discussion

Health Administration Press

Applying Quality Management in Healthcare: A Systems Approach
4th Edition

Chapter 3

Characteristics of Complex Systems

Copyright 2017 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.

Health Administration Press

Learning Objectives

After completing this chapter, you should be able to

• discuss how a systems perspective can explain recurrent organizational problems,
• recognize different types of systems and the role of systems thinking,
• describe system characteristics that contribute to dynamic complexity, and
• explain the influence of dynamic complexity on managerial decision making

Copyright 2017 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.

Health Administration Press

Complex Health Services

• The presence of a large number of variables that interact with each other in countless and often unpredictable ways
• Dynamic complexity: “cause and effect are subtle, and where the effects over time of interventions are not obvious” (Senge 2006)

Copyright 2017 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.

Health Administration Press

Systems Thinking

• Healthcare systems contain a complex variety of interdependent organizations

Copyright 2017 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.

Health Administration Press

Systems Thinking

“A view of reality that emphasizes the relationships and interactions of each part of the system to all the other parts”

McLaughlin and Olson 2012

Copyright 2017 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.

Health Administration Press

Dynamic Complexity

System characteristics that contribute to dynamic complexity

Copyright 2017 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.