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Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Maria Crema, Chiara Verbano and Maria Laura Chiozza

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significant features that characterize these projects: organizational aspects, phases and activities, tools, techniques, practices…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significant features that characterize these projects: organizational aspects, phases and activities, tools, techniques, practices and key factors for successful implementation. No studies in the academic literature have yet focused on the relation between healthcare lean management (HLM) and clinical risk management (CRM) to enhance multiple aspects of performance, although the possibility of implementing “lean & safety” projects has been highlighted.

Design/methodology/approach

Two significant projects have been selected from the same Italian hospital in two different fields of application. Within- and cross-case analyses have been performed to obtain useful findings.

Findings

The results suggest that HLM can provide support for CRM, and an integrated methodology should be considered. The first indications concerning how this new synergistic methodology may be developed are provided and these should stimulate future research, testing and exploiting the methodology in other contexts.

Originality/value

From the results of this paper, guidelines for the implementation of a “lean & safety” project could be developed to improve the management of clinical processes pursuing multiple objectives. This study could contribute to the development of safer and more sustainable health care systems for the benefit of the entire community.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Jaroslav Nenadál

The paper aims to sum up the principal and original set of information related to the special project covered by Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which was oriented…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to sum up the principal and original set of information related to the special project covered by Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which was oriented to quality assurance and assessment at Czech higher education institutions. It brings main results and lessons learned from comprehensive quality assessment methodology pilot testing.

Design/methodology/approach

Brainstorming conferences, seminars, comparative analysis, interviews, design review and validation were used by the expert team to develop and to test the comprehensive quality assessment methodology.

Findings

The EFQM Excellence Model is the most comprehensive tool for quality assurance and quality assessment. It is pragmatic and practical, but it is necessary to adapt this model for effective use at Czech higher education institutions as a set of assessment criteria. The comprehensive quality assessment approach does not only examine what universities and other higher schools have achieved in the past (through lagging indicators), but it also includes assessment of their potential for the future through the so-called leading indicators.

Research limitations/implications

The pilot testing of designed methodology of comprehensive quality assessment was performed within 12 Czech higher education institutions, but the lessons learned have common validity for any Czech higher education institution.

Originality/value

The proposed methodology of comprehensive quality assessment is a quite new approach from the point of Czech higher education institutions view. It offers new and efficient tool for next higher schools and universities development.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Wan Seon Shin and Chongman Kim

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate Samsung’s strategic efforts in achieving excellence in quality.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate Samsung’s strategic efforts in achieving excellence in quality.

Design/methodology/approach

This study divides Samsung’s activities into five distinctive areas: quality leadership, motivating employees, methodologies, preemptive priorities and key activities in the field management. Case studies will be explored based on the chronological analysis of the above five subjects, and a comprehensive roadmap toward excellence will also be suggested.

Findings

This study has found that Samsung has used diverse concepts to excel in improving quality and profitability simultaneously. The company’s approaches are divided into five categories and positioned according to their possible contributions to excellence. One of the key findings of this paper is the concept of “the line of redundancy” which adopts parallel systems. For example, its parallel systems such as dual sourcing and 120 per cent human resource management have contributed to Samsung’s quality.

Practical implications

The result of this study will help managers implement innovative initiatives for achieving excellence through quality management.

Originality/value

Samsung has improved the quality dramatically and many companies want to learn Samsung’s way. This paper investigated how Samsung developed the quality system in the past decades and suggests some findings.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Jason Canning and Pauline Anne Found

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contributing factors that lead to resistance to change, and to ascertain the relationship between organizational culture and…

3993

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contributing factors that lead to resistance to change, and to ascertain the relationship between organizational culture and employee resistance in organizational change programmes, such as lean.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology for this research is in three main parts. Firstly, a systematic review of the literature pertaining to resistance to change is, secondly, followed by a case study involving an anonymous survey and semi-structured interviews to test the assumptions drawn from the literature. Finally, the literature research and case study results are drawn together to present a new model of resistance.

Findings

The finding of the literature, along with the finding of the case study confirm that lack of communication and participant involvement during change are highlighted as significant contributing factors to resistance and that these are related to organizational culture.

Research limitations/implications

Whilst the secondary sources of information provide a significant weight of evidence to support the results from the case study, the results of the research are based on a single case study; therefore, caution should be applied before making generalizations from the data.

Practical implications

The findings can provide organizations, and change practitioners, with an insight into a number of the issues that should be considered in relation to an organizations culture before attempting large-scale change programmes.

Originality/value

The research findings provide a new model, the “resistance model” that identifies the interconnected issues that affect employees’ attitude to, and thus acceptance of, organizational change.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Kristen Snyder

This paper explores the question, “what does it mean to be an engaged school leader in an educational context that promotes standards-based accountability as a model of quality…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores the question, “what does it mean to be an engaged school leader in an educational context that promotes standards-based accountability as a model of quality development?” Specifically, what drives educational leaders? What do they do to lead schools as quality organisations? and How do they lead schools as quality organisations?

Design/methodology/approach

An ethnographically grounded theory case study was conducted with 16 principles in Sweden, USA and Finland, who participated in a three-year project to lead schools as global learning centers.

Findings

Findings showed that school leaders used a variety of leadership styles as they developed worked cultures grounded in a value system, to support student learning and development. Also, work cultures that engaged members of the school and community were critical for leading schools as learning organisations.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample may not be generalizable to all educational systems.

Practical implications

This study provides evidence about the complexities for school leadership today that are not currently addressed in most principal preparation programs. The findings can serve to help inform further development of principal preparation.

Originality/value

The experiences shared in this study provide an alternative perspective about what it is that school leaders do and think about amidst a high-stakes testing context of school development. The grounded theory nature of this study, combined with an ethnographic approach, provides deep insights into the daily working life of engaged school leaders to learn first hand from their dialogue about what it takes to lead schools as quality organisations.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Patrícia Moura e Sá and António Albuquerque

The purpose of this paper is to develop an assessment guide based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model criteria. Courts have been under pressure to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an assessment guide based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model criteria. Courts have been under pressure to become more accountable and responsive organisations. In this context, self-assessment models that drive attention to the way resources are being used and to the results that are being achieved, incorporating the views of different stakeholders, are of particular interest.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach was used. The meaning of the quality principles that underline the EFQM model was discussed with the court administrator, judges, prosecutors and justice officers. Those perspectives were taken into account when translating the criteria and criterion parts of the EFQM model. The assessment guide was validated by an experts’ panel.

Findings

The EFQM model captures the essential features of a court even if the courts terminology and governance models challenge the translation of some criteria. The resulting guide includes a description of the various criteria and criterion parts and the identification of key focus areas, while giving some illustrative examples of initiatives and indicators that could be looked at under each model dimension.

Practical implications

The assessment guide can be used to undertake self-assessment exercises in different courts.

Originality/value

There is a lack of studies on the measurement of courts’ performance apart from the publication of simple lists of process indicators. The assessment guide developed in this study is perhaps one of the most comprehensive resources for assessing the quality of a court.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Irina Frolova and Inga Lapina

This paper aims to analyse the case of a non-governmental organization (NGO) and the possibilities of implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and principles in…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the case of a non-governmental organization (NGO) and the possibilities of implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and principles in an organizational quality management system (QMS) to reduce the rate of staff turnover and improve the overall excellence of the organization. QMS provides a framework for implementing CSR policy, strategy, activities and culture at all management levels of organization, creating a basis for establishing a sustainable development policy and providing overall employee and management commitment and continuous improvement of the system.

Design/methodology/approach

Several research methods, such as literature review, logical and comparative analysis, in-depth interviews, Ishikawa diagram method and organization performance assessment via M. Baldrige excellence criteria, were applied in this research.

Findings

The authors came to the conclusion that implementing employee-related CSR activities in an organizational QMS in a long-term period can reduce employee turnover, increase loyalty and commitment and improve the overall process performance in an NGO. The QMS framework allows maintaining, monitoring and evaluating continuous effect and execution of CSR principles, and including CSR strategies in organizational policy.

Research limitations/implications

The research is restricted due to the fact that the authors cannot disclose the name of the analysed NGO because of ethical and confidentiality considerations.

Originality/value

The paper presents an encompassing approach of integration of CSR principles in quality management principles for reducing staff turnover, completing a case study of an NGO.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Christian Grönroos and Katri Ojasalo

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the mutual learning implications for service productivity of the characteristics of service and service production.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the mutual learning implications for service productivity of the characteristics of service and service production.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper. The starting point is, first of all, that productivity as a management concept should help a firm to manage its economic profit, and secondly, that service organizations are open systems, where the customers participate as co-producers and are exposed to the firm’s production resources and processes. Unlike in manufacturing, to understand productivity in service organizations as a means of managing profit, cost effects and revenue effects of changes in the productions system cannot be separated. Due to the interaction between customers and the firm’s resources during service production, dialogical collaboration between them develops. This enables mutual learning.

Findings

Given the social dynamics in service production processes, four learning processes that influence service productivity are identified. Two processes enhance the organizations’s internal efficiency (cost savings), and two enhance its external effectiveness (perceived quality, revenue generation); two are organization-driven, two are customer-driven.

Research limitations/implications

The mutual learning model demonstrates how the service provider by learning from the dynamics of service encounters in many ways can manage the productivity of the organizations’s processes. It shows that learning enables improvement of service productivity through effects enhancing both internal efficiency and external effectiveness.

Originality/value

In a productivity context, learning has not earlier been studied as a mutual learning phenomenon.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Gerson Tontini, Júlio Cesar da Silva, Eliane Fátima Strapazzon Beduschi, Elis Regina Mulinari Zanin and Margarete de Fátima Marcon

– The purpose of this paper is to consider the nonlinear impact of online retail stores’ quality dimensions on general customer satisfaction and loyalty.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the nonlinear impact of online retail stores’ quality dimensions on general customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a quantitative approach, 429 online users answered a closed questionnaire regarding their present satisfaction with 26 service attributes, their general satisfaction and loyalty. Using factorial analysis with Varimax rotation, five service-quality dimensions are studied: service accessibility/speed, fault recovery, buying reliability, service and site flexibility and site interaction/feedback. Penalty and reward contrast analysis identifies the Kano model classification of the service-quality dimensions, and the nonlinear impact of these dimensions, and customer satisfaction, on customer loyalty.

Findings

The results show that there is a nonlinearity between quality dimensions, customer satisfaction and loyalty. The dimension “service accessibility/speed” has a one-dimensional impact on customer satisfaction, but with higher reward impact than penalty impact. “Fault recovery” is a “must-be”, “buying reliability” and “service flexibility” are “attractive” and “site interaction/feedback” is one-dimensional. Besides, the dimension “service accessibility/speed” has also a direct impact on loyalty if achieving above-average performance, thus reinforcing general customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

Few previous papers explore this nonlinearity in online retail services. So, future studies should lead to a theoretical and practical understanding of managing these services. Understanding this nonlinearity may help companies to better identify what improve or offer to customers.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Johan Lilja and Daniel Richardsson

The purpose of this paper is to contribute with knowledge concerning how to drive, generate and energize change and development in social systems. A potential key to meet this…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute with knowledge concerning how to drive, generate and energize change and development in social systems. A potential key to meet this challenge is the strength-based change management approach called appreciative inquiry (AI). A central component of AI is the “AI interview”, which has evolved into a distinct activity that enables the past and the future to be used as a generative source for on-going learning about strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results. The AI interview has in previous studies shown an often surprisingly high ability to generate development and change in social systems. However, the understanding of the generative “mystery” of the AI interview, focusing on the value experienced by both the people conducting the interview and those being interviewed, is still in need of further exploration. Furthermore, the evident generativity of the AI interview has not yet been integrated to any large extent into quality management. The purpose of this paper is to change that.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers have studied the customer experience of conducting an AI interview based on feedback from 97 AI students at Mid Sweden University.

Findings

Among the results, eight categories of value are identified.

Originality/value

The paper contributes with new knowledge concerning the values experienced during participation in an AI interview. The paper also highlights ideas on how the generativity of the AI interview could be increasingly integrated into quality management.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 7 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

11 – 20 of 75