A Framework for Organizational Quality Culture

Abstract

This paper introduces a framework for organizational quality culture, which is needed because of the lack of success associated with various types of quality initiatives and their confusing relationship with effectiveness. Despite the fact that quality has received a great deal of attention in the organizational studies literature, lack of clarity is still typical of the concept. Multiple definitions of quality are prevalent, lack of agreement exists regarding key dimensions, and the relationship between quality and organizational performance remains ambiguous (Ernst and Young, and the American Quality Foundation 1992; Fuchs 1996; Grandzol and Gershon 1997).This paper identifies a framework for organizational quality culture, and examines the framework's legitimacy with empirical analyses. It represents how people define and reflect quality through their actions, decisions, and attitudes. The key objective is to make the concept of quality culture accessible to organizational scholars and to those charged with managing or enhancing organizational quality.