Quality Management Excellence Research Articles

A comparative study of quality awards: evolving criteria and research

The purpose of this study is to compare several prominent quality awards based on their common criteria. Six best-known quality awards were used and analyzed to identify common quality award criteria. Trends of research on Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Award were examined along with award recipients. The results of the study showed that the portion of manufacturing MBNQA winners has decreased steadily during recent years, while the portion of manufacturing firms in EFQM award winners remained steady for the time period studied. Also, health care and education related studies have increased steadily for both quality awards and now become most commonly studied quality award areas. Quality awards criteria appear to change continuously, reflecting the new demands of the changing market environment.

The EFQM concepts of excellence approach to management development within the UAE healthcare industry utilizing action modalities

In viewing the self-organizing capacity of an organization as a complex interacting web of knowledge and behaviour, which is subject to instability and constant dynamism, this article considers the use of an action science approach to the multifarious interactions which have underpinned the conception and delivery of a senior management development programme for a healthcare group of six hospitals and 94 pharmacies in the UAE. The article reviews the application of the action modalities of action learning and action science within the epistemological development and selection of the programme pedagogy, the locus of which has been derived from the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model concepts of excellence. The initial scoping interviews held with the strategic directorate are reviewed and triangulated against the views of the senior management delegate cohort and the academic development team. In seeking evidence of adaptive change, the position before and after the management development programme delivery was additionally determined.

Quantitative analysis of quality management literature published in total quality management and business excellence (1996–2010)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate core themes in the quality management research area through a quantitative analysis of research papers published in the journal Total Quality Management and Business Excellence. The study analyses the bibliographies in the published papers in addition to conventional literature reviews. The methodologies applied include bibliometrics and social network techniques. The analysis shows relationships between different publications and the developments over three periods. Core research themes are found to be service quality measurement, customer satisfaction, total quality management (TQM) implementation and effects. Emerging themes are also identified and include establishing customer relations and perceived quality of service, quality cost, comparison studies and empirical studies of TQM effects. The development of the research themes over the three pre-defined periods is also discussed.

Canonical correlation analysis between people criterion and people results criterion in EFQM model

Nowadays, in order to attain their goals and also gain a competitive advantage in a complicated atmosphere, successful organisations need to pay more attention to their human resources (HRs). In order to achieve HR excellence, companies need to be aware of the impact of criteria on each other and also the analysis of relationships between the people criterion and the people results criterion in the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. The aim of this article is the evaluation of the relationships between people criteria and people results in the EFQM Excellence Model in the Tavanir Company in Iran. To this end, all the EFQM model data of Tavanir Company were collected. The research method used for this article is descriptive correlation. To assess the relationships between the criteria, canonical correlation analysis was used. The results confirm the previous findings on the issue and show that the people criterion is strongly related to the people results criterion. All the people sub-criteria contribute in the same way to people results improvements; so a balanced approach in the development of people sub-criteria allows companies to obtain an optimal profit from the EFQM Excellence Model.

The moderating role of leadership in the relationship between management control and business excellence

This study deals with the moderating role of leadership in the relationship between management control as part of total quality management (TQM) and business excellence in terms of purposive change. Data were collected via a survey filled out by managers working at 44 locations in the Correctional Services sector of the Correctional Institutions Agency (DJI) in the Netherlands. A total of 618 responses (83%) were obtained. Our hypothesis was derived from a conceptual model and tested using Pearson's r as an effect size index. The results show strong relations between the dimensions of management control and the styles of active leadership, on the one hand, and between the management control dimensions and business excellence in terms of purposive change, on the other hand. The results also indicate that transformational leadership is the most influential factor in the relationship between the management control construct and purposive change. It is concluded that organisations are strengthened by a management control system which is applied in combination with an intensive management communication approach in a context of transformational leadership. These findings have important implications for the further research on interventions in management control as part of TQM.

The Relationship between TQM Practices and Business Excellence in Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing Enterprises of North Karnataka Region

The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Excellence (B E) in Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing Enterprises (SMMEs) of north Karnataka region. Twelve critical success factors (CSFs) of TQM practices and four factors of dependent variables of business excellence were identified to measure the performance of SMMEs. The investigated independent CSFs of TQM included leadership and top management commitment, vision and plan statement, supplier quality management, system process quality improvement, total employee involvement, education and training, performance appraisal and recognition, customer focus and satisfaction, evaluation, work environment and culture, continuous improvement and communication. Dependent variables of business excellence are satisfaction of employee, quality of product, satisfaction of customer and strategic business performance. A questionnaire was sent to 950 companies of small and medium enterprises in north Karnataka region, which resulted in responses of 315 being returned. 10 of the 315 returned responses were incomplete, resulting in only 295 responses considered for final study, i.e. 31.05% valid response rate. Attempts at finding significant differences between small and medium companies’ quality practices were made and revealed that there is a significant difference between the TQM perceived & practices of small and medium companies. Besides in comparative analysis, performance of ISO-certified SMMEs was found better than non-ISO certified SMMEs.

TQM dimensions and their interrelationships in ISO certified engineering institutes of India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the dimensions of TQM, analyse interrelationships and their combined influence on results achieved in ISO certified engineering institutes in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on the questionnaire survey of a sample of 216 faculty members serving in various ISO certified institutes of southern states of India. The data were obtained using a questionnaire that is in line with the self‐assessment philosophy of European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model (EFQM). The dataset was subjected to exploratory factor analysis using SPSS17.0 program for Windows. The confirmatory and causal analyses were carried out using AMOS 16.0 software.FindingsThe factor analysis confirmed the existence of ten important dimensions of TQM that guide ISO institutes in their quality journey. Structural equation modelling was used to validate the developed TQM model. Leadership of top management was the main driving force for establishing an effective quality management system (QMS) in engineering institutes.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation is related to the notion of causality. The study has considered perception data for the predictive analysis.Practical implicationsThe paper unfolds ten important TQM factors that need attention from education administrators to manage quality in engineering education. The six enablers of the proposed TQM model significantly influence result criteria. The results obtained in this study encourage academic leaders to implement TQM concepts in their institutes to achieve a higher level of stakeholder satisfaction.Originality/valueThe paper is a new contribution to broad understanding of TQM concepts and their impact on performance measures in engineering education in India.

Using DEMATEL – Analytic network process (ANP) hybrid algorithm approach for selecting improvement projects of Iranian excellence model in healthcare sector

Quality is the most vital factor for growth and survival of organizations and healthcare organizations, are not exceptional from this rule. There have been several models presented for deployment and assessment of quality management which much more attention is paid to organization excellence models due to their being total and complete. The European foundation for quality management (EFQM) excellence model can be used for continuous improvement of activities and performance of organizations from both private and public sector by establishing a total quality management (TQM) philosophy. Iran national productivity and excellence award in collaboration with Azad University – Science and Research campus and ministry of health, treatment and medical training, designed a model for healthcare organizations and this model was used in 23 hospitals. While using the model, hospitals noticed a large number of areas for improvement, and in order to grow they had to cover them by implementing improvement projects. (However) it was (impossible) to implement the entire project simultaneously and they needed to prioritize and chose the most effective ones. In this article based on experienced gained in hospitals, we could draw the causal relations between nine areas of healthcare organization excellence model using decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) mathematical model and determine their effects on each other. Then based on these causal relations, we ranked the improvement projects using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) model. Project number nine “leadership development and succession planning” got the highest score, and it is the most appropriate choice. Key words: European foundation for quality management (EFQM), decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), analytic network process (ANP), Health Sector.

Application of the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model in Higher Education Institutions

On the basis of thorough literature analysis and the material of the European Foundation for Quality Management, this article analyses application in the institutions of higher education of one of the quality management models, the EFQM Excellence model, which becomes increasingly popular in Europe. The article focuses not only on theory of the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence model but also on practice. The development of the excellence model is discussed, model criteria and application stages as well as best practices of the education institutions that have adopted the Excellence model are analysed. The main model application issues and benefits are highlighted and generalized.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.10.3.639

Three‐level quality assessment of a dental hospital using EFQM

This article aims to measure quality by applying the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model at three different participation levels, in a Karachi teaching university dental hospital. The case study assessed the eight EFQM model excellence concepts as benchmarks for providing quality services: results orientation; customer focus; leadership and constancy of purpose; management by processes and facts; people development and involvement; continuous learning, innovation and improvement; partnership development; and corporate social responsibility. This study was conducted at Hamdard University Dental Hospital (HUDH), located in Karachi - part of the largest privately-owned university in Pakistan. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with internal stakeholders at three levels (management, faculty and student). Continuous learning, innovation and improvement; partnership development; and corporate social responsibility were satisfactorily represented. The EFQM assessment was limited to a single university dental hospital, hence findings cannot be generalized. The article highlights that it is envisaged that this exercise will bring about a positive change in attitude and will stimulate institute staff to kick start the self assessment process and implement measures leading to better quality practices, thus establishing a continuous quality improvement cycle.

A new fuzzy multicriteria decision making approach: An application for European Quality Award assessment

European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Award is Europe’s most prestigious award for organizational business excellence. The award is given to the best performing not-for-profit organizations in Europe. The assessments of award are achieved by using EFQM Excellence Model. The aim of this study is to propose a new integrated approach based on a new analytic hierarchy process and EFQM Model to evaluate the business performance excellence. The proposed method enables experts use different fuzzy scales to evaluate firms according to EFQM Excellence Award scoring system. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, a case study is given. A four level hierarchy is established and four experts evaluate firms. Finally, the global weights of the firms are obtained to rank them. The proposed method is also compared with fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and the obtained results confirm that the proposed method effectively evaluates firms for EFQM Excellence Award.

Quality awards and excellence models in Africa: An empirical analysis of structure and positioning

This study analyses the internal dimensions of African quality awards and excellence models, comparing these distinctions to one another and to both the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model (EFQM EM). The empirical analysis revealed similarities and differences both among them and with respect to the aforementioned major awards. The awards were also measured against a theoretically ideal or universal model. The conclusions drawn from the findings provide the business community and legislators with practical advice on how these awards can provide African companies with management tools that ensure their survival through in-house skill development. Key words: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model (EFQM), quality awards, universal quality model.

Business Excellence in Kazakh Higher Education Institutions

The aim of this paper is to deepen and to encourage further research for sustaining quality improvement in Kazakh Higher Education Institutions. This paper is explaining the Kazakh education system and is also trying to figure out whether if it fits to the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The paper is based on literature concerning the Kazakh Higher Education system. The pros and cons are also mentioned in the paper. In accordance to this it is easier to find the strengths and weaknesses of the system and finally a list of factors are given in order to be a guide of excellence for the Kazakh Higher Education Institutes.

Including sustainability in business excellence models

The purpose of this paper is to explore the adequacy of business excellence models (BEMs) to address corporate sustainability, which is conceptualised in terms of economic, social, and environmental bottom lines. How organisations may manage corporate sustainability in the absence of a comprehensive sustainability management system standard is also explored. A survey of literature has been carried out. The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model and the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (BCPE) are analysed with regard to their considerations of sustainability. The findings reveal that while triple bottom-line considerations are addressed to some extent in the studied BEMs, the models per se do not comprehensively address sustainability issues and economic prosperity remains a dominant consideration. Suggestions for the improvement of the EFQM excellence model and BCPE are discussed. To provide a comprehensive approach for addressing corporate sustainability, an integrated quality-sustainability framework is proposed. The essence of the framework is that sustainability indicators, such as those provided in the Global Reporting Initiative framework, could be integrated with core business processes using the structures and infrastructure provided by BEMs. The proposed improvements should be considered in future revisions of the EFQM excellence model and BCPE.

A new foundation for quality management in the business environment of the twenty-first century

Many organisations now have to operate in highly uncertain environments. Global competition drives organisations to reduce their capital employed and cut costs through lean manufacturing, outsourcing and extended supply or to grow by entering new markets, introducing new technologies and building unique alliances. And all this is happening at a much faster speed than even 10 years ago. On a journey towards excellence, learning from past performance is always beneficial. However, the applicability of the learning rapidly diminishes in a continuously structurally changing environment. One key (implicit) assumption of the theories and practices of total quality management and business excellence is that the business environment is relatively stable and predictable. However, this is no longer the case and therefore we must also accept that much of our current theory and practice is no longer as effective as in the past. In particular, we need to develop a strategic and practical approach to sustaining business excellence to support executives and their organisations that face uncertainty and instability in their particular market environments. Our approach is an application of well-tested theories of complexity analysis using Simons' four levers of control model. It analyses all the organisation's systems and structures which are driving the behaviour of the people involved and examines the degree to which these systems and structures support or undermine efforts to maintain business excellence. It then considers how this situation can best be managed now; what needs to be changed in what direction in the future; and how and when this can best be achieved, given the operating environment of the company. We have found that crucial processes in an uncertain environment have to be managed through the use of all four levers of control according to Simons' model; however, the interactive control mechanisms are becoming more important. Quality management approaches should therefore cover not only the tools and instruments to measure and control performances in order to find deviations from the goals, but should also include methods to stimulate and improve the more interactive management activities in order to be able to cope with the uncertain environments.

An analysis of the papers published in Total Quality Management & Business Excellence from 1995 through 2008

In this article, a content analysis is performed for the papers that appeared in Total Quality Management and Business Excellence. A total of 1132 papers which appeared in the volumes from 6 to 19 are analysed into several different dimensions. Country origins and academic unit of authors (engineering/basic sciences/management sciences, etc.), research methods (library search/conceptual study/case study/simulation/field survey, etc.) and unit of analyses (individual/company/firm/regional/national/international level) are included in this analysis. In addition to those attributes, keywords of the papers and the content of case studies (manufacturing/service/information technology) are computed as well. Association mining has also been performed to determine the consequential relationships among the attributes.

Security excellence from a total quality management approach

This paper focuses on the synergy of business and security requirements to create a holistic methodology or approach. The integration revolves around the concept of total quality management to measure the security posture and is based on the premise that security requirements must be aligned and fused with the business' objectives. The postulated security methodology has extended the total quality management and business excellence philosophies to create a new security excellence approach. The American National Institute of Standards and Technology's metrics are used as benchmarks to determine the security areas that should be addressed while the European Framework for Quality Management is used to reflect the integration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's metrics and to represent the domains in a business excellence approach. The fusion is then extended to the Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology and, finally, to the international Standard ISO/IEC 17799 (Information technology – security techniques – Code of practice for information security management) to depict the merger between security and business domains along a TQM approach and to be transferable to any standard or regulation by being able to incorporate acceptable security requirements into the underlying framework.

Achieving Business Excellence Prize: The Case Of Trimo Trebnje d.d.

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a global realization of the strategic importance of quality, and many countries established programmes to recognize quality and excellence. Companies pursuing an excellence strategy soon recognized that the award frameworks offered more than just a vehicle for recognition. The frameworks were seen to be best-practice models for implementing excellence strategies, performing self-assessments, benchmarking and, ultimately, delivering improved performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we present the business excellence from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence model point of view. Second, we describe how employee results, customer results, and favourable society results are achieved through leadership driving policy and strategy, people, partnerships and resources, and processes, which ultimately lead to excellence in key performance results in a manufacturing company that won the 2002 Slovene National Quality Award based on the EFQM Excellence model.

Teachers’ professional involvement in creating a general learning environment in Estonian schools

Comprehensive and vocational schools and kindergartens in Estonia have been obliged to introduce quality management principles since September 2006. This study was designed to explore teachers’ own opinions to identify how they were involved in improvements in Estonian schools according to the criteria set down in the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The teachers claimed that they had limited involvement in school strategic planning activities, budgeting and personnel development. The study stressed that Estonian teachers appreciated student academic achievements highly. The school leadership team should develop an activity plan to engage teachers in school improvement activities.

Self assessment as a gate to performance improvement: A study on hospitality management in Turkey

In order to improve Turkey's market share in world tourism, organizations of the sector should develop means for the supplied quality and competitiveness. This study surveyed four-star city hotels in Istanbul and found areas of improvement. The survey tool is based on o widely recognized self assessment form, i.e., the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model and applied to eight hotels as a multiple-case studies design. In general, findings demonstrate that, while hotels are managing customer related processes properly, there appears a big gap between the current approaches and the Model's leadership, strategy, and people criteria.