Neville T Duarte’s research while affiliated with Auburn University at Montgomery and other places

It is ironic that perhaps the only constant in health care organizations today is change. To compete successfully in health care and position an organization for high performance amid continuous change, it is very important for managers to have knowledge of the best learning and development practices of high-performing organizations in their industry. The rapid increases in the rate of technological change and geometric increases in knowledge make it virtually imperative that human resources are developed effectively. This article discusses the best learning and development practices among the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners in the health care industry since 2002 when the industry had its first award-winning organization.

Hospitals and other health systems increasingly must rely on innovation as they seek creative approaches for improving patient outcomes while simultaneously dealing with regulatory and cost constraints. The management of innovation is an integral component of hospitals/healthcare systems that are recognized for their excellence by the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in Health Care. Using a framework based on in the 2011–2012 Healthcare Criteria for Performance Excellence and organizational literature, this paper identifies the best practices in innovation as demonstrated by the 15 Baldridge winners. The results indicate that Baldridge winners engage in Innovation Leadership by incorporating innovation into their vision, mission, and values statements and explicitly stating support from senior leadership; strategic planning for innovation by including innovation initiatives in strategic goals and action plans and soliciting stakeholder involvement in innovation; and management of innovation processes by integrating innovation with performance improvement efforts and harnessing human resources. Best practices are summarized to guide leaders in other hospitals/healthcare systems in bringing innovation to the forefront of their initiatives.

When carefully constructed, performance management systems can help health care organizations direct their efforts toward strategic goals, high performance, and continuous improvement needed to ensure high-quality patient care and cost control. The effective management of performance is an integral component in hospital and health care systems that are recognized for excellence by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in Health Care. Using the framework in the 2011-2012 Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence, this article identifies the best practices in performance management demonstrated by 15 Baldrige recipients. The results show that all of the recipients base their performance management systems on strategic goals, outcomes, or competencies that cascade from the organizational to the individual level. At the individual level, each hospital or health system reinforces the strategic direction with performance evaluations of leaders and employees, including the governing board, based on key outcomes and competencies. Leader evaluations consistently include feedback from internal and external stakeholders, creating a culture of information sharing and performance improvement. The hospitals or health care systems also align their reward systems to promote high performance by emphasizing merit and recognition for contributions. Best practices can provide a guide for leaders in other health systems in developing high-performance work systems.