Implementing strategic collaborative quality management in healthcare sector

The limited success of Total Quality Management (TQM) in Iranian healthcare organisations led the researcher to search for a more viable solution, and therefore the concept of Strategic Collaborative Quality Management (SCQM) was created. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the SCQM model. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) was conducted at a public hospital for a period of 2.5 years to implement and evaluate the SCQM model. This study shows that SCQM provides a number of advantages over traditional TQM methods. These include improving the satisfaction of employees, clients, and suppliers and improving organisational productivity. SCQM application resulted in a cultural change in the hospital with improved communication, teamwork, and attitude towards continuous improvement. Employees’ morale, commitment, and satisfaction were improved. Consequently patient care was improved. These improvements were associated with top management active support, employee commitment and involvement, education and training, customer focus, supplier relations, and use of appropriate quality management methods.