Teamwork Brings TQM to Health Care Available to Purchase

Outlines the cultural changes which were necessary to maximize the employees’ intellectual power in the Swedish American Hospital in Rockford, Illinois and how these changes were developed to reflect TQM philosophies. This involved the introduction of interdepartmental problem solving/planning teams, and details some of the lessons learned from their experiences, i.e. defining a problem, identifying team members and motivating team members in training. Lists some of the lessons learned at Swedish American and shows how it is moving forward to TQM. Concludes that the collective power of individuals is promoted through team activity, and empowerment of employees will maximize intellectual power which will in turn benefit the customer.