Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of MBNQA (Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award) framework components on firm’s performance of SriLankan
private healthcare sector. MBNQA framework which was established in 1987 and it
was viewed as an advantageous way for categorizing the elements of quality.
Significant number of studies examined the usefulness of the MBNQA criteria and
found that MBNQA criteria exceeded the users’ expectations and it was used as source
of information to accomplish business excellence. Currently there are newly established
Baldrige Healthcare Criteria for performance excellence which has been specially
tailored for the healthcare providers. Moreover SLNQA (SriLanka National Quality
Award) was established in the year 1995 as an annual award to recognize organizations
in Sri Lanka for performance excellence and quality achievement and this award is
based on the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award of USA. Hence for this reason
combined with the universality of such award this study adopted MBNQA framework
to measure the performance of healthcare sector in SriLanka. The main objectives of
this study are to assess the extent of which MBNQA framework components have been
implemented in SriLankan private hospitals and to identify which of these MBNQA
framework components are associated in improving the performance of hospitals. This
study included a total of eight healthcare service providers which comprised some of
the leading healthcare providers in Colombo. The findings revealed that MBNQA
framework implementations are linked with improved performance in healthcare sector
in the country. Further, healthcare firms in Sri Lanka who expect to implement
MBNQA framework to improve their performance should mainly focus on MBNQA
framework components which encompasses focusing on operations, workforce and
measurement, analysis and knowledge management.
