for Healthcare Professionals- a Delphi Study

Background: The concept of resilience is widely discussed in healthcare literature. There are various definitions and causal mechanisms underpinning the phenomenon of resilience.Aim: The aim of this study was to clarify this by exploring healthcare professionals' views on the meaning of resilience within their workplace settings. Design: A three-round Delphi survey.Methods: Based on a literature search, 41 'stem statements' related to resilience were constructed. This list was refined, extended, and restricted by a panel of experts.Results: The panel agreed on eight elements that best represented their perception of factors that impact either positively or negatively the level of resilience for UAE healthcare professionals.Conclusions: This consensus-based approach for the assessment of the level of resilience of HCP working in the UAE health system represents a first step toward the development of national guidelines for optimizing the health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals in the UAE.

Let's get everyone involved! The effects of transformational leadership and organizational culture on organizational excellence

Purpose

This paper posited a dynamic relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture, and organizational excellence in order to develop a better understanding of the casual linkages between these three areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire survey which included 448 samples from United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an average response rate of 61.1%. The hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analyses. Analyses used the Mplus software package.

Findings

The key finding in this study suggests that creating the involvement culture provides the all-inclusive participation and holistic engagement from employees, which consequently leads to organizational excellence.

Research limitations/implications

The study is more focused on particular type of leadership and can extend to other types of leadership as well the other regions. The study extends the findings of previous studies that suggested authoritative was essential initially but that this would change with the emerging culture.

Practical implications

Managers should foster an involvement culture and adopt transformational leadership style in order to reap the benefits of the quality management approaches.

Originality/value

From existing research on leadership in QM context, we adopt transformational leadership in connection with organizational culture and organizational excellence. The originality of the study lies in its quantitative approach to test an already demonstrated phenomenon about the relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture and business excellence. This study significantly contributes to the literature on QM by discovering that organizations with transformational leadership styles and involvement or adaptability cultures can perform well and achieve organizational excellence.

Improving service quality

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of total quality management (TQM) internalization factors on the relationship between the proposed drivers (internal/external motives) and outcomes (external benefits and financial results).

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of quality managers, this study adopts a two-step methodological approach to explore the key components of TQM internalization via an initial exploratory study followed up with a quantitative study to examine the relationships between the proposed drivers using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The qualitative study revealed the key components of TQM implementation factors, namely top management commitment, middle management commitment and audits, training and employees’ commitment. The quantitative results show that a positive relationship between external motives and TQM internalization was not supported; yet, the results supported the influence of internal motives on TQM internalization. Further, the results revealed a significant relationship between TQM internalization and internal benefits but not financial benefits. Finally, a strong positive link between internal and financial benefits emerged.

Research limitations/implications

The study findings are only based on the perceptions of quality managers and future research could test the proposed model using other units of analysis in order to fully capture the role of TQM internalization.

Practical implications

The findings show that award model adoption is a significant tool for quality improvement in organizations, a procedure that drives both internal and financial benefits. Further, the study points out areas that companies should emphasize in order to successfully implement a quality award model and therefore harvest its potential benefits.

Originality/value

The paper proposes an empirically tested conceptual framework that examines vital issues concerning the internalization of the TQM approach through award models, thus providing valuable outcomes for decision makers to improve service quality.

The relationship between TQM practices and organisational innovation outcomes

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the role of slack (both moderating and mediating) to stimulate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) factors and innovation outcomes relative to gaining competitive industry advantages.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire completed in three waves between 2016 and 2017, and later analysed in 2018. A final response rate of 29.5 per cent was obtained, representing 190 organisations from both manufacturing and service industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the multi-collinearity, moderation and mediation analysis.

Findings

Analysis confirmed that factors such as continuous improvement (CI), human resource management (HRM) and information measurement (IM) were positively linked to innovation. However, when slack was introduced as a moderator, innovation outcomes were stimulated through HRM and IM. The results indicate that slack acts as a full mediator for management leadership but only partially mediates supplier quality, IM, CI, HRM and process management.

Research limitations/implications

In terms of geographical coverage, research was limited to the UAE. Organisations striving for excellence through innovation may benefit from the outcomes, as they help in understanding the relationship between TQM and innovation moderated and/or mediated by slack. This could also lead businesses to develop new strategies that harmonise TQM policies with “rationale” slack policies, thus, promoting innovation.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine the use of slack to stimulate the relationship between TQM factors and innovation outcomes. Using slack as a mediator can help in understanding when TQM might influence innovation, while slack as a moderator could invert the relationship between the two.

The excellence quest: a study of business excellence award-winning organizations in UAE

Purpose

Organizations worldwide use national quality awards for improving organizational excellence. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its business excellence awards for the private and public sectors almost two decades ago. Within the past dozen years, UAE companies have made considerable progress in introducing and developing their quality management systems. The purpose of this paper is to report the advance of UAE organizations in business excellence initiatives and highlight the contributions of the award-winning organizations in adopting business excellence approach.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a qualitative approach to study award-winning organizations. Initially, secondary data were gathered from the Office of Department of Economic Development which is responsible for the administration of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA). Data were entered and categorized according to the description of organizational practice, company name, industrial sector and DQA criteria. The data were then analyzed using NVivo 10.0 software.

Findings

The DQA fosters and guides the excellence journey of aspiring organizations not only to win a quality award, but to strengthen their quality initiative through an informative assessment report. The DQA model was perceived by all organizations as a useful approach to quality improvement. Winning organizations have exhibited unique programs developed to embrace the DQA factors. Recommendations for aspiring organizations are discussed.

Originality/value

This paper should help managers to plan their journey toward business excellence and to create greater awareness of excellence frameworks and their usefulness when embarking on the path of excellence. This paper adds to the knowledge of the UAE’s excellence awards scheme and to the knowledge of business excellence best practices deep rooted in multi-cultural organizational environments. It highlights future research avenues for excellence frameworks.

Effectiveness of employee suggestion schemes – from critical success factors to outcomes

Purpose

Past studies have noted the important role of employee suggestion system (ESS) within the organizations. The use of ESS has been shown to help organizations address improvement- and cost-related problems. The advantages of ESSs are not limited to improving a work-related performance but can also lead to innovations through employees’ creativity. Creative ideas are very important for organizations to build its competitive advantage. Therefore, it is important to identify and understand the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of employee suggestion scheme and its success which has not been well-studied. This study aims to provide decision-makers within organizations with a deeper understanding of the factors that need to be considered in organizing and managing ESSs for its maximum effectiveness

Design/methodology/approach

An analysis of 273 surveys collected from several organizations with ESS experience in the United Arab Emirates was conducted. Survey scales were developed based on previous research and hypotheses are stated. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Correlation analysis were used to understand the interrelations among the five factors

Findings

Results suggest that the four critical success factors, namely, system capability, organizational encouragement, leadership support and employee participation, are positively related to the ESS outcome and its valuable predictors. Some managerial implications of the results of this study are important to note. It is critical for managers to establish rewards, evaluation, feedback and awareness of ESS.

Originality/value

On the basis of a possible future extended research scope in combination with a qualitative research methodology, one could deepen the understanding of influence of country of origin and of institutional mechanisms that might explain higher effectiveness of ESS outcome This appears to be the first published research study to link critical success factors for maximum effectiveness of ESSs.

Critical success factors for employee suggestion schemes: a literature review

Purpose

Employee suggestion scheme (ESS) have existed for many years and many articles have been published over the past decades. They have been studied from many perspectives to illustrate their objectives, nature, content, process, significance and the benefits. Arguments have also been made with respect to success and failures of the suggestion schemes. Although the corporations widely use the suggestion schemes to elicit the creative ideas of their employees, sustaining a suggestion scheme is still a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to extract the critical success factors and critical success criteria to the suggestion scheme and to discuss the importance of these factors on sustainability of suggestion system. This is a literature review paper.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a literature review paper. The research used the university library to search for the relevant material. The university has an access for 25,000 journals. As the university had the subscription to main databases such as EBASCO, SCIENCE DIRECT, EMERALD, Google Scholar and WILEY, a search was performed on these databases using the key terms. The keywords used in the searches included: Suggestion System, Suggestion Scheme, Employee Participation, Employee Involvement, Innovation, Employee Creativity and Ideas Management. The Google Scholar citation tab was also searched further to identify any related articles. The citations of resulting articles were scrutinized further for further clues.

Findings

This paper identifies 23 critical success factors and 9 critical success criteria for suggestion schemes. It also discusses the interconnection between the critical success factors and the critical success criteria. Further, the frequency of each of the factors is also presented. It recognizes the lack of work on the assessment framework for sustainability of a suggestion scheme.

Practical implications

This paper should be of value to practitioners of suggestion schemes and to academics who are interested in knowing how this program has evolved and where it is today and what future it holds. It offers practical help to an individual starting out on research on the sustainability of suggestion schemes.

Originality/value

The paper attempts to put together many factors discussed in the literature and proposed a definition to define the sustainability of the suggestion system and categorized them as critical success factors and critical success criteria.

Assessing sustainability of employee suggestion schemes: a framework

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the employee suggestion scheme of three organizations based in the United Arab Emirates. A framework that consists of five sustainability factors identified based on an empirical study has been applied. The sustainability factors identified through this study include leadership and organizational environment, system capability, system effectiveness, organizational encouragement and system barrier. The paper draws conclusions about the key practices necessary to foster sustainability of the employee suggestion system. The paper then presents a final framework that the organizations can apply to assess their suggestion schemes and to develop potential change strategies. The study findings reveal the importance of five factors, and with more cases, future research can be conducted to identify further practices relevant to specific industry. More levels of maturity for sustainability suggestion system could also be defined with future research.

Design/methodology/approach

– The assessment framework was developed drawing on a thorough review of the literature and data collected and analyzed using various statistical tools. The developed assessment framework was validated using case study method. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit relevant information during the case study.

Findings

– An assessment framework comprising five major factors for sustainability of suggestion scheme of has been presented. The five factors include: leadership and work environment, system capability, system effectiveness, organizational encouragement and system barriers. Sustainability of a suggestion system can be understood as a three-stage model comprising three stages: the initial stage, the developmental stage and the advanced stage. The key practices associated for each of these stages are discussed in detail.

Research limitations/implications

– The framework has taken into consideration the critical success factors, and critical success factors emerged from the literature review conducted for this study. The framework therefore could be further refined by conducting more case studies and can propose maturity levels.

Originality/value

– The paper has developed a framework that can be used to assess the sustainability of the suggestion scheme in an organization. This model has been applied to assess the individual schemes and draw upon potential change strategies.

Employee suggestion scheme sustainability excellence model and linking organizational learning

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a sustainability assessment model and to discuss the implications for organizational learning. Paper presents a sustainability excellence model comprising of three stages and discuss the good practices for sustaining the employee suggestion scheme.

Design/methodology/approach

– The assessment framework was developed drawing on a thorough review of the literature and data collected and analyzed using various statistical tools. The developed assessment framework was validated through a case of an organization based in the United Arab Emirates. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit relevant information during the case study.

Findings

– An assessment framework comprising five major factors for sustainability of suggestion scheme of has been presented. The five factors include: leadership and work environment, system capability, system effectiveness, organizational encouragement and system barriers. Sustainability of a suggestion system can be understood as a three-stage model comprising the initial stage, the developmental stage and the advanced stage. The key practices associated for each of these stages are discussed in detail.

Practical implications

– The framework has taken into consideration the critical success factors and critical success factors emerged from the literature review conducted for this study. Therefore, the framework could be further refined by conducting more case studies and can propose maturity levels.

Originality/value

– The paper has developed a framework that can be used to assess the sustainability of the suggestion scheme in an organization. This model has been applied to assess the individual schemes and draw upon potential change strategies.

The determinants for sustainability of an employee suggestion system

Purpose

– Although the corporations widely use the suggestion schemes to elicit the creative ideas of their employee, sustaining a suggestion scheme is still a challenge. Employee suggestion schemes have been studied from many perspectives to illustrate its objectives, nature, content, process, significance and the benefits. Arguments have also been made with respect to the success and failures of the suggestion schemes. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors to assess the sustainability of a suggestion system.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper thus explores the critical success factors of suggestion scheme through a literature review and filters the critical determinants for sustainability of suggestion using factor analysis. The data collection was done using a survey technique.

Findings

– The results identity the five major factors as determinants to sustainability of a suggestion system as reported in the paper.

Originality/value

– This paper has made an attempt to explore the determinants to assess the sustainability of a suggestion system and has contributed toward the new knowledge in terms of sustainability of a suggestion system.