The Effectiveness of Managers in Soliciting Task Commitment to Continuous Improvement Projects: An Investigation of the Nigerian Healthcare System During COVID-19

Studying managers’ effectiveness to motivate subordinates to implement continuous improvement (CI) initiatives can provide important insights for healthcare management in ensuring high-quality patient care when resources are scarce. This research fills a gap in the supervisor-subordinate relationship and proactive influence tactics literature by considering the impact organizational culture has on subordinates’ willingness to commit to CI initiatives. Members of a public and private healthcare providers listserv of the International Association of Public Health Logisticians were surveyed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Bootstrapping and PLS-SEM were used to analyze the data. Results show that the effectiveness of rational persuasion and consultation in soliciting commitment to CI initiatives in the Nigerian healthcare system is mediated by the supervisor-subordinate relationship. And an organizational culture that supports mentoring, teamwork, and employee participation, i.e. Clan culture, increases employees’ commitment to CI initiatives. Implications are that developing strong relationships and a supportive culture are important.