An empirical assessment of the EFQM Excellence Model: Evaluation as a TQM framework relative to the MBNQA Model

Total quality management (TQM) is an approach to management embracing both social and technical dimensions aimed at achieving excellent results, which needs to be put into practice through a specific framework. Nowadays, quality award models, such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, are used as a guide to TQM implementation by a large number of organizations. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of empirical research confirming whether these models clearly reflect the main premises of TQM. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which the EFQM Excellence Model captures the main assumptions involved in the TQM concept, that is, the distinction between technical and social TQM issues, the holistic interpretation of TQM in the firm, and the causal linkage between TQM procedures and organizational performance.     

Top management leadership,employee empowerment,job satisfaction,and customer satisfaction in TQM organizations: an empirical study

Top management leadership and employee empowerment are considered two of the most important principles of total quality management (TQM) because of their assumed relationship with customer satisfaction. As a result, many top management leadership and employee empowerment strategies and practices have been suggested in the management literature. However, few studies have been done to test this assumed relationship and determine which of these strategies and practices may be most effective in bringing about the intended results. This study surveyed organizations that have adopted TQM to determine the relationship between top management leadership, employees' empowerment, job satisfaction, and customers' satisfaction. The results reveal positive correlation between top management leadership, employee empowerment, job satisfaction, and customer satisfaction. Employee empowerment and improved levels of job satisfaction are facilitated by top management leadership and commitment to the TQM goal of customer satisfaction by creating an organizational climate that emphasizes total quality and customer satisfaction. Effective strategies for achieving employee empowerment and job satisfaction, together with top management leadership roles in a TQM environment, are identified and discussed.     

TQM practice in real-estate industry using AHP

Total quality management (TQM) has been recognized as a successful management philosophy that can be successfully practiced in the Real-estate industry. The purpose of this research is to determine the important factors that influence the TQM practice in real estate industry. The research methods employed included a literature review, in-depth interviews and focus group techniques which were used as a first to identify ten constructs of TQM in organizations. That is Top Management Commitment, Customer Focus, Benchmarking, Continuous Improvement, Supplier Quality Management, Product Innovation, Product Quality, Employee’s Involvement, Rewards and Recognition, Educational and Training. The AHP questionnaires were sent as 142 organizations of members of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India, in the metro city of Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. The sampling procedure resulted in an overall response rate of 51% and the result was categorized based on organization size—small, medium and large. Then, the empirical study adopted the techniques of the Analytic Hierarchy Process to solicit opinions from 72 expert opinion collected through mail questionnaire. The results show that Employee involvement, top management commitment, employee customer focus, plays very important role for TQM practice in organizations. The results show that the Employee’s Involvement is most important to TQM practice in India. This is not difficult to understand, since the less than desirable record of real-estate industry. Therefore, the key to a successful strategy is to rebuild the confidence of TQM practice in real-estate industry.     

Contrasts in enacting TQM: Mechanistic vs. organic ideology and implementation

A qualitative longitudinal study of the enactment of TQM in two semi-conductor supplier firms revealed that adoption, implementation, and institutionalization of TQM in one firm was mechanistic, with a ritualistic use of specific TQM methods, procedures, and language while the other firm used an organic approach in which a local adaptation of TQM emerged as people learned and adapted concepts and tools to fit their specific needs. Results suggest that how TQM is implemented affects its institutionalization. Specifically, changes achieved through mechanistic approaches to TQ implementation may produce only short-lived conforming behaviors while organic implementation appears more likely to produce lasting change.     

TQM practice in maquiladora: Antecedents of employee satisfaction and loyalty

In this study, we investigate the transferability of TQM practices to offshore manufacturing firms by validating direct and indirect relationships among top management commitment, HR-focused TQM practices, employee satisfaction, and employee loyalty. Our research objective is to isolate critical TQM practices that would enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty among maquiladora workers. On-site surveys were conducted at two leading maquiladora firms that have long implemented TQM. The statistical results indicate that employee empowerment, teamwork, and employee compensation have a significant and positive influence on employee satisfaction. The improved employee satisfaction leads to a higher level of employee loyalty. In addition, the results indicate that the effects of top management commitment on employee empowerment and teamwork are significantly mediated by employee training, implying that the success of employee empowerment and quality teams can be dependent upon the level of employee training.     

TQM and BPR: Beyond the Beyond Myth

It is generally assumed in the popular management literature that the TQM (total quality management) and BPR (business process re-engineering) movements are the two latest expressions of an increasing sophistication in management techniques and principles. Following this logic it only is a matter of time before they will be superseded by yet another management innovation. This paper aims to explode this ‘beyond’ myth by exposing the underlying logic of TQM and BPR implementation patterns in two case companies. Empirical findings will be related back to critical approaches to the study of TQM and BPR. Concrete suggestions as to how to move beyond the quick fix managerial mode will be proposed. Our approach is intended to provide a counterweight to the unreflective discourse surrounding TQM and BPR by breaking open the naturalness of this discourse. It supplies a few landmarks for managers and researchers to take a step back, hesitate, and reflect on the phenomenon of planned organizational change.     

Theorizing TQM: An Austrian and Evolutionary Economics Interpretation

Born out of management practice, the principles of TQM (total quality management) have had a profound and unparalleled impact on modern business history. However, as a body of practical knowledge, TQM has been largely atheoretical. As a consequence, this important management philosophy has remained amorphous and shrouded in considerable conceptual haziness and ambiguity. Recent theorizing, primarily emphasizing the application of organizational behaviour theories to TQM, has begun to provide greater clarity, but much work remains to be done. This paper attempts to contribute to this nascent theory‐building literature by employing theory from market process economics (MPE), namely, Austrian and evolutionary economics, which explains how processes of dynamic change, adaptation, and learning are driven by entrepreneurial creativity. We contend that the patterns in this body of theory match, to a remarkable degree, the patterns of practical knowledge contained in the TQM literature. We demonstrate this ‘pattern‐matching’ by showing that MPE effectively provides the theoretical underpinnings of TQM’s three main principles — customer focus, continuous improvement and teamwork — as well as the respective TQM topics of customer perceptions, adaptation in dynamic environments, and knowledge creation. Having established MPE as a credible theoretical lens for interpreting TQM, it can be used to clarify fuzzy areas that have remained in the TQM literature with the potential to take us beyond what we know now. We illustrate this with three examples that show how we can resolve debates in TQM over incentive systems, recognize that TQM embraces methodological pluralism in the collection and analysis of data, and highlight hidden dangers that attend benchmarking. While MPE has no monopoly on theoretical interpretations of TQM, it is unique in its ability to comprehensively cover the incredible breadth of this practical body of knowledge, and in its interpretation of TQM as a dynamic economic endeavour.     

浅议全面质量管理在企业安全管理的应用

在企业实施全面质量管理不仅对企业的产品与服务质量管控有重要意义,同时对企业安全生产管理也可产生显著推动作用。本文在介绍全面质量管理基本原则的基础上,总结对比两者的相似性,并结合在某生产型企业建立安全生产管理体系的经验,论述将全面质量管理理念应用于企业安全生产管理的可行过程,以期达到迅速有效建立安全生产管理体系并有效平稳运行、形成企业安全管理文化与标准的效果,促进企业质量管理与安全管理水平提升。     

全面质量管理在电子商务中的实施

电子商务中的质量管理是一个被长期忽视的研究领域。本文通过分析电子商务企业的质量目标，探讨了全面质量管理(釉TQM)在电子商务中的应用，分析了TQM在不同类型电子商务企业中应用的适合程度和有效性，并提出了在电子商务中实施TQM面临的一些困难。     

A contingency-configurational view of purchasing operations: The mediating role between supplier relationship and firm performance

The literature has considered purchasing and supply management activities from a strategic perspective, but the tactical role of purchasing operations has yet to be explored. Purchasing operations represent the internal modus operandi for transactions with suppliers, comprising three main activities – purchasing transactions, purchasing document management, and purchasing assessment – and supportive activities like purchasing knowledge management. Following the contingency theory, we hypothesize that these internal activities mediate between external supplier relationship management and firm performance (financial, customer and delivery performance). Complementarily, we adopt the configurational theory to hypothesize that this link between external and internal activities can be combined to increase firm performance. To test this contingency-configurational view of purchasing operations, we conducted a quantitative survey with 234 companies. The regression results of the contingency analysis show that purchasing operations activities have a full mediation role in most relationships between supplier relationship management and firm performance, while knowledge management positively moderates the association between purchasing assessment and customer performance. Moreover, the cluster analysis for the configurational analysis shows that supplier relationship management and purchasing operations follow maturity levels of joint implementation of internal and external activities. Our findings shed light on the purchasing operations by defining the activities representing this concept and showing their role in supply management. We also contribute to practice by proposing an integrative system that helps managers organize the firm's purchasing and supply management activities.     

探析全面质量管理与传统管理的区别

质量已成为全世界的共同语言。全面质量管理与传统管理是两种截然不同的管理范式。过去10年是全面质量管理的黄金时代,但从整体上看,全面质量管理在中国并没有惊人的表现。因此,我们不得不回头深入反思和重新认识全面质量管理,尤其是全面质量管理与传统管理的差异。为此,本文从基本概念着手,在顾客满意、组织领导与战略、业务流程、组织结构、组织学习与持续改进、考核与激励等方面探讨了全面质量管理与传统管理的区别。     

Operational,organizational, and human resource factors predictive of customer perceptions of service quality

The overall objective of this study was to examine the relationship between total quality management (TQM) factors and business unit performance as measured by customer perceptions of service quality. Data were collected from 26 business units of larger service organizations. Analyses confirmed our hypotheses that customer perceptions would be a function of a combination of operational, organizational, and human resource factors that have been associated with TQM.     

Organizational and environmental factors related to HRM practices in Hong Kong: a cross-cultural expanded replication

Data were collected from 151 Hong Kong organizations to determine the relationship between culture, firm size, level of unionization and presence of an HRM department, and human resource management (HR) practices. Culture was a relatively weak predictor of HR practices. Existence of an HRM department and level of unionization were moderate predictors while firm size and the existence of a specialized training unit within the HRM department were the strongest predictors of HR practices.     

‘How would you measure something like that?’: Quality in a Retail Bank

In this paper we explore a case study of total quality management (TQM) within the financial services sector. We demonstrate that a ‘conformance to requirements’ approach towards TQM is concerned with increasing management’s physical and financial control over procedures, documentation, systems and people. Such an approach only partially addresses quality because (a) there can never be a precise ‘conformance’ and (b) this approach neglects customers and employees. We illustrate that often management do not understand the flaws/problematics and underlying philosophy behind TQM. Thus they continue to adopt ‘inconsistent’ approaches, such as attempting to control costs and employees while espousing the importance of the customer and the need for a trust-based culture. Yet, whether or not they understand the rationale behind TQM and attempt to widen their focus by considering people and customers more directly, we argue that management cannot easily adopt a ‘consistent’ approach because a preoccupation with controlling costs is bound up with career-based identities and hierarchical power relations. Ultimately we argue that management cannot control ‘quality’ in any simple top down way, essentially because of the ‘indeterminacy’ of labour, the ‘intangibility’ of customer satisfaction, and the complexity of organizational power and identity relations.     

推行TQM与提高建筑施工质量

质量是建筑施工企业在激烈的市场竞争中立于不败之地的基础。推行全面质量管理 (TQM )是提高建筑产品质量的有效保证。TQM要求全体员工都要参加质量管理 ,并且贯穿建筑产品工程施工和保修服务的全过程 ,要求企业从上层到中层和基层管理者全力以赴抓质量 ,努力提高管理水平     

Exploring TQM awareness in the Greek national business context: between conservatism and reformism cultural determinants of TQM

This paper develops the theoretical understanding of the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) in business environments that differ from those from where it emerged. Business systems that are less developed tend to adopt more ‘sophisticated’ and formal strategic initiatives. The adoption of TQM by Greek organizations is a prime example. However, less has been said about the understanding of TQM or its cultural determinants in such environments. This paper, based on the results of 73 semi-structured interviews conducted with managers working in Greek public and private organizations, argues that there are two antithetical business-cultural ‘forces’ – conservatism and reformism – that seem to substantially affect the awareness and application of total quality concepts. Both features create pressures in the system, either restraining or promoting TQM implementation. In this context, the tension between traditional business culture and a modernization logic is the key to understanding the development of TQM.     

A replication and extension of quality management into the supply chain

As competition moves beyond a single firm into the supply chain, researchers are beginning to explore quality management (QM) in a supply chain context. The literature suggests that supply chain management (SCM) consists of internal practices, which are contained within a firm, and external practices, which cross organizational boundaries integrating a firm with its customers and suppliers. Supplier quality management and customer focus are two QM practices that are also clearly in the domain of SCM. In this study we investigate how these two supply chain management-related quality practices lead to improved performance and examine the practices that precede and mediate those relationships. In doing so, we replicate and extend the relationships among the QM practices and their effects on firm performance suggested in Kaynak [Kaynak, H., 2003. The relationship between total quality management practices and their effects on firm performance. Journal of Operations Management 21, 405–435] using survey data gathered from firms operating in the U.S. The inclusion of customer focus and supplier quality management in the QM model supports the importance of internal and external integration for quality performance. Implications of the results for researchers and practitioners are discussed, and further research implications are suggested.     

Who Adopts Total Quality Management (TQM): Theory and An Empirical Test

The recent emergence of total quality management (TQM) in the U.S. has spawned a great deal of interest in management circles as well as in the mass media. However, despite the growing number of firms that have adopted this management technique, few formal tests exist concerning the pattern of adoption as well as the changes that accompany the adoption of TQM. This paper contrasts models of production for TQM and non-TQM firms in order to explore reasons why some firms but not others have adopted the TQM approach to quality improvement. Predictions arising from such a comparison are tested using a unique data set that combines data on firms from three different sources. Our findings tend to support the proposed theory of systematic differences between firms that find it advantageous to adopt TQM and firms that do not. We also find evidence that firms adopting TQM experience greater growth in sales, employment, and capital stock.     

Relationship between total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement of international project management (CIIPM)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the total quality management (TQM) practice and the continuous improvement of international project management (CIIPM) practice. Based on a literature review and qualitative interviews with TQM and project management experts, four hypotheses are posed on how TQM elements affect CIIPM. A cross-sectional survey collected from over 100 mid to senior level international managers is used to validate these hypotheses. The study suggests that the relationship between ‘soft’ TQM elements and CIIPM is more significant than the relationship between ‘hard’ TQM elements and CIIPM.     

Cashing In On Quality? Pay Incentives and the Quality Culture

In this article, the authors explore the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and financial incentives in British manufacturing industry. In particular, they examine the view of some of the most influential quality management ‘gurus’ that there is an incompatibility between incentive pay and TQM. Drawing on survey and case study evidence, they show that TQM is being implemented in the presence of financial incentives. Furthermore, those organisations which had such incentives did not appear to have less success in implementing TQM. On the basis of the evidence presented, the authors conclude that it is not possible to rule out a role for financial incentives in implementing TQM, although incentives are only likely to form one element in a broader implementation strategy.