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Running Head: SYSTEMS THINKING FOR QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY. 1

SYSTEMS THINKING FOR QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY 4

Systems Thinking for Quality and Productivity.

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Systems Thinking for Quality and Productivity

How can systems thinking be used to improve quality?

System thinking can be used to improve quality because it helps in comprehending the different dynamics of a complex system (Jimmerson, 2017). Systems thinking is an approach that focuses on the relationship of constituent parts of a system and how systems work within a larger context. It puts the organization as a part of a larger system. Paying attention to feedback is a very vital component of systems thinking (Jimmerson, 2017). Feedback helps the management of any organization in identifying loopholes in a given system and therefore work to find solutions instead of sticking to the same counterproductive approaches.

In healthcare, systems thinking is a very important skill that helps policymakers to build programs and policies that put into consideration the unintended consequences. Systems thinking helps in coming up with ways of dealing with the complex situations in the real world. Systems thinking can be used to improve quality because it acts as a diagnostic tool (Johnson and Sollecito, 2018). It is only through diagnosis that the loopholes in quality can be identified and therefore rectified. System thinking ensures that problems are examined completely and accurately before a solution is sought.

What is the relationship between quality improvement and productivity improvement and are they at odds with each other?

The relationship between quality improvement and productivity is a positive one because as the quality improves, the time required to fix mistakes and correct the work reduces drastically which means more productivity. The two may seem to be at odds with each other because quality improvement requires a lot of input which may sometimes lower the productivity but when the relationship is evaluated progressively, the final result is that quality improvement results in more productivity. Once the systems are well coordinated to adapt to the required standards of quality then the process becomes faster.

As a health care leader, what systems thinking strategies can you offer to best address the relationship between quality and productivity, and avoid any issues that you perceive would put them at odds with each other?

Quality in health care can be defined as the level to which health care services increase the probability of desired health outcomes and are up to standard with current professional field of knowledge (Graban, 2016). To address the relationship between quality and productivity, the following system thinking strategies can be applied. The first strategy is to identify what the problem is and what the possible sources of the problem could be. This can be done through inquiry and diagnosis. From this information, the causal loop diagram can be created. The loop should be an accurate representation of the problem and it should contain all the variables (Graban, 2016). Majority of errors in healthcare are brought about by system failures which is why it is very important to track back and identify where the inefficiencies occurred and whether they can be prevented (Jimmerson, 2017). Through systems thinking, the quality gap can then be reduced which will result in increased productivity.

REFERENCES

Graban, M. (2016). Lean hospitals: improving quality, patient safety, and employee engagement. Productivity Press.

Jimmerson, C. (2017). Value stream mapping for healthcare made easy. Productivity Press.

Johnson, J. K., & Sollecito, W. A. (2018). McLaughlin & Kaluzny's Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care. Jones & Bartlett Learning.