The social benefits of kaizen initiatives in healthcare: an empirical study
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
ISSN: 0144-3577
Article publication date: 5 February 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the most influential determinants of healthcare employees’ problem-solving capabilities and attitudes towards kaizen initiatives, and clarify how these determinants are related to social outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the input-process-outcome framework, applied to kaizen initiatives, the determinants of the input and process factors are embodied in hypotheses concerning the direct effects of input and process factors on social outcomes and the indirect effects of input factors on social outcomes resulting from process factors. The hypotheses are tested through multiple regressions using data from 105 kaizen initiatives drawn from two hospitals.
Findings
Of the 14 determinants investigated, goal clarity, team autonomy, management support, goal difficulty and affective commitment to change (ACC) are the most influential determinants of kaizen capabilities and/or employees’ attitude. Goal clarity, goal difficulty, team autonomy and management support are also found to influence social outcomes directly and/or indirectly through ACC, internal processes and/or an action orientation.
Practical implications
The results support healthcare practitioners to understand how to establish “focused kaizen” actions to leverage specific determinants that positively influence social outcomes.
Originality/value
This study provides an original contribution to the literature concerning effective kaizen initiatives in healthcare operations by empirically testing a comprehensive model of the relationship between kaizen initiative determinants and social outcomes. Unlike previous studies, which are mostly anecdotal or focused on one or few determinants, this research adopts a holistic view, and investigates a pluralist set of determinants on social outcomes through a systematic and quantitative approach.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Caterina Bianciardi, Jacopo Guercini, Enrico Obinu and Francesco Nicosia of the Kaizen Promotion Offices of the hospitals involved in this study for their contribution and support. The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful comments that helped the authors to improve this paper.
Citation
Bortolotti, T., Boscari, S., Danese, P., Medina Suni, H.A., Rich, N. and Romano, P. (2018), "The social benefits of kaizen initiatives in healthcare: an empirical study", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 554-578. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-02-2017-0085
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited