Welcome to Licentiate Seminar in Quality Technology
We are pleased to invite you to the licentiate seminar of Ninni Löfqvist, doctoral student in Quality Technology at Mid Sweden University.
Thesis title: Organizational Learning – the Missing Link in Successful Continuous Improvement?
Opponent: Professor Sofia Kjellström, Jönköping University
The seminar can be attended in person in room Q340 at Mid Sweden University, Östersund, or online via Zoom
The seminar will be held in English and is open to all interested participants.
You are warmly welcome!
https://miun-se.zoom.us/j/3646494844?omn=67858128448
Abstract
Organizations in general, and healthcare organizations in particular, are constantly facing various challenges, and continuous improvement (CI) is considered important if organizations are to tackle these challenges and achieve organizational success. CI is acore principle of quality management and is frequently used in healthcare organizations. However, the success of CI has not produced clearly demonstrable positive effects. One proposed reason for this is the lack of focus on the learning integral to CI.
In this thesis, the importance of integrating learning with CI is emphasized through use of the term continuous organizational improvements and learning (COIL). For success with COIL, organizations also need enough people with the right capabilities.
The purpose of this licentiate thesis is to explore important factors for supporting COIL and the enhancement of COIL capability in organizations. To address the purpose of the study, the following research questions were formulated: RQ 1. What attributes of interventions are important for enhancing COIL capability?, and RQ 2. What conditions within an organization are important for supporting COIL?
A systematic literature review and a qualitative longitudinal case study were conducted in order to fulfil the purpose of the study. The literature review explored the research topic from the perspective of what has already been done regarding interventions that enhance COIL capability in healthcare organizations; while the case study explored the research topic from the perspective of what occurs organically within an organization striving to improve its work with CI and was conducted within a Swedish County Council over a period of 18 months.
Common attributes of interventions that enhance COIL capability arethat they have engaged managers who adopt a strategic approach; utilization of external training and guidance from coaches and facilitators, for example, to develop internal knowledge, skills and confidence; use of a process and structure (quality management methodology) to bring about improvements and learning; and autonomy, accountability and safety for both individuals and teams. Important conditions within the organization that support COIL are an understanding of the concept; knowledge about and habit of reflection; using existing knowledge; being open to knowledge from others; and safety and trust.
Both the literature review and the case study suggest close relationships and interactions between attributes of interventions and organizational contextual factors that either support and facilitate or hinder and obstruct. Consideration of these interactions appears essential in order to develop COIL and COIL capability. The findings emphasize the importance of incorporating learning aspects into CI. COIL represents a potential approach to integration of organizational learning and CI, thereby contributing to enhanced capability and capacity to successfully support development and improvements within organizations.