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Article
Publication date: 2 March 2020

The quality movement's three operational paradigms: a text mining venture

Daniel Carnerud

This study aims to analyze four text-mining studies of quality management (QM) to illustrate and problematize how the research on quality has informed the quality paradigm…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze four text-mining studies of quality management (QM) to illustrate and problematize how the research on quality has informed the quality paradigm since the 1980s. By understanding history, one can better manage current developments.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings are based on a meta-analysis of four text-mining studies that explore and describe 11,579 research entries on quality between 1980 and 2017.

Findings

The findings show that the research on quality during the past 30 years form a research paradigm consisting of three operational paradigms: an operative paradigm of backend quality orbiting around QM, total QM (TQM) and service quality; an operative paradigm of middle-way quality, circling around the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), business excellence frameworks (BEFs) and quality awards; and an operative paradigm of frontend quality, revolving around reliability, costs and processes. The operative paradigms are interconnected and complementary; they also show a divide between a general management view of quality and a hands-on engineering view of quality. The findings indicate that the research on quality is a long-lived standalone paradigm, supporting the notion of quality being a genuine academic entity, not a fashion or fad.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical basis of the study is four text-mining studies. Consequently, the results and findings are based on a limited number of findings.

Originality

Text-mining studies targeting research on quality are scarce, and there seem to be no prior models that depict the quality paradigm based on such studies. The perspectives presented here will advance the existing paradigmatic discourse. The new viewpoints aim to facilitate and deepen the discussion on current and future directions of the paradigm.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 32 no. 6
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-05-2019-0134
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

  • Quality management
  • Quality movement
  • Quality paradigm
  • Text mining
  • Quality research

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Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Kaizen and continuous improvement – trends and patterns over 30 years

Daniel Carnerud, Carmen Jaca and Ingela Bäckström

The purpose of this paper is to depict how Kaizen and continuous improvement (CI) are represented in scientific journals focusing on quality management (QM) from the 1980s…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to depict how Kaizen and continuous improvement (CI) are represented in scientific journals focusing on quality management (QM) from the 1980s until 2017. Additionally, the study aims to examine how Kaizen is studied and described and how the relationship between Kaizen and CI is portrayed.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies a mixed methods approach to search for tendencies and outlines concerning Kaizen and CI in four scientific journals focusing on QM and two focusing on OM. The data set contains entries from 1980 until 2017, which makes it possible to depict how Kaizen has evolved over more than 30 years.

Findings

The findings show that Kaizen and CI attained special interest in the mid-1990s, after which interest appears to have decreased. However, the findings imply that a regenerated interest for the areas spiked post 2010. In addition, the results indicate that Kaizen is on the one hand accepted by one part of the management community but on the other hand completely ignored by the rest. Finally, the data illuminate a need to strengthen and clarify Kaizen’s theoretical basis and its relationship to CI.

Practical implications

If an aspiration exists to increase the success rate of Kaizen implementation, the results from the study highlight the need to address and clarify epistemological, terminological and theoretical issues.

Originality/value

Prior data mining studies pinpointing how Kaizen and CI have evolved over the last 30 years appear not to exist.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-03-2018-0037
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

  • TQM
  • Quality management
  • Continuous improvement
  • Text mining
  • Kaizen
  • Management fashion

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Article
Publication date: 2 January 2018

25 years of quality management research – outlines and trends

Daniel Carnerud

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe how research on quality management (QM) has evolved historically. The study includes the complete digital archive of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe how research on quality management (QM) has evolved historically. The study includes the complete digital archive of three academic journals in the field of QM. Thereby, a unique depiction of how the general outlines of the field as well as trends in research topics have evolved through the years is presented.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies cluster and probabilistic topic modeling to unstructured data from The International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, The TQM Journal and Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. In addition, trend analysis using support vector machine is performed.

Findings

The study identifies six central, perpetual themes of QM research: control, costs, reliability and failure; service quality; TQM – implementation and performance; ISO – certification, standards and systems; Innovation, practices and learning and customers – research and product design. Additionally, historical surges and shifts in research focus are recognized in the study. From these trends, a decrease in interest in TQM and control of quality, costs and processes in favor of service quality, customer satisfaction, Six Sigma, Lean and innovation can be noted during the past decade. The results validate previous findings.

Originality/value

Of the identified central themes, innovation, practices and learning appears not to have been documented as a fundamental part of QM research in previous studies. Thus, this theme can be regarded as a new perspective on QM research and thereby on QM.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-01-2017-0013
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

  • TQM
  • Quality management
  • Text mining
  • Cluster modeling
  • Probabilistic topic modeling
  • Quality movement

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Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Exploring research on quality and reliability management through text mining methodology

Daniel Carnerud

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe research presented in the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management (IJQRM), thereby creating an…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe research presented in the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management (IJQRM), thereby creating an increased understanding of how the areas of research have evolved through the years. An additional purpose is to show how text mining methodology can be used as a tool for exploration and description of research publications.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies text mining methodologies to explore and describe the digital library of IJQRM from 1984 up to 2014. To structure and condense the data, k-means clustering and probabilistic topic modeling with latent Dirichlet allocation is applied. The data set consists of research paper abstracts.

Findings

The results support the suggestion of the occurrence of trends, fads and fashion in research publications. Research on quality function deployment (QFD) and reliability management are noted to be on the downturn whereas research on Six Sigma with a focus on lean, innovation, performance and improvement on the rise. Furthermore, the study confirms IJQRM as a scientific journal with quality and reliability management as primary areas of coverage, accompanied by specific topics such as total quality management, service quality, process management, ISO, QFD and Six Sigma. The study also gives an insight into how text mining can be used as a way to efficiently explore and describe large quantities of research paper abstracts.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses on abstracts of research papers, thus topics and categories that could be identified via other journal publications, such as book reviews; general reviews; secondary articles; editorials; guest editorials; awards for excellence (notifications); introductions or summaries from conferences; notes from the publisher; and articles without an abstract, are excluded.

Originality/value

There do not seem to be any prior text mining studies that apply cluster modeling and probabilistic topic modeling to research article abstracts in the IJQRM. This study therefore offers a unique perspective on the journal’s content.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 34 no. 7
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-03-2015-0033
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

  • TQM
  • Quality management
  • Cluster modelling
  • Management fashion
  • Probabilistic topic modelling
  • Reliability management

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Article
Publication date: 28 September 2020

A comprehensive model for assessing the quality in higher education institutions

Nidal Yousef Dwaikat

This study aims to propose a comprehensive model for assessing the quality of academic programs in higher education institutions (HEIs) by adopting the TQM philosophy.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to propose a comprehensive model for assessing the quality of academic programs in higher education institutions (HEIs) by adopting the TQM philosophy.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 377 responses from higher education academics, experts and professionals in Sweden, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to empirically test the proposed hypotheses and validate the model.

Findings

The model reveals that the input-based factors have a stronger impact on the process-based factors; while process-based factors have less impact on the output-based factors. The input-based factors: adoption of international pedagogy standards (IPS), education infrastructure (EDI), and work/study environment (WSE) through the process-based factors quality of students (QOS) and quality of faculty staff (QFS) is found to have a significant impact on output-based factor quality of academic programs (QAP).

Research limitations/implications

This study has been conducted in Sweden. Inclusion of other countries provides opportunities for further analysis by conducting cross-comparison between different cultures in higher education, and including additional stakeholders such as policymakers, parents and students.

Practical implications

This research also contributes to practice by providing an in-depth understanding of the relationships among variables that affect the quality of academic programs in HEIs, and provides insights to internally assess the quality levels of their academic programs

Originality/value

This study contributes to the knowledge by providing a holistic view in which it integrates input, process and output perspectives in a conceptual model to assess the quality of academic programs at the higher education level.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-06-2020-0133
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

  • Quality assessment
  • TQM
  • Higher education
  • Academic programs
  • Pedagogy
  • Universities

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