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Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

AbstractAn organization improves its performance by implementing ISO 9001, but there are not many scientific journals that discuss this. The purpose of this article is to examine the effect of the quality management system (ISO) 9001 on organizational performance to achieve business sustainability. This study examines four variables, namely ISO 9001 certification planning, organizational commitment, application of procedures on organizational performance and quality culture as mediating variable. Data collection was conducted in the form of a survey by e-mailing the questionnaire to 1000 ISO 9001 certified organizations selected using the purpose sampling technique. This research used a closed questionnaire and a Likert scale of 1–5. Data calculation utilized a Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis to distinguish outer and inner model analyses, as well as to test the hypotheses. The results show that ISO 9001 certification planning, organizational commitment, and application of procedures have a significant effect on quality culture. ISO 9001 certification planning and organizational commitment do not have a significant effect on operational performance, but the application of procedures and quality culture significantly influence operational performance. It is clear that an increase in organizational performance greatly influences by ISO 9001 implementation and a quality culture as a mediating variable.

ObjectiveAlthough frontline clinicians are crucial in implementing and spreading innovations, their engagement in quality improvement remains suboptimal. Our goal was to identify facilitators and barriers to the development and engagement of clinicians in quality improvement.DesignA 25-item questionnaire informed by theoretical frameworks was developed, tested and disseminated by email.SettingsMembers and fellows of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare.Participants1010 eligible participants (380 fellows and 647 members).InterventionsNone.Main outcome measuresSelf-efficacy and effectiveness in conducting and leading quality improvement activities.ResultsWe received 212 responses from 50 countries, a response rate of 21%. Dedicated time for quality improvement, mentorship and coaching and a professional quality improvement network were significantly related to higher self-efficacy. Factors enhancing effectiveness were dedicated time for quality improvement, multidisciplinary improvement teams, professional development in quality improvement, ability to select areas for improvement and organizational values and culture. Inadequate time, mentorship, organizational support and access to professional development resources were key barriers. Personal strengths contributing to effectiveness were the ability to identify problems that need to be fixed, reflecting on and learning from experiences and facilitating sharing of ideas. Key quality improvement implementation challenges were adopting new payment models, demonstrating the business case for quality and safety and building a culture of accountability and transparency.ConclusionsOur findings highlight areas that organizations and professional development programs should focus on to promote clinician development and engagement in quality improvement. Barriers related to training, time, mentorship, organizational support and implementation must be concurrently addressed to augment the effectiveness of other approaches.

The purpose of this study was to offer a new approach to evaluate the index of ISO 9001 standard, as so far countries are listed for the ISO 9001 standard based only on the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued for each country, and this perception does not correspond to reality, because some countries that are listed per alphabetic order on top, doesn’t enjoy the property of having a better ranking when it comes to rank countries per number of ISO 9001 certificates issues, or when it comes to rank countries about their weight on the issue. On the other side, listing countries simply by the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued, doesn’t reflect the real weight of countries on the issue, because this rank should be adjusted with the number of businesses of countries taken into consideration, better understanding of ranking models used. A new approach to ranking countries about this issue is needed, reflecting the issue of taking into consideration the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued in a country per number of businesses in that country, as a better way of evaluating the index of ISO 9001 standard. The methodology/method used to conduct this study were (1) the data collection on the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued per country, (2) the data collection on the number of businesses in each country, (3) the division of the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued with the number of businesses, (4) construction of a new ranking list of countries based on the ISO 9001 standard index, (5) inversing the list to give the right value/rank of countries, and graphics draw of the new approach for better visualization and understanding the issue. The main conclusion of this study is that a new approach is needed to evaluate the index of ISO 9001 standard as a more appropriate indicator for listing/ranking countries and this serves all those interested in the academic field, public administration, and the reports and studies of the national and international level of organizations, to create a better perception of doing business in general and on the aspects of quality management in particular, especially when it comes to making the most appropriate comparisons between countries on these issues, weighting them numerically and graphically, as well as helps on understanding, and for a better approaching of socio and economic issues related to ISO standards and continuous improvement of people and organizations.

Significant developments in digital technologies can potentially provide managers and engineers with the ability to improve the quality of the construction industry. Acknowledging the current and future use of digital technologies in construction quality management (CQM), we address the following research question: What developments in digital technologies can be used to improve quality in the construction industry? In addressing this research question, a systematic review approach is used to examine the studies that have been used for the management of quality in the construction industry. This review indicates that there is a need for digital technology-based quality management to be: (1) enhance defect management for concealed work, (2) enhance pre-construction defects prevention as well as post-completion product function testing, and (3) research on construction compliance inspection as a direction. We suggest that future research focus on quality culture development, advanced data analytics, and behavioral quality assessment.

The purpose of this study was to offer a new approach to evaluate the index of ISO 9001 standard, as so far countries are listed for the ISO 9001 standard based only on the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued for each country, and this perception does not correspond to reality, because some countries that are listed per alphabetic order on top, doesn't enjoy the property of having a better ranking when it comes to rank countries per number of ISO 9001 certificates issues, or when it comes to rank countries about their weight on the issue. On the other side, listing countries simply by the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued, doesn't reflect the real weight of countries on the issue, because this rank should be adjusted with the number of businesses of countries taken into consideration, better understanding of ranking models used. A new approach to ranking countries about this issue is needed, reflecting the issue of taking into consideration the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued in a country per number of businesses in that country, as a better way of evaluating the index of ISO 9001 standard. The methodology/method used to conduct this study were (1) the data collection on the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued per country, (2) the data collection on the number of businesses in each country, (3) the division of the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued with the number of businesses, (4) construction of a new ranking list of countries based on the ISO 9001 standard index, (5) inversing the list to give the right value/rank of countries, and graphics draw of the new approach for better visualization and understanding the issue. The main conclusion of this study is that a new approach is needed to evaluate the index of ISO 9001 standard as a more appropriate indicator for listing/ranking countries and this serves all those interested in the academic field, public administration, and the reports and studies of the national and international level of organizations, to create a better perception of doing business in general and on the aspects of quality management in particular, especially when it comes to making the most appropriate comparisons between countries on these issues, weighting them numerically and graphically, as well as helps on understanding, and for a better approaching of socio and economic issues related to ISO standards and continuous improvement of people and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of safe blood supply and transfusion comes the introduction of managing quality as a culture. This is implemented through the introduction of a quality system (QS) and a related quality management system (QMS). In many situations in the world the idea is that when instructions are written (SOPs) a QS is in place; one just has to follow the instructions and “that is it, we're done”! However, quality does only partly depend on following instructions at the operational level. What is generally not understood is the importance of designing and implementing QS management as an institutional culture, based on the five key elements (1) organization and (infra) structure; (2) standards (technical and quality); (3) documentation to allow traceability and evidence; (4) education through continued teaching and training; (5) assessment through continued monitoring and evaluation. There are a number of QMSs available which can be applied to procurement and clinical use of blood. Some are “process”- and “operations-oriented” while others deal more with the management aspects, securing a quality environment and culture, necessary for consistency and reliability of the operational processes. The EU European Foundation for Quality Management and Canadian ISQua system are based on fundamental concepts of excellence. To achieve an optimal understanding of the values of quality in transfusion medicine, vein-to-vein, a culture has to be created through ownership development, and commitment to and implementation of the principles of fitness for purpose, the supplier-producer-customer continuum, and customer-orientation and satisfaction.

This paper aims to examine the relationship between quality management orientation dimensions and maintenance performance. The concept of quality management orientation is proposed and defined as a set of norms and values regarding customer orientation, quality responsibility, prevention and process orientation. Empirical data were drawn from a sample of Slovenian organisations in order to address the research question. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis. The findings indicate that quality management orientation is important predictor of maintenance performance. Data analysis results also show that quality management orientation dimensions are positively related to maintenance performance. By testing the impact of quality management orientation on maintenance performance, this study shows that strong foundation on quality management orientation is an effective way of improving maintenance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumo Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar o nível de adoção de práticas da gestão da qualidade (PGQ) e verificar se a cultura organizacional (CO) das concessionárias automotivas brasileiras são orientadas para a qualidade, com base no seguinte problema: existe uma CO nessas organizações que propicie a aplicação excelente das PGQ? Para tanto, foi aplicado um questionário contendo ferramentas de diagnóstico do perfil cultural e dos níveis de aplicação das PGQ aos gerentes de qualidade de 80 concessionárias certificadas com sistemas da família ISO 9000. Com uma taxa de resposta de 40%, verificou-se que as concessionárias adotam PGQ em níveis satisfatórios, porém a CO constatada não está suficientemente desenvolvida para absorver essas práticas em níveis excelentes. Depreende-se que esse cenário se constitui crítico, visto que organizações dessa natureza lidam com um perfil de cliente altamente exigente e rigoroso.

Objective: To examine factors influencing caring behaviour of nurses in Singapore.Design: Descriptive correlational study using Care Behaviour Inventory (CBI-24) questionnaire to assess nurses' perceptions of their caring behaviours.Setting: Acute tertiary hospital in Singapore.Participants: A convenience sample of 167 full time registered nurses working in subsidized wards, with more than 1 year of experience in current practising ward were recruited.Main Outcome Measure(s): Nurses' perception of their caring behaviours.Results: Data analysis yielded a mean CBI score of 123.11 out of 144, indicating that nurses had a positive perception of their caring behaviours. Among the 4 CBI subscales, Respectfulness and Connectedness components of CBI were ranked the lowest with a mean score of 4.2 and 4.9, respectively. This indicated that although nurses generally performed adequate caring during patient care, they appeared to be lacking in the expressive aspect of caring. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were found among subgroups of nationality, ethnicity, religion and education level. Nurses' perception of their caring behaviours was positively correlated to their age and total working experience. Linear regression showed that age, religion, education level positively influenced nurses' perception of their caring behaviours.Conclusion: Findings from this study raise awareness to the caring behaviours that nurses were lacking in and also offer valuable insights to the potential factors influencing nurses' caring behaviours. This information serves as a foundational knowledge to guide the development of interventions aimed to promote patient-centred care and improve quality of future nursing care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To this date, research on the interplay between organisational structure/managerial and organisational value/psychological elements which impact on educational quality is scarce and fragmented. As a consequence of a lack of knowledge in this area, institutions often address these elements in isolation, moving past integral approaches, which reinforce the organisations' quality culture. In order to examine interrelationships between context characteristics, work-related psychological attitudes of staff and enhancement practices, a path analysis was performed on data collected from academics with teaching coordination roles. The findings highlight the paramount importance of a 'human relation' value orientation; this orientation influences empowerment, commitment and communication satisfaction. Rational goal values and ownership are positively related to quality enhancement practices. It is advocated that institutional policies and strategies directed at educational quality enhancement should leave discretionary space for the availing of academics' expertise. Nurturing collaborative teaching/learning communities with explicit concern for morale, involvement and development, deserves further cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gestao & Producao is the property of Gestao & Producao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Methodological variance and quality, heterogeneity of value and divergent approaches are reasons for the varied results of Lean interventions in healthcare despite ongoing global popularity. However, there is piecemeal evidence addressing the sustainability of initiatives-the aim of this review is to use an integrative approach to consider Lean's sustainability and the quality of available evidence in today's National Health Service (NHS).Data Sources: A literature review of AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane, JBI, SCOPUS, DelphiS, MEDLINE, EMBASE, MIDIRS, Web of Science and PsycINFO electronic databases was conducted.Study Selection: Peer-reviewed studies in NHS hospitals/trusts that concerned undiluted, service-wide Lean adoption and contained quantitative data were included. Reference lists were consulted for evidence via a snowball approach. Methodological quality was assessed using an adapted critical appraisal tool.Data Extraction: Research design, method of intervention, outcome measures and sustainability were extracted.Results Of Data Synthesis: Electronic searches identified 12 studies eligible for inclusion. This comprised of five quasi-experimental designs (one mixed-method), three multi-site analyses, one action research, one failure mode and effects analysis, one content analysis of annual reports and one systematic review. Six articles considered sustainability with two of these providing measured successes. Despite diverse and positive outcomes studies lacked scientific rigour, failed to consider confounding issues, were at risk of positive bias and did not demonstrate sustainability with any statistical significance.Conclusion: Lean has ostensible value but it is difficult to draw a conclusion on efficacy or sustainability. Higher quality scientific research into Lean and the effect of staffing cultures on initiatives are needed to ascertain the extent that Lean can affect healthcare quality and subsequently be sustained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To present an update on incidence and mortality from adverse effects (AEs) of medical treatment in the UK, its four countries and nine English regions between 1990 and 2013.Design: Descriptive epidemiological study on AEs of medical treatment. AEs are shown as a single cause-of-injury category from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 study.Data Sources: The GBD 2013 interactive data visualisation tools 'Epi Visualisation' and 'GBD Compare'.Outcome Measures: The means of incidence and mortality rates with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). The estimates are age-standardised.Results: Incidence rate was 175 and 176 cases per 100 000 men, 173 and 174 cases per 100 000 women in 1990 and 2013, in the UK (UI 170-180). The mortality from AEs declined from 1.33 deaths (UI 0.99-1.5) to 0.92 deaths (UI 0.75-1.2) per 100 000 individuals in the UK between 1990 and 2013 (30.8% change). Although mortality trends were descending in every region of the UK, they varied by geography and gender. Mortality rates in Scotland, North East England and West Midlands were highest. Mortality rates in South England and Northern Ireland were lowest. In 2013, age-specific mortality rates were higher in males in all 20 age groups compared with females.Conclusions: Despite gains in reducing mortality from AEs of medical treatment in the UK between 1990 and 2013, the incidence of AEs remained the same. The results of this analysis suggest revising healthcare policies and programmes aimed to reduce incidence of AEs in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The literature is reviewed to examine how 'improvement capability' is conceptualized and assessed and to identify future areas for research.Data Sources: An iterative and systematic search of the literature was carried out across all sectors including healthcare. The search was limited to literature written in English.Data Extraction: The study identifies and analyses 70 instruments and frameworks for assessing or measuring improvement capability. Information about the source of the instruments, the sectors in which they were developed or used, the measurement constructs or domains they employ, and how they were tested was extracted.Results Of Data Synthesis: The instruments and framework constructs are very heterogeneous, demonstrating the ambiguity of improvement capability as a concept, and the difficulties involved in its operationalisation. Two-thirds of the instruments and frameworks have been subject to tests of reliability and half to tests of validity. Many instruments have little apparent theoretical basis and do not seem to have been used widely.Conclusion: The assessment and development of improvement capability needs clearer and more consistent conceptual and terminological definition, used consistently across disciplines and sectors. There is scope to learn from existing instruments and frameworks, and this study proposes a synthetic framework of eight dimensions of improvement capability. Future instruments need robust testing for reliability and validity. This study contributes to practice and research by presenting the first review of the literature on improvement capability across all sectors including healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing belief that higher education institutions should nurture a 'quality culture' in which structural/managerial and cultural/psychological elements act in synergy to continuously improve education. Notwithstanding the positive connotation of the 'quality culture' concept, its exact configuration remains subject to debate. A realist review was conducted to identify inhibiting and promoting organisational context elements impacting quality culture, its working mechanisms and associated outcomes. Leadership and communication were identified as being of key importance in binding structural/managerial and cultural/psychological elements. Leaders are central 'drivers' of quality culture development through their ability to influence resource allocation, clarify roles and responsibilities, create partnerships and optimise people and process management. Adequate communication is considered a prerequisite to diffuse quality strategies and policies, evaluate results and identify staff values and beliefs. It is proposed that the working mechanisms of quality culture comprise increased staff commitment, shared ownership, empowerment and knowledge. Associated outcomes related to these mechanisms are positive effects on staff and student satisfaction, continuous improvement of the teaching-learning process and student and teacher learning and development. Institutions striving for the development of a quality culture should best operate from a contingency approach, i.e. make use of quality management intervention approaches which are tailored to the organisational context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present research about identifying critical management behaviour regarding quality orientation in organisations. Design/methodology/approach – In order to describe how quality orientation is manifested in management behaviour, the critical incident technique was chosen. First, quality orientation was defined based on an extensive literature review. Then, critical incidents that represent a behavioural manifestation of each dimension were derived through a deductive approach. Lastly, an expert group consisting of scientists and practitioners were asked to categorise the critical incidents and evaluate their practical relevance and completeness. Findings – The results show that the construct quality orientation is related to the five variables internal customer focus, external customer focus, continuous improvement orientation, systems-thinking perspective, and data-driven. For each variable four critical incidents were developed and evaluated by the expert group. Analyses of the data show fair agreement between the raters with an overall agreement index of 0.38. Originality/value – The results of the present study can be used to support managers in understanding and practising behaviour critical to organisation-wide quality and thereby improving working conditions as well as business results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To establish current knowledge of patient safety and quality of care in developing countries in Southeast Asia, current interventions and the knowledge gaps. Study design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis. Data sources: Key words, synonyms and subject headings were used to search seven electronic databases in addition to manual searching of relevant journals. Data synthesis: Titles and abstracts of publications between 1990 and 2014 were screened by two reviewers and checked by a third. Full text articles were screened against the eligibility criteria. Data on design, methods and key findings were extracted and synthesized. Results: Four inter-related safety and quality concerns were evident from 33 publications: (i) the risk of patient infection in healthcare delivery, (ii) medications errors/use, (iii) the quality and provision of maternal and perinatal care and (iv) the quality of healthcare provision overall. Conclusions: Large-scale prevalence studies are needed to identify the full range of safety and quality problems in developing countries in Southeast Asia. Sharing lessons learnt from extensive quality and safety work conducted in industrialized nations may contribute to significant improvements. Yet the applicability of interventions utilized in developed countries to the political and social context in this region must be considered. Strategies to facilitate the collection of robust safety and quality data in the context of limited resources and the local context in each country are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation is transforming our world into an economic global village. In this environment, both small and large businesses are required to become more efficient and cope with a competitive global market where customers' expectations continually increase. In this new reality, quality is critical for success and yet, many managers ignore this at their own peril. This paper focuses on the philosophy and methods for improving the quality of a product/service, which in turn leads to a good long-term reputation and improved profitability. This philosophy, which leads to the ‘Quality Chain Reaction’ includes: (a) customer-focused strategy and creation of quality culture; (b) emphasising the prevention process; (c) constant improvement of work processes; (d) establishment of employee involvement and commitment; (e) management support and positive leadership. In addition, it presents the rationale and practical implementations of the methods suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective It is believed that in order to reduce the number of adverse events, hospitals have to stimulate a more open culture and reflective attitude towards errors and patient safety. The objective is to examine similarities and differences in hospital patient safety culture in three countries: the Netherlands, the USA and Taiwan. Design This is a cross-sectional survey study across three countries. A questionnaire, the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPS), was disseminated nationwide in the Netherlands, the USA and Taiwan. Setting The study was conducted in 45 hospitals in the Netherlands, 622 in the USA and 74 in Taiwan. Participants A total of 3779 professionals from the participating hospitals in the Netherlands, 196 462 from the USA and 10 146 from Taiwan participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures The main outcome measures of the study were 12 dimensions of patient safety culture, e.g. Teamwork, Organizational learning, Communication openness. Results Most hospitals in all three countries have high scores on teamwork within units. The area with a high potential for improvement in all three countries is Handoffs and transitions. Differences between countries exist on the following dimensions: Non-punitive response to error, Feedback and communication about error, Communication openness, Management support for patient safety and Organizational learning—continuous improvement. On the whole, US respondents were more positive about the safety culture in their hospitals than Dutch and Taiwanese respondents. Nevertheless, there are even larger differences between hospitals within a country. Conclusions Comparison of patient safety culture data has shown similarities and differences within and between countries. All three countries can improve areas of their patient safety culture. Countries can identify and share best practices and learn from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]