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Managerial behavior has typically not been the lead variable in organizational change efforts. Change efforts have assumed that structure, strategy and work design changes will lead to new supervisory behaviors. The kinds of behaviors that are required of a manager in a high involvement organization are examined. It is suggested that managerial behavior is the primary change that is required to make a transition to a high involvement culture, and that it might be a suitable lead variable in the change sequence.

The purpose of this paper is to examine design features that enable an organization to address today's complex and increasingly pressing global issues in ways that are sustainably effective. It identifies key social and environmental issues and reviews research examining how organizations can respond to them.

Research and theory on the interface between organizations and their environments are reviewed and evaluated. Proposals are offered with respect to organizing and designing to be sustainably effective.

There is a significant knowledge gap about how organizations can perform in sustainably effective ways. The globalization of business, increased stakeholder expectations, and environmental issues have created major challenges for corporations. Research that focusses on creating a sustainable future is needed.

Leaders need to help their organization envision new strategies and purposes, and companies will have to develop new capabilities and fundamentally alter their designs.

Important new points about the types of outcomes organizations need to produce and how they can be structured and managed in order to produce 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.

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

The author scans the top 400 management publications in the world to identify the most topical issues and latest concepts. These are presented in an easy‐to‐digest briefing of no more than 1,500 words.

The title of a popular song informs us that only the strong survive. In today's challenging business world, that could not be any truer. However, shrewd companies readily acknowledge this and recognize the fact that any organization is only as strong as its leadership. They realize that remaining competitive depends to a large extent on managerial competence, which in turn requires organizational commitment to training, development and education.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.

Many organizations are investing much time and effort in the management of quality. A few enlightened ones even have a vision to be the best. G. Howland Blackiston, the president of the Juran Institute, noted recently that, “All around the world companies are waking up to ‘quality’. Everyone is touting quality. Many are attempting it. Some organizations have gotten enviable results by using the concepts of ‘managing for quality’ dramatically to lower their costs, increase their profits and become more competitive in an increasingly competitive market. For these winners, quality has become an integral part of their business strategy”.

This special issue of Personnel Review on “Quality and the Individual” is very different in style from the editor‐generated issues of this journal, but it has been designed for a very particular purpose. In the rush towards the achievement of high levels of “quality” among organizations, however this is manifested, the effects on the individual have largely gone unnoticed. We are all aware of the high rates of failure among quality management initiatives, and what is becoming clear is that successful organizations are harnessing the talents of individuals, whatever their status, to the quality cause from its very early stages.