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The body of literature in the field now commonly known as the “quality of working life” (QWL) has grown steadily over a period in which the industrialised nations have increasingly come to question the role and status of human beings in the modern technological environment. In recent years concern with the nature of work, its impact upon people, and their attitudes towards it, seem to have sharpened. Investigation of, and experimentation with, the qualitative aspects of working life—its ability to confer self‐fulfilment directly, for example, as opposed to being a means of acquiring goods—has gained momentum under the influence of a unique set of economic, social, political and technological factors. The outpouring of books, reports and articles from a wide variety of sources has, not surprisingly, grown apace.

Outlines the building of an action science paradigm which seeks to synergize essential elements from within the disciplines of learning, action learning, problem solving, quality of worklife, negotiation, alternative dispute resolution methodology, team building, organization development and behavioural science to construct a new process which engages competing interest groups (in this instance management and unions) in a collective collaborative process called Joint Action Learning. Describes an action science pilot project carried out over a three‐year period in six service sector companies in Ireland, in which the process employed was designed and intended to have double‐loop and meta‐learning qualities which provide the potential for ongoing organizational learning.

The article explores the use of a communication forum intervention in the Pharmacy Division of a large health maintenance organisation. An initial discussion of communication forum interventions as a sub‐set of parallel learning structure interventions is followed by a descriptive case study. The article concludes with an assessment of the intervention over a ten‐year period and a discussion of implications.

The growth in microelectronics and its likely impact in a wide variety of industries in the near future offers us a great opportunity not only in becoming more productive and efficient but also in improving the quality of life at work. In many European countries where this micro‐processing revolution has already begun, we are witnessing the developing of new systems of work organisation, which are attempting to humanise the work place and to provide workers with greater control over their particular jobs and the decision‐making process surrounding them.

The application of TQM practices has rapidly increased in US organizations over the past six years, particularly in organizations facing severe competitive pressures. A survey of the 1,000 largest companies shows that these practices fall into two main categories: core practices and production‐oriented practices. Companies perceive benefit in three areas: improvement of work performance, company competitiveness and profitability, and employee outcomes. Service organizations experience these benefits primarily from implementing core practices more extensively. Competitiveness and profitability in manufacturing organizations are positively affected by the implementation of the production‐oriented practices. Analysis of financial outcomes suggests that core practices are positively related to market share for manufacturing companies. Production‐oriented practices are positively related to return on equity and collaboration with suppliers in quality efforts is positively related to total factor productivity index for all companies.

Provides theoretical background for examining the development of self‐managed work teams as a total quality management (TQM) intervention at the employee level. Briefly summarizes the current knowledge regarding self‐managed work teams within the context of sociotechnical system design. Discusses the origins of the self‐managed work team, design features, conditions for successful implementation, and barriers to effectiveness. Presents one organization′s experience with self‐managed work teams to demonstrate the fundamental nature of the change required in implementing this TQM strategy.

This paper reviews research examining how the use of new office technologies can contribute to the risk of stress‐related health changes. Looking to the future of office work, the potential stressors associated with expert systems are discussed and the conditional nature of stress demonstrated.

The concept of company culture is now playing an ever‐increasing role in the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better company management, particularly in the industrial field. This monograph reviews the history and development of both national and company cultures, and then goes on to demonstrate the significance of a culture to proper company management. Well‐managed companies will have both a “quality culture” and a “safety culture” as well as a cultural history. However, it has to be recognised that the company culture is subject to change, and effecting this can be very difficult. Of the many national cultures, that of Japan is considered to be the most effective, as is demonstrated by the present dominance of Japan on the industrial scene. Many industrialised nations now seek to emulate the Japanese style of management, but it is not possible to copy or acquire Japan′s cultural heritage. The text is illustrated by a large number of practical examples from real life, illustrating the way in which the company culture works and can be used by management to improve company performance.

Important management practices that lead to the achievement of quality and high performance fall under the areas of leadership, information management, strategic planning, human resource management, product development, process management, and customer focus, which represent the principal focus areas of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria. Aims to identify the key practices that lead to competitive success from a process viewpoint, and provide examples from Baldrige winners and other leading companies.

The total quality management (TQM) literature has largely been based on experience in Japan, the USA and the UK, however, other countries especially those in South‐east Asia remain under‐researched. In this paper we consider the experience of the quality management (QM) movement in Singapore. With the trend towards globalisation, it is inevitable that Singapore companies will increasingly have to compete with those from developed economies. The implication for Singapore firms is that they will have to provide world‐class quality products and services in order to have a share of the global market. This research examines the extent and nature of QM in Singapore private sector companies, and the issues that have arisen from this study based on an exploratory survey. We use aspects of the Baldrige criteria in order to determine the progress of QM‐practising companies in Singapore towards the objectives of TQM. We conclude that while there is some evidence of familiarity with TQM ideas and principles, there is a long way to go for Singapore in terms of achieving a TQM culture.