Problem-Solving Team Replaces Training, Works Better

A private hospital in New York City had paid for training in continuous quality improvement (CQI) twice: once from Ivy League college experts, and the other time from a "top-tier consulting firm." The author writes, "Although the participants had found the training experiences to be stimulating, informative, and enjoyable, the hospital could not identify any improvements in quality that stemmed from the training."

So the author, a management professor, suggested another approach. His team would meet weekly with the participants, teach them some basic problem-solving techniques, and help them use those techniques to solve actual problems at the hospital instead of hypothetical classroom problems. The hospital agreed and formed a cross-functional, multi-level team to tackle the major problem of patient records not being available when patients showed up for appointments. The team was given a time limit of 100 days and developed a measurable goal.

The approach to change was basic:

• develop a specific, measurable, realistic goal;
• provide fact-based feedback to those implementing change;
• hold those people accountable; and
• provide positive or negative consequences based on performance.

"As a result of the implemented changes, the clinic experienced a quality increase of 54 percent, a return on investment of 430 percent, and 3,500 fewer frustrating/negative service incidents per year, which translated into higher patient satisfaction." Task force members also reported gaining personally from their involvement in the process.

Repeating the process with a different team and problem had similar results: "Within 100 days, the emergency room cycle time was shortened by 48 percent, productivity increased by 93 percent, and the estimated return on investment was 1,270 percent."

The article suggests the following tactics to improve training effectiveness:

• Measure the results of all training in terms of behavioral change in the workplace.
• Instead of general off-the-shelf training, invest in training that is specific to your company and needs.
• To accomplish change:
• • Involve workers in designing the change,
  • Set specific, measurable goals, and
  • Provide consequences for making or not making those goals (taking into account factors outside of a worker's control).

Source: Kopelman, R. (03), "GMFAC: How a Simply Successful Approach to Organizational Improvement Worked at a Large City Hospital," Journal of Organizational Excellence 23(1):37.