A self-assessment guide for readiness to govern

Purpose - This viewpoint introduces a "Readiness Self-Assessment Guide" that can be used as a diagnostic tool to help health service governors and managers, particularly in Low-Middle Income Countries, or those in the early stages of developing their governance program. Design/methodology/approach - The approach uses the conceptual framework for governance developed by Barbazza and Tello (2014). Findings - The Guide is based on five foundational elements or components of governance that frame the actual governance activities. The self-assessment process uses a sequence of real-world examples to help users of the Guide assess their organization's "readiness" or current capacity to strengthen quality. A simple scoring process allows users to rate their organization's progress through potential evolutionary steps. The resulting analysis is intended to be the starting point of a structured discussion among team members about priorities, enabling factors and constraints. Practical implications - Assessment of the institutional context is a fundamental step that will enable quality teams to select the appropriate tools for their priority concerns. This Readiness Self-Assessment Guide can be used as part of that diagnostic assessment. Originality/value - This paper is empirically derived from the author's experience as a consultant helping health service organizations and governing authorities to develop health governance programs in several countries.