Shouldice Hospital Limited

Shouldice Hospital Limited

In June 2, 2003 Harvard Business Publishing article, “Shouldice Hospital Limited,” to describe one of the most successful hospitals that specialized in Hernia Removal. The Shouldice hospital, located in Thornhill, Ontario is considered a global leader in hernia repair and recovery. It was established in 1945 by Dr. Edward Earle Shouldice. The Shouldice Hospital has been very successful throughout its existence for many reasons, including creating a very effective service culture, developing and maintaining a very efficient operational process, as well as their specialization and expertise in hernia repair and recovery. It also created a culture that strongly differs from the norm of other hospitals and medical facilities. However, there are several issues currently confronting the Shouldice Hospital. The main concern of this paper is to address these issues and offer suggestions that would allow the Hospital to overcome these difficulties.

One of the main issues that Shouldice faces is the challenge of growing capacity while maintaining the quality of services and the friendly and smooth-running operation environment. The lack of sufficient resources was a major bottleneck for the company. The company was losing revenue and profit due to the lack of capacity of operating rooms, beds and other necessary resources. The lack of recourses also created a backlog of patients. This is a major challenge for both doctors and staff alike, as change implies the need for adaptation and transition. The problem is finding a way to increase the facility’s capacity in order to serve more patients and to reduce the backlog without altering the quality of services delivered or the levels of staff motivation and customer satisfaction. Also, in designing the long-term strategic objectives and direction for the company, Dr. Shouldice and the management board have to consider the emerging political factors and the growing competitive forces. The...