Applying adult development theories to improvement science
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 14 August 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address how adult development (AD) theories can contribute to quality improvement (QI).
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical analysis and discussion on how personal development empirical findings can relate to QI and Deming’s four improvement knowledge domains.
Findings
AD research shows that professionals have qualitatively diverse ways of meaning-making and ways to approach possibilities in improvement efforts. Therefore, professionals with more complex meaning-making capacities are needed to create successful transformational changes and learning, with the recognition that system knowledge is a developmental capacity.
Practical implications
In QI and improvement science there is an assumption that professionals have the skills and competence needed for improvement efforts, but AD theories show that this is not always the case, which suggests a need for facilitating improvement initiatives, so that everyone can contribute based on their capacity.
Originality/value
This study illustrates that some competences in QI efforts are a developmental challenge to professionals, and should be considered in practice and research.
Keywords
Citation
Kjellström, S. and Andersson, A.-C. (2017), "Applying adult development theories to improvement science", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 30 No. 7, pp. 617-627. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-09-2016-0124
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited