Implementation Of Quality Management Practices Research Articles

Water Utility Service Quality Index: A customer-centred approach for assessing the quality of service in the water sector

This work delves into the crucial role of service quality in the water supply and sanitation sector. Despite extensive research and implementation of quality management practices in this sector, a universally accepted definition of quality is still lacking, resulting in various service quality assessment procedures that are difficult to compare. To address this issue, the World Bank launched the ‘Utility of the Future’ (UoF) programme, aiming to guide water service providers in their efforts to become future-focused utilities that offer reliable, safe, inclusive, transparent, and responsive services through best-fit practices. Building upon the framework provided by the UoF programme, this study proposes the Water Utility Service Quality Index (WUSQI) - a composite indicator that reflects the quality of service provided by water supply and sanitation utilities from a customer perspective. Based on Data Envelopment Analysis, the Benefit-of-the-Doubt approach is employed to assign weights for aggregating the indicators representing the diverse performance dimensions. The study operationalises the WUSQI to assess the quality of Portuguese wholesale water and wastewater companies using data collected by the national regulator of water and waste services. A Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis technique, the Deck of Cards method, is used to specify an indicator of transparency from the information made available by the regulated utilities. The results show the effectiveness of this tool for evaluating and measuring service quality at the company level. Additionally, the findings highlight areas for improvement in the utilities’ performance. By enabling companies and regulators to identify areas for improvement, the WUSQI can support the delivery of high-quality services to customers.

Institutionalization of Quality Management Practices (QMPs): A Case Study of a Sri Lankan Entity

The main purpose of this study was to explore how can Quality Management Practices (QMPs) be institutionalized as a successful strategic performance improvement initiative in a manufacturing organization located in Sri Lanka. Institutional Theory was incorporated as a theoretical lens to make sense of institutionalization process of the organization. Institutionalization Framework of Tolbert and Zucker (1996) which takes into the account the pre-institutionalization, semi-institutionalization and full institutionalization stages of QMPs implementation within the case organization. The study adopted the single-site case study method under the qualitative methodology. Data has been mainly collected through interviews and documentary review. The findings of this study illustrated that implementation of QMPs in the case organization is successful, because quality management has become an institutionalized practice within the case organization. It was further evident that, institutionalization of QMPs is complete when they are both accepted and taken-for-granted as part of the way people feel and think and the way they usually do things. As a result of institutionalization, QMPs are coherently fitted with the main organizational strategy and they have become an integrated QMPs for the entire organization, without remained as isolated quality practices which are narrowly termed as quality tools and techniques.

Effect of Construction Manager's Political Skills on Relationship between Quality Management Practices and Inter-Organizational Project Success

This study aims to explore the impact of construction managers' political skills on the relationship between quality management practices and the success of inter-organizational construction projects in Pakistan. Objectively, it examines how project managers' political acumen influences the effectiveness of quality management strategies and, consequently, project success. Employing a survey-based methodology, the research encompasses a broad spectrum of professionals involved in various construction projects across Pakistan. Through this analysis, the study identifies key challenges to project success and assesses the correlation between managerial political skills and the effective implementation of quality management practices. The findings reveal a notable positive relationship between these elements, highlighting the critical role of skills such as communication, stakeholder management, and conflict resolution. Additionally, the research underscores the interconnected nature of managerial competencies and identifies key factors impacting project success through advanced statistical techniques like principal component analysis and median absolute deviation. Significantly, this research provides novel insights into the role of human factors in the Pakistani construction industry's project management, proposing actionable strategies for skill enhancement and offering a comprehensive overview of factors influencing project success. These findings not only show the current skills and practices landscape but also lay the groundwork for future research and strategy implementation to boost industry-wide success. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2024-010-01-019 Full Text: PDF

Implementation of Quality Management Practices and Firm’s Innovation Performance: Mediation of Knowledge Creation Processes and Moderating role of Digital Transformation

Presently, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) revolution is transforming operations and businesses of organizations through technological advancements.These digital technologies are hugely impacting the technological innovations (TIs) and execution of total quality management (TQM) in the organizations. Existent literature on TQM and firm’s innovation performance (IP) relation has shown mixed findings exclusively, in manufacturing companies. Desptie strategic significance of both TQM and innovation (INN) to improve sustainable competitive gain, this is an under-researched area in I4.0 context. Additionally, the Quality 4.0 is also new concept and role of I4.0 tchnologies in transformation of trational TQM function hasn’t been researched so far. Despite strategic significance of role of knowledge creation processes (KCPs) towards firm’s IP and performance in I4.0, there is dearth of research addressing integrative framework TQM, KC and IP exclusively in progressing country context. Considering these prevailing gaps in literature, current study is an attempt to develop and test a model in context of Pakistan in relevance to I4.0. The proposed framework examines the influence of executing quality management or QM practices (QMP) on innovation performance (IP). Additionally, mediating role of knowledge creation processes (KCPs) and moderation of digital transformation (DIT) is also explored in QMP-IP relation. Data of 265 respondents were obtained from ISO 9001 certified manufacturing firms of Pakistan through structured questionnaire on Likert Scale. Data were analysed through SPSS 23.0 and Hayes process macro applying statistical tests (reliability, correlation, and regression analysis). Study results revealed that all variables were positively correlated. Quality management practices (QMP) had positive and significant impact on firm’s IP. Results supported partial mediation effect of organizational knowledge creation processes (KCPs) in QMP-IP relationship. While, moderating impact of digital transformation (DIT) in QMP-IP relation was also supported. Study findings has implications for both and academia, management and practitioner. This study contributes to prevalent literature as it empirically tests a proposed framework to address under-researched area of QMP- IP relation in relevance to DIT and KCPs in Pakistan context and I4.0.

Factors affecting the implementation of Quality Management practices and their related issues in Construction and Manufacturing industries of Pakistan

The objective of this study is to explore the factors influencing the implementation of quality management practices and their associated challenges in the construction and manufacturing industries of Pakistan. Six factors were examined to assess their impact on organizational capabilities and effectiveness within these industries. The study focused on engineers as the sample subjects, specifically those working in national or multinational companies in either the construction or manufacturing sectors. The data collection process was conducted rigorously and without bias, using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. Statistical software SPSS was used for data analysis, including investigating causal relationships between variables and measuring data reliability and validity. This study employed a quantitative research approach in a non-contrived environment, adopting a cross-sectional design. The findings of the study highlight a strong positive relationship between factors such as quality data and reporting, management commitment, role of quality department, training and education, employee involvement, and organizational capabilities and effectiveness. However, the relationship between supplier partnership and organizational capabilities and effectiveness was found to be weak.

Influence of Implementation of Quality Management Practices on Operational Performance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions in the Sri Lanka - Study focuses on North Central Province

Influence of Implementation of Quality Management Practices on Operational Performance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions in the Sri Lanka - Study focuses on North Central Province

The impact of quality management practices on manufacturing performance: an empirical study based on system theory

As one important part of core competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises, quality management practices have gradually received more attention. In many existing researches, quality management practices are regarded as a whole or categorized into two or four types of practice elements for discussions. There are less researches on the relationships among specific quality management practice elements and their impacts on manufacturing performance. We collected data by using a structured survey questionnaire, which was finished by top- and middle-level managers from 123 manufacturing enterprises. And then, we analyze quality management practices with the philosophical thinking of system theory and deconstruct the mechanism of the mutual influences and synergies among various quality management practice elements and also their impacts on manufacturing performance, from an overall perspective through empirical research. At last, a model of quality management practice synergies is built, as a theoretical support for manufacturing enterprises implementation of quality management practices.

Approaching the impact of organisational culture on quality management practices using the competing values framework: the case study of Dubai government organisations

In a rapidly changing and highly competitive world and economy, quality management (QM) is more needed than ever. There is a dearth of research studies in investigating such an influence on government organisations across the MENA region and the UAE. This paper approaches the implementation of QM in Dubai government organisations (DGOs) from an organisational culture lens. Adopting the competing values framework (CVF), four hypotheses were developed and tested to study the influence of each of the organisational culture constituents (group, developmental, hierarchal, and rational) on the implementation of QM practices in DGO. The paper found that a critical interaction and balance between all four organisational cultural constituents are needed to integrate and optimise efforts, ideas, and initiatives among individuals and groups to successfully implement QM practices within DGO. This study can inform future studies about QM practices in government organisations across the UAE and the MENA region.

Modelling the enablers of quality management practices using ISM

Quality plays a vital role in ensuring customer satisfaction in the recent era of globalisation and quality management practices play a crucial role in achieving quality standards. The purpose of this paper is to represent an approach to the effective implementation of quality management practices by identifying the subtleties between various enablers of quality management. A hierarchical model is developed using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) depicting the mutual relationships among the enablers of quality management practices. The analysis indicates that there is a category of enablers with high driving power and low dependency that needs full focus and has strategic value, whereas another group consists of those variables that are highly dependent and are the resulting behaviour. The classification of enablers into independent and dependent variables would enable quality managers to concentrate on the important variables that are the key in building a strong quality management system in the organisation.

Quality Management Practices and Competitiveness of Manufacturing Firms in Nairobi

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to establish the influence of quality management practices on competitiveness of manufacturing firms in Nairobi.Methodology: The research adopted a descriptive survey research design in trying to focus on manufacturing firms operating in Nairobi. This study used the list of manufacturing firms in Nairobi as provided in the KAM directory that showed a total of 499 manufacturing firms operating in Nairobi. The research study used stratified random sampling. The sample size of the research study was 50 manufacturing firms. The data was collected by use of structured questionnaires. It was done from operations managers, quality assurance managers and supply chain managers or their equivalents since they were deemed to be well versed and had good understanding of strategic quality management practices and operational activities of manufacturing firms. The information from the analysis was presented by use of pie charts, graphs, bar charts and tables to search for any correlation between strategic quality management practices and firms’ competitiveness.Results and conclusion: The results revealed that bench marking and competitiveness were positively and significantly correlated (r=0.578, p=0.000). The results further showed that continuous improvement and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.620, p=0.000). It was additionally verified that supplier partnering and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.510, p=0.000). Equally, the results showed that six sigma and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.529, p=0.000). Finally, the results revealed that quality management practices and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.642, p=0.000). The results indicated that the overall model was statistically significant. Further, the results imply that the independent variables are good predictors of firm competitiveness. This was reinforced by an F statistic of 21.769 and the reported p value (0.000) which was less than the conventional probability of 0.05 significance level. Policy recommendation: The author recommended that manufacturing firms should institute and involve the support of strategic leadership to monitor the adoption and implementation of quality management practices as a way of improving their competitiveness in their respective industries. Further, firms should come up with as many benchmarking approaches and to also hold several of them so as to increase on adoption of effective mechanism that makes firms more competitive

Quality Management Practices and Competitiveness of Manufacturing Firms in Nairobi

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to establish the influence of quality management practices on competitiveness of manufacturing firms in Nairobi.Methodology: The research adopted a descriptive survey research design in trying to focus on manufacturing firms operating in Nairobi. This study used the list of manufacturing firms in Nairobi as provided in the KAM directory that showed a total of 499 manufacturing firms operating in Nairobi. The research study used stratified random sampling. The sample size of the research study was 50 manufacturing firms. The data was collected by use of structured questionnaires. It was done from operations managers, quality assurance managers and supply chain managers or their equivalents since they were deemed to be well versed and had good understanding of strategic quality management practices and operational activities of manufacturing firms. The information from the analysis was presented by use of pie charts, graphs, bar charts and tables to search for any correlation between strategic quality management practices and firms’ competitiveness.Results and conclusion: The results revealed that bench marking and competitiveness were positively and significantly correlated (r=0.578, p=0.000). The results further showed that continuous improvement and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.620, p=0.000). It was additionally verified that supplier partnering and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.510, p=0.000). Equally, the results showed that six sigma and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.529, p=0.000). Finally, the results revealed that quality management practices and competitiveness were positively and significantly related (r=0.642, p=0.000). The results indicated that the overall model was statistically significant. Further, the results imply that the independent variables are good predictors of firm competitiveness. This was reinforced by an F statistic of 21.769 and the reported p value (0.000) which was less than the conventional probability of 0.05 significance level. Policy recommendation: The author recommended that manufacturing firms should institute and involve the support of strategic leadership to monitor the adoption and implementation of quality management practices as a way of improving their competitiveness in their respective industries. Further, firms should come up with as many benchmarking approaches and to also hold several of them so as to increase on adoption of effective mechanism that makes firms more competitive

In Situ Pavement Monitoring: A Review

The assessment of pavement conditions and their evolution with time is a crucial component for the establishment of pavement quality management (QM) plans and the implementation of QM practices. An effective pavement management system (PMS) is based on pavement conditions data continuously collected along the lifetime of a road. These data are used to model the pavement response, evaluate its performances, and trigger the necessary maintenance actions when they do not meet previously defined performance indicators. In the last decades, pavement monitoring via embedded sensing technologies has attracted more and more attention. Indeed, the integration of sensors in the road pavement allows the assessment of the complete history of pavement conditions, starting from sensor installation. Once the technologies are stabilized, collecting this information is expected to help road managers to define more effective asset management plans. This paper first proposes an overview of the most used devices for pavement instrumentation, categorized according to the measured parameters. Then a review of some prominent instrumented sections is presented by focusing on the methodology used for data interpretation.

Using asset-based criterion to implement quality management philosophy in service operations to enhance business performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the impact of successfully assessing basic resources of an organization, such as technology and human resources, needed to enhance performance of service businesses through the use of quality management ideals. Effective coordination of these two types of organizational assets is shown to impact both the design and the implementation of quality management practices, which than leads to enhanced organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachRetail banking firms were surveyed for this study to analyze empirical data related to technology and people-based assets. Results were corroborated on the basis of in-depth interviews with several banking managers to provide real-world verification of the findings.FindingsThis study identifies the significance of key assets in a banking service environment that can help the implementation of quality management philosophy. Paper discusses how managers can focus on the development of key assets as well as the use of these assets in the design of quality management processes to enhance business performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis research focused on a specific sector of the service industry, the banking sector. Relatively small size of the study sample may have impacted the outcome of research applicability on a wide spectrum of businesses. Also, constantly changing financial regulations could not be incorporated in the study. On the positive side, strong managerial feedback provides guidance toward adopting the study results, and lays the foundation for future research suggesting an additional focus on corporate responsibility and sustainability issues while managing quality.Originality/valueAs today’s rapidly evolving society pushes people out of service encounters, replacing them with efficient and cost-saving technology, roles of both the people and the technology in an organization must be fully understood. This paper shows that, despite the exponential growth of technological innovation, both people and technology are critical to enhancing organizational performance through successful adoption of quality management practices.

Rework risks triggers in the Nigerian construction industry: a view of built environment professionals

Rework is systemic and a recurring decimal and It is triggered by several factors, which emergence create scenarios, which degrades project cost, quality and schedule performance, and overall project performance. This study therefore examined the perception of construction professionals on the factors that triggers the emergence of rework in the Nigerian construction industry. This was achieved by determining the predominant rework triggers that affect project performance, identifying rework triggers in which the professionals view varies significantly, and examining the category of rework risks triggers that contribute more to rework incidences. The study adopted a quantitative survey approach in which structured questionnaire was adopted as the research instrument. Mean item score was used in ranking the professionals perception on rework triggers, and Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to identify the variables in which the professionals view varies. The study concluded that: contractor-related and design-related causes are the major categories of rework risks triggers. Unclear instruction to workers, Shortage of skilled supervisors, incomplete and inaccurate information are the predominant triggers of rework. The professionals view varies significantly on nine factors which cut across the four categories of rework triggers. It was recommended that there is need for clarity, effectiveness and timeliness of instruction and information dissemination among project participants, and the use of skilled and experienced professionals, skilled supervisors and proper implementation of quality management practices by both the design consultant and contractor throughout the project’s phases

Organizational culture towards quality management practices considering pro-ecological view

Scientific literature review suggests that out of four organizational culture types – hierarchical, developmental, rational, and group – developmental and group cultures are best for the implementation of quality management practices (QMP). QMP are categorized into two groups: infrastructure (top management support, workforce management, supplier involvement, customer involvement) and core (quality information, process management, product design). The infrastructure practices relate to behavioral attributes of quality management, where the core practices pertain to the technical aspects. The aim of this study is to reveal the organizational culture best suited for implementation of QMP. Also, employees’ pro-ecological view is considered to be an important factor that influences organization’s culture. Quantitative research was carried out in Lithuanian agricultural organization. Validated instruments from scientific literature were used to design an instrument measuring organizational culture, QMP, and pro-ecological view. Survey results showed that there is a correlation between developmental, group, and rational cultures and QMP. Surveyed organization has integrated culture of development and group cultures. It also displays hat organization already applies some of the QMP which makes it easier for further implementation of quality management practices and systems. Survey resulted with no significant correlation between pro-ecological view and organizational culture or QMP. Broader research sample might exhibit different results because literature shows that there is a relation between environmental awareness and organizational culture.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.73.3.19116

Quality management practices and their effects on the performance of public hospitals

PurposeTo face profound changes from decreasing funding, growing patient expectations and increasing competition in the health-care market, public hospitals began to implement effective quality management (QM) practices following manufacturing and other service industries. However, there was little knowledge relevant to the impact of QM practices on the performance of public hospitals. The study aims to shed some further light on this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe paper extends the previous empirical research to the health-care sectors and suggests the research framework of QM practice-performance relationships in public hospitals. For validation purposes, a cross-sectional survey involving 204 quality managers and directors of large public hospitals was carried out between April and October 2013 in Zhejiang Province, China. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationship between QM practices and hospital performance.FindingsEmpirical results support that the implementation of QM practices can bring many benefits to sample hospitals. The dimensions of employee relations and process management are directly related to the health-care and non-health-care performance of public hospitals.Originality/valueIt explores the relationship between QM practices and hospital performance based on empirical results from Chinese public hospitals, whereas few studies have been conducted within the context of public health-care sectors in developing countries. The empirical results could enhance hospital managers’ understanding of the nature of QM practice-performance relationship and help mangers re-allocate more resources to those elements of the QM systems that have the most significant impact on hospital performance.

Quality Management in Higher Education: Review and Perspectives

This paper is a review which presents a summary of 52 studies from 2006 to 2016 in Quality Management (QM) within Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). The aim of this paper is to submit evidence regarding the level of QM in HEIs, particularly in developing countries, and also to enhance the research in the field of QM. The findings reveal that from 2013 onward there is an increased interest in the items of QM mainly in Arabic countries. Moreover, the findings include Critical Success Factors (CSFs), obstacles and benefits that confirm and supplement previous literature. The type (private or public) and age of university, transformational leadership, integration, respect of a person, character, constructive conflict, creative tension, enthusiasm, awareness and orientation of employees and faculty and resource allocation are CSFs that this study reveals. Also, infrastructure limitations focused on human and financial capital, limited involvement of stakeholders and measurement of a complex range of performance indicators are barriers which enrich the analysis. Moreover, the extra benefits of QM practices are that QM is appropriate to the purpose of HEIs, meets the expectations and the new roles of HEIs, and lastly, the implementation of QM practices can solve problems and propose solutions.

The European standards and guidelines for internal quality assurance

PurposeThe authors’ thesis statement is that the literature on quality management in higher education is evolving towards an idea of integration. Considering Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) (ENQA, 2009) to be a framework for the implementation of quality management practices in universities, the purpose of this paper is to understand whether the ESG represent a truly integrated quality management model.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyse the content of the ESG taking into account three levels of analysis: the process level, the organisational level and the quality management principles level.FindingsThe analysis shows that the ESG are a quality management model, covering different processes, organisational levels and quality management principles. This is despite not being a truly integrated quality management model. Indeed, the ESG are mainly focussed on teaching and learning and on support processes, neglecting other processes of universities, such as research and scholarship and the third mission. In addition, they leave aside quality management principles more directly linked with a systemic and holistic approach to quality, such as the system approach principle.Originality/valueThe paper presents a new analysis of a much discussed quality management model for higher education. It explores the ESG in the light of the concept of integration, discussed according to a new framework of analysis. It also highlights the importance of a broader reflection on these standards and of their integration in the management systems of institutions.

The impact of human resource management practices and the implementation of quality management systems on business performance: an empirical study of Sri Lankan manufacturing firms - a conceptual model

This study proposed a framework for the moderating effect of Firm Size and the Firm Age (Years of implementation of Quality Management Practices) on the Impact of Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices and the Implementation of Quality Management System (QMS) on business performance of manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka. However, the extensive Literature review revealed that relatively few studies have attempted to consider the relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and business performance, ISO 9000 certified companies and business performance, and HRM practices and business performance by researchers in different countries including Sri Lanka in the different context. The majority of the studies conducted on the relationships between the constructs have presented different findings. Moreover, no studies have been conducted to determine the moderating effect of the variables like Firm Size and Firm Age (Years of implementation of Quality Management System) on the relationship of HRM practices and business performance in manufacturing firms and also the moderating effect of the same variables on the relationship between the Implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS) and business performance in manufacturing firms. In order to bridge the gap in the literature, this study proposes a conceptual model identifying two moderating variables Firm Size and Firm Age (years of Implementation of QMS) based on the extensive review of the literature. Hence, a research framework has been propounded to ascertain the relationships between the constructs in a future study. This conceptual model is significant to policy makers, government, regulators, and financial Institutions on the need to provide information on moderating effect of variables to the real and potential entrepreneurs for manufacturing firms’ development in Sri Lanka. In addition, the conceptual model will serve as additional literature on the business performance of manufacturing firms in emerging economies like Sri Lanka that has not been explored.

Implementing capabilities-based quality management and marketing strategies to improve business performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the impact of successfully coordinating infrastructural capabilities, such as technology, and structural capabilities, such as people, on the performance of service businesses. Effective coordination of these two types of capabilities is shown to impact the implementation of quality management practices and the design of marketing strategy, both of which when utilized properly, lead to enhanced organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed retail banking firms for this study to analyze empirical data on infrastructural and structural capabilities. Results were corroborated on the basis of in-depth interviews with several banking managers to provide real world verification of the findings.FindingsResults indicate that both infrastructural and structural capabilities positively impact the design of marketing strategy, while only structural capabilities impact the implementation of quality management practices. Both, successfully implemented quality management ideals and a well-designed marketing strategy, are shown to enhance overall organizational performance.Research limitations/implicationsResearch was conducted on a specific sector of the service industry, the banking sector. Also, the relatively small size of the study sample may have impacted the outcome of research applicability in some large businesses. Continuously emerging financial regulations could not be incorporated in the study. On the positive side, strong managerial feedback provides guidance toward adopting the study results, and lays the foundation for future research.Originality/valueAs today’s rapidly evolving society pushes people out of service encounters, replacing them with efficient and cost-saving technology, roles of both the people and the technology in an organization must be fully understood. This paper shows that, despite the exponential growth of technological innovation, both people and technology are critical to enhancing organizational performance through sound quality management practices and supportive marketing strategies.