Romancing the Big Q: Dancing with the Quality Gorilla

You know the basics. Quality systems have long been indispensable to the functions of health-care institutions. You might even say that quality is "a good friend." But if your development stops there, your institution will likely be mediocre at best. The real value in your relationship with quality is uncovered when you let it evolve. Committing to a culture of continual improvement can be something like dancing with a gorilla who never tires; it means developing the skills of adapting to changing demands and environments-cyclically and for always. Building on material from Introducing the Big Q: A Practical Quality Primer (AABB Press, 2004), and written in the same spirit (direct and easy-to-understand, with a sense of humor), Romancing the Big Q explains how to get beyond polite conversation with quality to a deeper relationship that can move an organization toward performance excellence. Each chapter is half theory, half story-first laying out the quality concepts, and then illustrating them in a down-to-earth case study. Readers follow characters at a fictional blood center through ups and downs along their deepening journey to excellence and blissful commitment to quality. In addition to intricate explanations of the matrices and tools involved in strategic planning, the broader aspects examined include vision and goal setting, solidifying leadership, understanding internal and external constituencies, process management (and plan deployment), measurement and evaluation, risk management, and future focus. Includes a free digital download of Introducing the Big Q: A Practical Quality Primer for your reference.