RMI (Resource Management Initiative) and quality--getting the climate right.

The literature on the Resource Management Initiative (RMI) identifies an improvement in the quality of patient care as one of its principal aims. Successful implementation of RMI requires a change in behaviour. The mechanism or process by which this is to be achieved is not clear. This paper explores the possible nature of this relationship. We suggest that an understanding of the mechanisms through which an acute hospital can influence quality is best viewed from the perspective of organisational climate. The paper suggests a normative model for exploring climate and quality linkages through the operation of six key organisational levers. The applicability of the model is discussed throughout with reference to a RM acute hospital.