Design of an integrated management system (IMS) in a government-run medical evaluation organisation
Abstract
Purpose
The authors present the application of the López-Fresno approach in designing an integrated management system (IMS) for an aviation company to the development of an IMS in a government-run organization responsible for the medical evaluation of work disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to share the design process, with the intention of showing that this approach is applicable to other sectors and proposing generalization and applicability strategies to other smaller government entities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involves two phases. Phase I applies the López-Fresno approach to design a basic IMS-I and ends with a European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) evaluation, whose suggestions were taken into consideration for the final design of IMS-II during phase II. The data were obtained from the organization's own functioning. There was a significant degree of personal involvement by the authors, external consultants and members of the management committee in areas ranging from the approach itself to the various components analyzed.
Findings
The approach led to a better use of human and material resources and produced various advances in both internal and external communication and significant progress in employee motivation in their dealings with users and stakeholders.
Originality/value
The study offers guidelines and recommendations for designing an IMS adapted to small, compact, administrative organizations that operate with stakeholders with highly disparate outlooks and interests, with different quality levels, in a context related to competitiveness and economic development.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the management team and the consultants working on the organization's quality model for their participation in this study as well as the employees of the ICAMS, Board members, stakeholder representatives, and specially Palmira Lopez-Fresno, Maria Dolores Núñez, Eugeni Sedano, Virginio Gallardo, Josep Maria Costas, Jaume Ribera, Rosa Suñol and Joan Carles Cordón, for their help, encouragement and cooperation.
The authors acknowledge the support and input from their unforgettable colleague Xavier Gomila, who sadly passed away a few months previously.
Citation
Manzanera, R., Jardí, J., Gomila, X., Ramón Pastor, J., Ibáñez, D., Gálvez, G., Albertí, C., Navarro, A., Uris, J., Pomares, A., López, L., Zuazu, C., Sabaté, P., Aguado, I., Domingo, L., Infante, C., Gomis, J., Jover, A., Iglesias, J. and Mestres, A. (2014), "Design of an integrated management system (IMS) in a government-run medical evaluation organisation", The TQM Journal, Vol. 26 No. 6, pp. 550-565. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-01-2012-0007
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited