A Retrospective View of Research in the Quality Management Journal: A Thematic and Keyword Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a retrospective analysis of quality management research that has been published in the Quality Management Journal (QMJ) since its inception. The authors use two approaches—a text analysis tool called centering resonance analysis (CRA), supported by a software package called Crawdad, and an analysis of keywords, which has been used in other studies to evaluate bodies of literature. CRA results in word pairings that are influential in predicting the content of articles. The results suggest that the papers published in the journal have adequately addressed the core issues of quality management. To provide additional insight into emerging trends, the authors studied keywords before and after 2002 to analyze changes in research topics during those time periods. This analysis suggests that quality management research has matured and moved beyond the principles of quality and its underlying philosophies, evolving to focus on contemporary issues using better methodologies such as empirical research and case studies. Finally, the authors provide some suggestions for future research in the field.