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Describes an action research project to improve quality in three hospital departments including operating theatres, X‐ray, and medical records. The approach combined quality assurance (QA) or audit methods with those of continuous quality improvement (CQI) or TQM. The intention was to bring about improved organizational performance through an emphasis on bottom‐up rather than top‐down methodology, and to assess the relative effectiveness of different quality strategies being used within the hospital. Baseline studies of organizational climate and of patient perceptions enabled evaluation of effectiveness. Provides a description of the background to various health‐care quality strategies, and argues that several perspectives are required if all stakeholders (e.g. policy makers, professionals, patients, and managers) are to be satisfied. Describes the responses of staff, superiors and professionals and recommendations offered for more effective quality strategy implementation.

Describes a training event for healthcare managers in Saudi Arabia. Using role playing techniques the objective was to help them to become more effective at running meetings. The analysis showed that this method did work in a cross‐cultural setting, it is a relatively simple and cheap option and provided the students with real meeting experience.

Although the term organisational culture is now widely used, there is little agreement as to its definition. This can lead to very superficial analysis. Unfortunately, although culture is a key concept in anthropology, its use in the anthropological literature is equally confused. A way forward is offered by considering the cultural approach as a way of approaching organisational data. Advantages of a culturally sensitive approach by consultants and managers involved in organisational change and problem solving are described. These include an holistic approach to data, ensuring a broad frame of reference, and a recognition that there will be a variety of competing world views significant both to our understanding of what is going on and to implementing proposals. In particular, a distinction is made between “emic” and “etic” explanations, and its importance to successful implementation of change is described. Finally, the issues of organisational pluralism and subcultures are considered.

The many changes in the NHS resulting from recent legislation, including allowing hospitals to “opt out” and become NHS trusts, coupled with a new culture of managerialism, emphasising service quality, employee commitment and value for money has led to an increase in service monitoring and inspection. It has also led to an increasing emphasis on quality and indirectly has brought professionalism and managerialism into direct conflict with each other (The Griffiths Report, 193 and Working for Patients, 1989).

This article demonstrates the relationship between the quality of an organisation′s workforce and the quality of its performance, and explores the implications for multinational companies, and local organisations in developing countries. It explores the particular problems of “localisation”, often mandated for such organisations and defines effective localisation. Obstacles are explored, and a ten‐point plan for effective localisation is set out.

The purpose of this paper is to examine two contrasting leadership development methodologies, Reflective Practice and Scharmer’s Theory U.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle and Scharmer’s Reflecting Deeply exercise were applied to the same leadership incident on separate days.

Reflective Practice provided helpful insights through focusing on one’s thoughts, feelings and motives during the event, as well as the actions of others and the author’s responses to them. The author found that using Scharmer’s Reflecting Deeply exercise enabled a deeper understanding of the incident to emerge, which also provided new and distinct insights.

The main limitation was the case study nature of this exercise; these findings are merely the result of one person’s experiences.

To develop rounded leadership skills, leaders can benefit from tapping into all of their resources; these two approaches allow different aspects of one’s intelligence to be accessed, which ought to facilitate greater development.

Many authors cite a current crisis of leadership, not least of all a perceived failure to tackle the environmental challenges we face. By seeking to develop more intelligent and rounded leaders, leadership itself ought to improve which in turn should help society tackle pressing issues.

To the author’s knowledge, a direct comparison of the leadership development methodologies used in this paper has not been previously described. This paper provides useful insights into the practical application of Reflective Practice and Scharmer’s Theory U, which will help inform others seeking to develop as leaders.

This paper aims to focus on the management capacity assessment of the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) program at the state level.

Based on an extensive literature survey, and discussions with senior officers in charge of RCH program at the central and state level, the authors have developed a conceptual framework for management capacity assessment. Central to their framework are a few determinants of management capacity, a set of indicators to estimate these determinants, and a management capacity assessment tool to be administered by each state. A pilot survey of the management tool in a few states helped the authors to refine each instrument and finalize the same. A suitable management structure is suggested for effective management of the RCH program based on the population in each state.

The assessment brought out the need to strengthen the planning and monitoring of RCH activities, HR management practices, and inter‐departmental coordination.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has accepted the management tool and asked each state to administer it. The recommended management structure is used as a guideline by each state to identify the capacity gaps and take necessary steps to augment its management capacity.

The authors’ framework to assess the management capacity of RCH program is very comprehensive, the management tool is easy to administer, and assessment of capacity gaps can be made quickly.

The purpose of this paper is to show how the theory of researcher positionality can help international business researchers and human resource managers clarify the ideal position of the expatriate in relation to host country nationals (HCNs), so that selection and cross-cultural training (CCT) can be more targeted and assignment specific.

This is a conceptual paper linking positionality theory and the methodological practice of reflexivity from ethnographic research and other social sciences to the research of expatriate acculturation.

This conceptual paper outlines theory from ethnographic research that, when applied to expatriate selection and acculturation, increases the field’s understanding of the expatriate’s position in relation to HCNs. This theory practically informs selection criteria, CCT programs and support plans as they pertain to specific international assignments. A novel theoretical model is then proposed.

This paper is conceptual in nature. Empirical research is needed to test the value of this paper and its proposed positionality gap model (PGM) model.

The research and conceptual model proposed in this paper has the potential to improve how multinational enterprise (MNE) managers conceptualize expatriate assignments, expatriate selections and expatriate CCT leading to more effective work and value added to stakeholders.

The PGM model proposed in this paper highlights the value of HCN’s culture and preferences as input for selection and CCT of an expatriate worker and contributes to the body of literature that views expatriation with multiple stakeholder perspectives.

This paper’s originality stems from the application of a well-understood phenomenon in ethnographic research and other social sciences to expatriate acculturation. The common practice of reflexology and theory of positionality can clarify the ideal position for an expatriate in relation to the MNE and HCNs for both researchers and practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the topic of customer integration into supply chains. Particular attention is focused on literature concerning customer-driven and customer-centric supply chains. The aim is to provide a deeper understanding of these two approaches, clarify the differences, compare them and provide a conceptual model and research propositions, leading to theoretical and managerial implications.

The paper presents a systematic literature review conducted using a consolidated methodology. The protocol used allows for the identification, analysis, synthesis, reporting and discussion of the results stemming from the literature on customer integration into the supply chain. This analysis enables us to summarize the results in a conceptual framework and introduce new research propositions.

Using the results of the literature review, the authors first systematized the literature on customer-driven supply chain and on customer-centric supply chain in the conceptual framework. For each of the two sets of studies, the authors highlighted three main streams of research concerning customer integration into the supply chain. The authors analyzed three different topics: why customer integration is needed, how customer integration takes place and which intra-organizational issues are necessary to implement customer integration into the supply chain. Second, the authors developed a conceptual framework to confront customer-driven and customer-centric approaches to supply chain management in an evolutionary perspective. The authors thus formulated research propositions aimed at entering in greater depth the management of the shift from the customer-driven to customer-centric supply chain.

The systematic literature analysis developed in the paper contributed to more integrated and comprehensive knowledge of customer integration into the supply chain. The paper identifies and describes the characteristics of different supply chain approaches through the organization and interpretation of academics’ contributions. The paper suggests the need for further research in at least three areas: the study of variables supporting customer-driven or customer-centric approaches, the relevant intra-organizational issues underscoring the customer-centric supply chain and the impact of digitalization on supply chain processes.

The paper outlines the main structural elements that compose the customer-driven and customer-centric supply chains. The results of the systematic analysis of the literature can be used to inform managers about the different levels and approaches for achieving customer integration. These diverse configurations of customer integration imply administrative and organizational considerations. Major issues to be considered when managers want to integrate the customer into the supply chain are identified. In addition, conditions underscoring different options – namely, customer-driven and customer-centric supply chains – are provided.

The originality of this work lies in the systematic review of literature examining customer integration into supply chains, which highlights two main levels of customer integration: customer-driven and customer-centric. The main contribution is the formulation of a conceptual framework and new research propositions from the comparison and merger of these two configurations. The information presented in this paper enhances the literature on recent developments in customer integration, thereby enabling managers to select the most suitable configuration for the supply chain structure.