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.     

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.     

Does total quality management affect applicant perceptions of recruitment and selection processes?

145 job seeking engineers were surveyed to determine whether applicants who interviewed at Total Quality Management (TQM) organizations perceived any differences in the way they were recruited or selected as compared with those who interviewed at non-TQM firms. TQM firms were identified in two ways: “explicit TQM” (where applicants were specifically told that the firm was a TQM employer) and “inferred TQM” (where TQM was inferred on the basis of specific reported practices). Results showed that there were significant differences between TQM firms (regardless of classification) and non-TQM firms, and between explicit TQM firms and inferred TQM firms. For example, explicit TQM firms screened more stringently, whereas inferred TQM status was predictive of positive applicant reactions to the people met during the site visit. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Critical Success Factors of Total Quality Management

The past decade has seen many firms focusing on Total Quality Management (TQM) as a means of improving profits, market share and competitiveness. Although TQM is a proven approach for success in manufacturing, services and the public sector, several organizations failed in their campaigns because of many reasons like lack of top management commitment, ignoring customers etc. This paper presents a study on certain specific factors that impact the success of the TQM implementation purely based on the secondary research. The research points out that, though most organizations start TQM efforts for their success, they are frequently exposed to the factors which may cause their TQM efforts to delay or even fail. TQM is a sure bet to reverse poor performance, but when it did not yield the expected results, it was deemed a failure. The review has been done to identify the common problems that lead to the failure of TQM implementation in the organization and has pointed out the critical success factors of TQM. Nevertheless, the overall results of this research imply that the understanding of the elements that cause failure to the TQM implementation can provide needed help for companies involved in long-term continuous improvement efforts. If the advanced TQM approach is properly followed, it will help the companies to achieve organizational excellence.     

The effect of quality management and participation in decision-making on individual performance

The major objective of the study was to analyze the effects of total quality management (TQM) on improvement efforts and individual performance. Employee response to quality management (QM) and the perceived degree of participation in decision-making (PDM) were considered the major factors affecting employee improvement efforts. The improvement effort factor was expected to influence employee performance. Subjects were 208 employees in three industrial organizations applying TQM in Israel. Three causal models were suggested and tested by means of structural equation modeling using lisrel. The results supported the proposed model. The findings revealed that the influence of PDM on improvement efforts is considerably higher than that of QM. This finding suggests that PDM is the most important component of the TQM process that affects improvement efforts and individual performance. Therefore, ISO 9000 that does not include PDM may not impact individual 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.     

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。     

The environment is free: The quality analogy

This paper argues that quality improvement approaches can be applied in the environmental context. Although environmental issues can occasionally negatively impact an organization's core business, most environmental programs, if properly channeled, can lead to both improved profitability and increased social responsibility. It is argued that time-proven techniques that have helped reduce quality costs and improve market share can provide similar results when applied to many environmental problems. Techniques based on the Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM) philosophy (which is based on integrating Total Quality Management (TQM) methods and environmental management methods) are already being used by many organizations. This paper builds upon the TQEM concept (which emphasizes four basic elements: customer identification, continuous improvement, do the job right the first time and a systems approach to work) by showing how other principles used in quality management can also be applied to environmental management. The issues are then illustrated through a case study of a leading German manufacturer, Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH.     

系统思想指导下的“头QC”

全面质量管理（TQM）又被称为“头QC”，意指高层经理在其中发挥最主要的作用。鉴于TQM实际上是以质量管理为中心的全企业管理，高层经理应以系统思想作为指导，无论对全员、全过程，还是处理企业与顾客、供应商及竞争对手的关系，都应多考虑整体与合作，以谋求TQM的更高效率。     

Total quality in health care

Quality is at the top of American consumers' demand list, and consequently American manufacturing companies have been forced to assign priority to the development of high-quality products. To improve the quality of what they offer, many manufacturers use the management philosophy known as total quality management (TQM), and now the service sector is following in their footsteps. The health care industry is a good example of a service industry that can benefit greatly from TQM, and it is the purpose of this article to show how a health care provider can implement TQM and evaluate its effects.     

Interrelationships among lean bundles and their effects on operational performance

The aim of our research is to disentangle the complex relations among lean bundles and operational performance. In particular, we focus on the direct and mediating effects on operational performance of three of the main lean manufacturing bundles, namely Just in Time (JIT), Total Quality Management (TQM) and Human Resource Management (HRM). We run statistical analysis on the High Performance Manufacturing round III database, a survey involving 266 plants in nine countries across three different industries. Our results show that JIT and TQM have a direct and positive effect on operational performance while HRM has a mediated effect on it. Theoretical and managerial implications of our findings are then drawn and discussed.     

The state of total quality management: a review

As quality is seen as becoming a competitive mandate, many organizations are said to be embracing the practice of total quality management (TQM) as an improvement strategy. In this paper, we will be examining the extent to which quality management (QM) - TQM in particular-has been adopted by organizations. Just as there are companies that claim that QM is benefiting them, the concept is also increasingly being criticized for not bringing about the promised results, and in the following review, studies that have highlighted this disparity in opinions will be reviewed. Increasingly, doubts have been raised as to whether partial quality management - and not TQM - is being practised in organizations. This paper will also examine the difficulties companies may be faced with in their attempts to embrace TQM.     

Performance Distributions: Measuring Employee Performance Using Total Quality Management Principles

There have been numerous criticisms of traditional performance appraisal systems made by Total Quality Management (TQM) advocates. This article describes a performance appraisal and management system that addresses many TQM concerns about appraisal systems. The Performance Distribution Assessment method (PDA) explicitly considers system versus person sources of performance variation and provides a means for developing “targeted” performance and quality improvement programs. The literature regarding the development and validity of the PDA method is reviewed, and the compatibility of this appraisal system with quality management principles is discussed.     

A Measure of Staff Perceptions of Quality-Oriented Organizational Performance: Initial Development and Internal Consistency

The present study originated from a university's effort to develop a Total Quality Management (TQM) system for improving the quality of staff services. This extends TQM into a major service sector, higher education, which has only recently begun to explore TQM applications. Integral to this effort was the development of an instrument for assessing service quality based on staff perceptions. The instrument was based on a core set of dimensions identified as common to the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, and the psychology and management literatures. Initial support for this instrument came from high reliability coefficients for each of the component scales. Recommendations for further validation efforts and potential practical applications are also discussed.     

员工的活性化与活性化的组织

职工队伍的活性化（empowerment)是全面质量管理中最为重要的概念之一，是职工参与的一种高级形式。活性化是指这样一种状态，即被激活的职工在规定的限度内，具有做决定和采取行动的知识、技能、职权和欲望。使组织的成员活性化是实现组织目标的关键举措之一。 本文着重讨论了活性化的含义、活性化组织的特征以及组织实现活性的各种途径。     

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.     

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.     

Powerful CEOs and employee relations: evidence from corporate social responsibility indicators

In this paper, we investigate whether powerful CEOs who dominate the top management team exhibit positive or negative behavior towards their employees. Somewhat surprisingly, we find that CEO power as evidenced by high pay disparity between the CEO and top management, results in positive Employee Relations as measured by the KLD Statistics. We also find that CEO power affects the individual categories of Employee Involvement as well as Employee Health and Safety, indicating that pay disparity positively effects Employee Relations on a number of measures. However, the strong positive relationship is not found when the CEO holds the dual role of Chairman. In addition, neither measure tests positive for union relations, although high profitability, as measured by industry adjusted Return on Assets, appears to permit firms to have positive relations with employees on a number of different measures.     

A model for total quality management in higher education

Total quality management (TQM) is widely recognised as a management philosophy for improving customer satisfaction and organisational performance. However, there is no consensus over the critical success factors of TQM, in particular, in higher education (HE) and developing countries. Literature shows mixed results on the success and applicability of TQM principles in education, thus, underlining the need to revisit the application of TQM principles in HE. This paper identifies the critical success factors of TQM in Pakistani universities. Data was collected from faculty members of universities through questionnaires. The findings reveal that ‘leadership’, ‘vision’, ‘measurement and analysis’, ‘process control and evaluation’, ‘programs design and resources allocation’ and ‘stakeholder focus’ emerge as the critical success factors of TQM in HE. The findings have implications at macro, meso, and micro levels of HE.     

构建QEO一体化管理体系势在必行

质量管理体系(QMS)、环境管理体系(EMS)及职业健康安全管理体系(OHSMS)越来越受到企业的重视和青睐,为了在激烈的市场竞争中取得有利地位,组织积极构建QMS、EMS和OHSMS。而如何让这三个独立的体系在组织内有效运转,实现预期管理目标,也随之成为企业界和理论界关注的焦点问题。论文提出构建QEO一体化管理体系是解决上述问题的有效的方法,并分析了构建QEO一体化管理体系的必要性和可行性。