Category: Innovation Leadership

Organization

Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Human Resources, Operations

Year Implemented

March 2020

This is GBPR Entry

Summary

Pursuant to Proclamation No. 922 s. 2020, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte declared a state of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines and designated Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium (DJNRMHS) as a COVID-19 Treatment Facility. Following this, DJNRMHS took drastic yet necessary steps to prepare its facilities and logistics through its Hospital Order No. 0226 s. 2020, initiating a Hospital Emergency Incident Command Structure (HEICS)—a management system that hospitals can adapt during emergencies. In adopting this system, the hospital could implement effective changes toward addressing the pandemic in only two months.

Background and Problem

On 21 January 2020, the Department of Health (DOH) released Department Memorandum No. 2020-0034, “Interim Guidelines on the Preparedness and Response to Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCOV).” It provided the implementing guidelines on Surveillance, Laboratory Testing, Clinical Management, Communication, and Infection Prevention and Control. Likewise, DJNRMHS did its due diligence and implemented the necessary precautions for additional facilities and logistics. However, during this time, typical hospital operation was already at its peak. In terms of the number of admitted patients, around 500 were admitted, and approximately 700 patients were visiting the Outpatient Department and Emergency Room (ER) daily.

And adding to their already constrained situation, In March 2020, the hospital set-up shifted as former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte proclaimed three COVID-19 referral hospitals in the National Capital Region—and their hospital was one of the selected. And yet, among the three identified institutions, their hospital was the first to accept the exceptional challenge of converting the hospital into a COVID-19 referral facility. Pursuant to Proclamation No. 992 s. 2020, the leadership of DJNRMHS committed that all staff would provide service to all Filipinos amidst the pandemic and despite f minimal resources and high risk to all health workers. With all this, on 17 March 2020, DJNRMHS started its difficult transition from a Level 3 teaching training health facility to a COVID-19 referral hospital.

However, as the pandemic started affecting more of the general population, medical staff and other personnel experienced a fast-paced paradigm shift in their professional practice and psychological well-being. Especially during the beginning of hospital preparation, all of their staff experienced anxiety, difficulties, and fear. Nonetheless, DJNRMHS staff participated in all the activities to be more knowledgeable and skillful to become confident and an expert in providing quality care.

Notably, the medical staff was experiencing discrimination in their communities. Some of them were being avoided during rides on public transportation, and others were even forced to evacuate their residences because their family members were being abused by their neighbors. All these affected the general welfare of the medical staff. Particularly for DJNRMHS, these incidents translated into low morale and high levels of distress for their staff. The community around the institution expressed their fear and anxiety through a mass rally, and a few even caused civil disturbances.

Solution and Impact

On 17 March 2020, under Hospital Order No. 0226 s.2020, the Hospital Emergency Incident Command Structure (HEICS) was initiated to employ more structure in its command, control, and coordination. It consisted of changes such as creating a more logical management structure, redirecting roles and responsibilities, creating more comprehensive reporting channels, and revising nomenclature. Through these changes, the institution could comply with all social and environmental standards as a COVID-19 referral hospital. In only two months, the entire hospital was able to adapt.

Notable structural changes included:

• Regular wards from Pediatric, Surgery, Diagnostic buildings, and Internal Medicine buildings, including offices, were redesigned into a COVID-19 ward with a 300-bed capacity which complied with isolation requirements;
• The COVID-19 ward was designed with a traffic flow system that separated “clean” from “dirty” areas;
• Nurse stations, donning and doffing areas, and storage areas for medical stocks were strategically placed throughout the hospital;
• The Emergency building was repurposed to house the Hospital Infirmary, the Hospital Epidemiology, and Surveillance Unit (HESU) office, Communication Center office, Medical Social Service Unit satellite, and the COVID training office;
• The receiving area for COVID-19 referrals was also strategically placed near the patient admission and discharge entry/exit point.

Also, notable procedural changes included:

• A Communication and Operation Center was immediately activated to ensure that all concerns on contingency plans and protocols are cautiously implemented and evaluated.
• Protocols were adapted from DOH’s interim guidelines on the handling of COVID-19 patients.
• Infectious Disease Specialists and Infectious Disease Nurses were assigned to manage COVID-19 cases and Person Under Investigation.
• And through the joint efforts of its Human Resource Section, COVID-19 training unit, Public Health Unit, Psychology Department, and HESU, all hospital staff and related communities were also trained to be prepared against current and future pandemics.

Overall, the health facility was able to redesign its physical structures while executing, monitoring, and evaluating new policies and procedures. Despite COVID-19 cases being at its peak, the hospital staff could adapt to the new normal while still managing to resume normal business functions.

As a result of robust leadership and good governance, along with active engagement and strong commitment of staff, many positive outcomes were achieved. These included low rates of affected hospital staff with no record of death, high number of recovered cases, stable status of budget allocation and funding, high staff retention, and high rates of augmentation (i.e., the integration of healthcare workers from other agencies and hiring of Contract of Service employees dedicated to the management of COVID cases). Besides short-term results, a long-term impact of the institutional transformation was the hospital becoming renowned for managing emerging infectious diseases while still sustaining its institutional mandate to provide general and leprosy care to the public.

Milestones/Next Steps

Beyond the requirements of being a COVID-19 referral hospital, a swabbing area and molecular laboratory for RT-PCR testing was established and approved for operation. Furthermore, DJNRMHS was able to affirm partnership with government and non-government agencies to support this endeavor.For now, the challenge with this new endeavor is maintaining a pool of competent healthcare professionals to meet the increasing public healthcare demand.

Along with facility preparation, they also implemented workforce conditioning. Training programs were accredited with Continuing Professional Development units by the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC). Also, all hospital staff were tasked to undergo a series of training sessions and orientations to be more equipped and engaged in their roles and responsibilities.The COVID-19 ward team also underwent a pre-deployment activity consisting of cycles of training and orientation, physical/medical examination, psychological assessment, and briefing before and after clinical duties.

Existing policies and procedures were also modified in accordance with COVID-19 operations. New policies and procedures were also created, related to operations such as RT-PCR testing, staff welfare, procurement and distribution of resources.

And with the timely response of the institution towards the government mandate, DJNRMHS received commendations from DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III, DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr.

Organization

Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Human Resource, Operations

Year Implemented

September 2012 to present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The college needed to align its performance metrics with its many institutional mandates. To accomplish this, the college implemented the CSPC Strategic Performance Management System (CSPC-SPMS). Adapted from the foundational SPMS, it is a four-cycle, customized, and integrative approach for managing the overall performance of an organization. It encompasses performance planning and commitment, performance monitoring and coaching, performance review and evaluation, and performance rewarding and development planning.

Background and Problem

The college needed to align its performance metrics with its many institutional mandates; this included factors such as the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), the College Strategic Plan, the Annual Investment Program (AIP), the College Performance Indicator Framework (PIF), and the Executive/Legislative Agenda. To address this issue, the college sought to utilize a Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS).

Developed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in 2012, The SPMS is a four-cycle, customized, and integrative approach for managing the overall performance of an organization. This encompasses performance planning and commitment, performance monitoring and coaching, performance review and evaluation, and performance rewarding and development planning. It operates on the basis that performance goals and measurements are aligned with the following:

1. National development plans
2. Agency mandate
3. Vision
4. Mission
5. Strategic priorities
6. Organizational performance framework

Notably, the SPMS adopts a team approach to performance management. This is where accountabilities and individual roles in achieving organizational goals are clearly defined to give way to collective goal setting and performance rating. Moreover, its implementation requires the creation of the Performance Management Team to serve as the key player in implementing the system.

One of the system’s benefits is that it can align the involvement of various offices and delineate their respective roles toward attaining an organization’s goals. It also addresses the issue of subjective evaluations by implementing strategies such as performance-based evaluations, incentives for performers, developmental plans for poor performers, and sanctions for non-performers based on objective metrics.

Solution and Impact

CSPC institutionalized its SPMS by adopting the CSC’s Policy Guidelines governing establishing and implementing the Strategic Performance Management System. Said guidelines also identified some general policies and objectives.

Particularly, the policy guidelines articulated the key players and their respective responsibilities. In their implementation, their workforce was composed of: the College President, the Performance Management Team (PMT), Institutional Planning and Development Director, Human Resource Management Officer (HRMO), heads of offices/departments, and individual employees.

For their implementation of SPMS, their activities for each of the four-stage cycles are as follows:

In their first cycle, they conduct performance planning and commitment during the last quarter before the start of the new calendar year. This is when offices and employees identify their respective targets and expected accomplishments on various levels (i.e., institutional, office/unit/departmental, and individual). Organizational targets are also aligned in the Office Performance Commitment and Review (OPCR), while employees and individual targets are indicated in the Individual Performance Commitment and Review (IPCR).

In their second cycle, they conduct quarterly performance monitoring and coaching. These are facilitated by their College Deans, Division Directors, and Unit Heads who use the Performance Monitoring and Coaching Journal. Critical incidents are recorded with the coaching and action plan schedule during this cycle. Catch-Up/Recovery Plans are prepared for those behind work targets.

In their third cycle, they conduct performance reviews and evaluations., This is when the PMT Secretariat consolidates, reviews, validates and evaluates the initial performance of the heads of departments/units and individual employees based on reported accomplishments against established success indicators.

In their last cycle, they conduct performance rewarding and development planning. During this cycle, the development/unit heads and supervisors make appropriate development interventions or strategic options available in coordination with the HRD Office. Individual employees submit their respective individual development plans to improve or correct unsatisfactory or poor performance. The result of the performance evaluation/assessment serves as input to the following stakeholders and processes:
Heads of offices, for identifying and providing the different kinds of interventions needed to be based on the developmental needs identified;
The HRD Office, for consolidating and coordinating developmental interventions that will form part of the Human Resource Development Plan and the basis for rewards and incentives;
And the PMT for identifying potential nominations for various institutional awards and incentives.

Overall, the system aligned the institution’s operations towards realizing its vision, mission, goals, and objectives, facilitated a smoother flow of operations, and ensured the timely realization of targets.

Milestones/Next Steps

Institutionalizing the system led to the achievement of the following awards and recognitions for CSPC:

1. ISO 9001:2015 Certification transitioned from ISO 9001:2008. The PMT has become the college partner in crafting, reviewing, and implementing the Quality Objectives of each office, which has led to continuous certification and recertification.
2. Consistent Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) Qualifier. CSPC has been awarded by the AO25 Secretariat, CHED, and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The PMT ensures that all these are rationally distributed to different delivery units and that targets are also achieved on the timeline set;
3. Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy in the Government for Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) Level II Accreditation. CSPC was also commended by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as PRIME-HRM Level II accredited for implementing the four pillars of human resource management. The PMT serves as the focal in the Performance Management System and ensures a link between Training and Development and Rewards and Recognition;
4. Quality Management System (QMS) Award. The college is among the 22 government organizations recognized by the Government Quality Management Committee (GQMC) in December 2018.
5. Red Orchid Hall of Fame Award. CSPC is a Red Orchid Hall of Fame Awardee for having a Smoke-Free Advocacy in 2015, 2017, and 2018. The Performance Management Team became a college partner in ensuring that policies on smoke-free campuses are implemented.
6. Saringaya Award. CSPC is a Saringaya Awardee (2014, 2016) for ensuring that the College is eco-friendly. The Performance Management team included the adoption of eco-friendly practices in their targets of the delivery units/individuals.
7. Eco-Friendly School Award. CSPC is one of the two (2) SUC recipients among the 9 SUCs in the Bicol Region given by the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) in October 2019.
8. AACCUP accredits 100% of its accreditable programs. The College has been very conscious of targets, and the Performance Management Team serves as its guard in determining the targets and priorities.
9. Center of Excellence. CSPC is awarded the Center of Excellence in recognition of the quality of training, career development services, and international community-building. The PMT serves as a partner of the college in planning and developing employees’ career advancement.
10. Conversion of CSPC to Polytechnic State University of Bicol (PSUB) through RA 11283. Coping with the Philippine Higher Education standards, CSPC was finally converted through legislation from a college to a Chartered State University. The PMT is currently helping the college comply with the indicators needed before its full transition to a university.
11. SUC Level III Classification. CSPC is now classified as SUC Level III per Joint Circular 2016-1 of the CHED and DBM. The areas evaluated were Quality and Relevance of Instruction, Research Capability and Output, Services to the Community, and Resource Management.

Organization

Department of Education – Schools Division of Dumaguete City

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Operations

Year Implemented

School Year 2020-2021

This is a GBPR Entry.

Summary

The DepEd Schools Division of Dumaguete City has adopted several online programs that feature flexible implementation arrangements to help address concerns with the continuity of learning during the COVID-19 crisis. Five such programs focusing on instruction and curriculum development were implemented: the research-based 2SOD (2 Subjects in One Day) Curriculum, Dumaguete Learning Resource Portal, Chada Today TV, Sugilanon sa Kahanginan, and Online/Distance Learning Modality.

Background and Problem

With the enforcement of restrictions on travel and gatherings brought about by the spread of COVID-19, the Schools Division of Dumaguete City decided to prioritize ensuring the continuity of learning, together with the active involvement of all teachers, parents, and the community. This introduced an opportunity to explore and promote the transition into more sustainable, responsive, and resilient schools, highlighting along the way the crucial role of research and innovation in the education system and the need for reinforced partnerships and cooperation between schools and stakeholders.

Solution and Impact

The DepEd Schools Division of Dumaguete City has taken several measures to address the crisis, starting with the adoption of several online programs that address the flexibility and accessibility needs of their beneficiaries. A survey conducted in June 2020 found out that around 90% of enrollees have cellphones or other gadgets with access to the internet, giving the Division a ready avenue to provide easy access to education while reducing the exposure of students, teachers, and school staff to possible infection.

The following programs, designed to contributing to the development of DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs), were implemented as part of this effort:

1. 2SOD (2 Subjects in One Day) Curriculum is a research-based intervention that adopts a streamlined teaching schedule.
2. Learning Resource Portal is a Division-made website used as an online repository of instructional materials from Kindergarten to Grade 12, which are made readily available to teachers to be used for instruction.
3. Chada Today TV features lessons from Kindergarten to Grade 3, the formative years of children, which supplement the modular instruction given to said learners. Airing of these lessons started on October 12, 2020, and will run until the end of the school year.
4. Sugilanon sa Kahanginan is a radio-based instruction program focusing on values education through stories shared on-air by selected teachers of the Division.
5. Online/Distance Learning is provided by the Division through its official partnership with the education service platform Edmodo.

Milestones/Next Steps

At the time of writing, all five programs are ongoing at both elementary and secondary school levels. In recognition of these efforts, the Schools Division of Dumaguete City received the “Most Outstanding Division” award from DepEd Region VII.

Organization

Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy

Year Implemented

2016

This is a GBPR entry.

Summary

The Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) has been suffering from many issues. Some notable ones were that their students had poor performance in licensure exams, citations from their university were almost non-existent, and their operation manuals, codes, and handbooks were outdated. To address these issues, facilities were improved, and more importantly, a Learning and Development (L&D) Office was established. This office led to many positive changes across the institution and addressed many of the aforementioned issues.

Background and Problem

Upon the assumption of Feliciana P. Jacoba to office in 2016 as president of the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), the institution was already suffering from various issues that prevented it from reaching its full potential and achieving its targets. Mainly, these issues revolved around instruction, research, and governance. This prompted her to review the university’s policies, reassess the prevailing procedures and implement new strategies.

Instruction

When it comes to issues regarding instruction, NEUST students showed low performance in licensure exams, falling either below or barely above the national passing percentage. The university also had limited avenues for developing students’ other potential, and faculty development programs were limited to supporting faculty members attending external seminars, training, and conferences. Moreover, faculty members were mostly from graduate programs in the university’s graduate school, thus proliferating academic inbreeding. The university’s library facilities and collections were also outdated, and a general lack of facilities for the delivery of instruction was also observed.

Research

In terms of the university’s issues around research, it had a weak research and extension interface. Moreover, research niche and agendas were almost non-existent because research undertakings were handled only by a few faculty members. And of the lesser research outputs which did exist, they could be attributed to academic inbreeding.

• Only a handful of internationally published research articles and citations are almost non-existent.
• Innovation was frail and unmotivated.

Governance

Regarding issues around governance, the university’s operation manual, codes, and handbooks have either lost their relevance, are non-existent, or not approved by the Board of Regents (BOR). Moreover, NEUST was also inundated with Notices of Suspensions and Notices of Disallowances from the Commission on Audit (COA) due to findings of inefficient fiscal management. And aside from all this, a number of unfilled faculty items were also on the verge of being taken back by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). And overall, this culture of complacency led to low morale across the university.

• Quality assessment is only through accreditation by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines, Inc. (AACUP).

Solution and Impact

Driven to improve its situation, facilities were enhanced to strengthen the triad of functions mentioned; the university modernized its library facilities, increased the number of books in its collection, implemented digitalization practices, and acquired software like Grammarly and Plagscan, which are essential to faculty and students’ research activities, and improved laboratory facilities.

However, one of the most significant improvements implemented was the creation of the Learning and Development (L&D) Office. It was designed to facilitate faculty capability building and policy formulation. And through this office, many policies were indeed implemented addressing the previously mentioned issues.

For example, a policy now allows faculty members grants for study leave with pay to encourage them to pursue higher degree programs in other universities. This was created with the goal of lessening academic inbreeding among faculty ranks.

Policies were also put in place to enhance international linkages so that the university may offer a wider range of opportunities for student development, like in-practice teaching and on-the-job training (OJT). This strategy promoted students’ excellence as evidenced in students’ increased performance in the licensure exams, students emerging as winners in national and international competitions, and the internationalization of its curricular programs—meaning that NEUST graduate programs saw a number of international students enrolled.

The office also promoted excellence in research by institutionalizing a research manual. It stipulated policies such as incentives for research endeavors and provisions for facilities that stimulate innovation. Also, it established research centers that gave the university research direction and consequently boosted the research undertakings of the university, promoted ethical research practices, and stipulated. Altogether, these resulted in a marked increase in the number of internationally published research articles in journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics, Scopus, SAGE, and SpringerLink.

Moreover, other notable developments were brought about by the office:

1. The attainment of Level 1 accreditation from the University Research Ethics Committee by the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB);
2. Many innovations were born, as evidenced by the number of utility model registrations and copyrights held by the faculty members, product development technologies introduced into the community, income-generating projects established, and partnerships with LGUs/GOs/NGOs were intensified.
3. Participatory approach to governance became a regular practice through implementing a program called “A Time with the President.” It consisted of a state of the university address, a mid-year review of annual targets, and annual planning.
4. New offices were created to facilitate the delivery of the University’s triad of functions. Some of these offices revolved around quality assurance, international and domestic institutional linkages, a data analysis center, and many more.
5. Intensified recruitment, hiring, and promotion of personnel
6. Compliance with policies of oversight agencies and other national government agencies.

Because of the changes brought about by its leadership, the NEUST constituents’ morale heightened. And overall, attitudes evolved from complacency to enthusiasm, as evidenced by the plentiful memberships to various committees.

Milestones

Over time, the office has contributed to many of the institution’s successes. In no particular order, they include:

1. Reviewed and Revised Vision-Mission Statement (2017 BOR Res. No. 12)
2. The following offices were established: OIDIL, Quality Assurance Office, Data Analysis Center, Learning and Development Office—to handle faculty development.
3. Generated more than 80M grant from external sources, the majority from NGAs
4. Five topnotchers in Licensure examination from 2016 to 2019
5. NEUST COEd students as Philippine representative to ASEAN Data Science emerging as 1st runner among ten competing countries
6. Improved Facilities such as the construction of the following buildings: College of Agriculture building, Tissue Culture Laboratory, USG Function Hall, Agriculture Training Center, Metal Innovation Center, Onion and Garlic Research and Development Center, Science and Technology building, as well as massive renovation of old existing buildings and expansion of academic buildings
7. State of the Art Facilities of the College of Nursing
8. Established four Research Centers: Metal Innovation Center, Center for Environmental Research, Onion and Garlic Research and Development Center, and Center for Indigenous People’s Education.
9. Intensified Food Research and Development Projects: Wright Blend array of products includes ground coffee, iced coffee, and other related products, buko pie production, and sugar-coated Pili Nuts, among others.
10. Identified SUC partner of MIRDC-DOST in the establishment of a Regional-MEIC (Metal Engineering and Innovation Center) with an initial grant of more than 13M worth of equipment in the first year of implementation (2020-2021)
11. From only 13 in 2015 with no citation earned to 135 before the end of 2019, research published in peer-reviewed international which elicited 200 citations as of 2019; 173 research papers were presented in local, regional, national, and international venues.
12. From 9 utility models in 2015 to 28 registered patents and utility models accumulated from 2017-2019.
13. Institutionalization of the University Research Ethics (UREC) that was granted Level 1 Accreditation Status by the Philippine Health Ethics Research Board (PHREB)
14. Copyrighted IT program, i.e., Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish Information System (2017); Barangay Information System; eDocument Tracking System; Mobile App for Programming Module; etc.
15. Online admission examination and enrollment system starting AY 2020-2021 in response to new normal
16. BOR approved operation manuals, handbooks, and codes that embody policies and protocols of all colleges, essential departments, and units
17. Linkages with international institutions: Lifelong College, Hongkong; Beijing Dudley Investment Consulting Company, Ltd., Beijing City, China; Vihn University, Vietnam; University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific; Daffodil University, Bangladesh; Jeonnam State University, Republic of Korea
18. Various awards and recognitions have been received from different public and private entities, acknowledging the contribution of the NEUST to the socio-economic uplift of the people’s lives.
19. Awards and recognitions received by the NEUST from 2016-present are as follows:
    • CSC-Certificate of Recognition- PRIME-HRM Bronze Awardee (4 categories: Learning and Development, Performance Management, Rewards and Recognition, Recruitment, Selection and Placement (2017)
    • Ten Outstanding Stakeholders of the Department of Education
    • Outstanding Blood Donors for HEI Category
    • ISO 9001:2015 Certification Status