Summative Assessment: Gemba Walk and Opportunities for Improvement Summative Assessment: Gemba Walk and Opportunities for Improvement
Summary of the
... [Show More] organization
Molina Healthcare is a healthcare organization that provides health plans as well as care
services to families and individuals. The services are provided to those who qualify for
government-sponsored healthcare programs. The company's mission is to ensure the provision of
quality healthcare to those who need it most, and its vision is to be the leading healthcare
organization in the communities it serves.
Context
The Gemba walk is a lean management technique that involves going to the place where
work is done and observing the processes, procedures, and interactions. By observing the work
in action, professional leaders can gain a deep understanding of how the work is actually done.
Furthermore, it helps in identifying the areas for improvement and making changes that increase
efficiency and also improve customer satisfaction. In the case of Molina Healthcare, the Gemba
walk focused on the claims and customer service functions. These areas were identified as
weaknesses and threats in the SWOT analysis, which highlighted the need for improvement. It
was observed how claims were processed, how customer inquiries were handled, and how
customer complaints were resolved.
This process will enable identifying areas where processes could be streamlined,
communication could be improved, and staff training could be enhanced. For example, it was
observed that certain steps in the claims process were redundant. These steps could be eliminated
to reduce processing time (Harileela et al., 2019). They also identified that some customer
service representatives were not properly trained in handling complex customer inquiries, which
led to frustration and dissatisfaction among customers. By addressing these issues, Molina
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GEMBA WALK 3
Healthcare would be able to make changes that could improve efficiency and customer
satisfaction. The Gemba Walk is a powerful tool for any organization that wants to improve its
processes and deliver better customer service.
Utilization of SWOT analysis
The SWOT analysis is a useful tool for organizations to identify their strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This analysis provided a framework for the Gemba walk
to focus on and identify specific areas for improvement within these functions.
During the Gemba walk, the observations and analysis were aligned with the weaknesses
and threats identified in the SWOT analysis. This enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of
the specific issues affecting the claims and customer service functions and to identify areas
where changes could be made to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. For example, if
the SWOT analysis had not been conducted, the Gemba walk may not have been focused
specifically on claims and customer service, and the observations may have been less targeted
and less likely to result in meaningful improvements. By utilizing the SWOT analysis, the
Gemba walk was able to be more focused, efficient, and effective in identifying areas for
improvement.
Gemba observations
The Gemba walk observed th [Show Less]