Continuous improvement in service delivery

During a longitudinal study, two long-term elderly care organizations (nursing homes and/or home care) are being followed to investigate the extent to which and in what form these organizations are engaged in the LEAN principle of continuous improvement. After a baseline measurement, the organizations will be followed 4 times a year. For this, the researchers use questionnaires and interviews. The results are fed back to the organization.

The research is intended to test the model “Elements of a continuous improvement organization.” This model was developed by the Impactful Value Chains lectorate to use it to measure the improvement capacity of organizations. It includes elements that lead to continuously improving organizations. The model is already being tested for validity within the manufacturing industry. Because of the differences in processes between the manufacturing industry and the service industry, the researchers wonder whether the model is also useful for the service industry. This question can be asked for both profit and nonprofit service industries. The current research focuses on the nonprofit.The purpose of the research is, on the one hand, to test and, where necessary, perfect the model’s usability for service processes. At the same time, the researchers want to monitor long-term continuous improvement within the participating organizations. In doing so, they would also like to contribute to the improvement culture within these organizations so that they can use it to improve their own work processes.