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Quality management is an essential part of an organisation’s competitive strategy. The training that underpins quality management determines the likely effectiveness of the quality initiatives undertaken. This article details the findings of a questionnaire survey into the training provided to support quality management. A total of 450 responses are analysed. Findings from the UK, Portugal and Finland are compared to identify differences in national practice. Training provision is definitely focused at quality staff, but even with this group training in many of the traditional quality tools is denied to one third. The area in which training is given consistently concerns awareness, systems and standards. This confirms that much of the emphasis within the sample base is on working to a quality system rather than necessarily embracing the message of quality. Training methods tend to be traditional, with little impact evident of the hi‐tech revolution. Nevertheless, there is a spread of approaches considered effective with no single approach dominating the field. While external short courses rank top in all areas, the incidence is never in excess of one‐third.

Quality is another name for customer satisfaction and the USA cannot afford to ignore its importance. Education and training are essential to the productivity and competitive advantage of the entire country. Emphasizes the importance of quality training and suggests the keys to implementing a quality training programme. Covers why quality training is necessary and the skills that employees need to succeed in their problem‐solving and process improvement activities. Discusses the key requirements of a quality training programme along with Cocheu’s models of improvement strategy and training phases. Finally includes a brief case study of Prince Corporation and some highlights of their quality programme. It all boils down to the simple truth that we cannot have a world‐class economy without a world‐class workforce.

Argues that organizations are in the midst of a competitive revolution and quality improvement is an important factor in the quest to remain competitive. Companies are realizing they need to initiate a quality improvement programme and that training is a critical variable in the success of that programme. Improvement involves change, and training prepares employees for the change by providing the skills needed to work as a team member, communicate effectively, and identify and solve problems. A quality training programme requires certain elements for it to be successful: a change in the company’s culture; support of top management; a strategy to guide the company; communicating to employees the reason for quality improvement and how the change will affect them; providing the proper training and providing it at the proper time; and evaluating the training process.

Total quality management has become an important issue in many public and private sector organizations. This may provide hope that training may be taken seriously in Britain, Many organizations’ competitiveness is seriously damaged by the lack of training, even though many experts advocate comprehensive training to be the foundation on which essential improvement programmes should be built. A survey of small/medium‐sized manufacturing firms in the North of England showed that attitude to training has been short‐sighted and only a small percentage of firms have adopted a total quality management strategy within their organizations. Fully explores the survey results.

Adequate, appropriate training of quality managers is essential to the development and implementation of effective quality management systems. This study reports on a survey of 235 Australian quality managers to determine their perceptions of their training and development needs, the extent to which these were being met, and their views on the future of their discipline. The study found that there was a general lack of systematisation, most programs were short‐term and delivered by a fragmented set of providers. Many managers had received no training in the past five years. While the respondents were generally satisfied with the training they had received, there was evidence that their insight into their own needs was imperfect. The respondents were divided between those who thought quality management would remain a discrete field and those who saw it being absorbed by other management systems. The challenges of developing an appropriate training and development regime in this environment are discussed.

Presents survey results of training for quality in manufacturing companies in Wales. Six geographical areas – Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Llandudno, Shrewsbury and Llandrindod Wells, in Wales, were selected for investigation. A high response rate indicates a “renaissance” in quality in manufacturing in Wales. Quality is recognized by many organizations in Wales and results show that companies are beginning to address training in quality requirements. The Wales Quality Centre is used by a large percentage of the companies surveyed.

The successful implementation of quality management in organizations is dependent on people, particularly leaders. It seems as if leaders' affective states (attitudes and commitment) in the military were connected to their capability to inspire people and a group (corps training unit) to achieve a common goal. The research reported in this article was aimed at examining officers in corps training units' attitudes towards, and commitment to quality management in training in the South African Army.

Focus group interviews were conducted with a sample of 49 officers on various levels (senior, junior and warrant officers) at six South African Army corps training units.

The findings indicate that the attitudes of leaders played a significant role to ensure that quality management of training is conducted effectively. Participants experienced that leaders in the South African Army were mostly responsible for the negative attitudes of officers in corps training units. Inadequate leadership support and lack of trust contributed to a lack of transparency and poor communication that resulted in poor commitment among officers at corps training units. The investigation further revealed that a positive affective state (attitudes and commitment) of leaders is essential in ensuring effective quality management of training.

The potential usefulness of this research may provide insight into how leaders' affective state could be improved to ensure effective quality management. This research may also be of interest to other organizations that conduct in-house training.

The purpose of this paper is to explore why some firms succeed while others flounder or fail to implement quality improvement programmes. It synthesises self-efficacy literature to propose a model of self-efficacy’s role in affecting implementation success of quality improvement programmes in organisations.

A review of scholarly articles on the topics of self-efficacy and quality initiatives brings to light self-efficacy’s role in successful quality programme implementation. When considered in the context of organisation barriers, it can lead to organisational success.

It is determined that quality training programmes play an important role in affecting existing efficacies and leading to “quality self-efficacy” in employees. The proposed model and related propositions suggest that right approaches of implementing quality training among certain types of employees and/or organisations can promote teamwork to achieve performance success.

Moving forward, the proposed model should be empirically tested to improve our understanding of quality self-efficacy construct and its role in aiding organisational success. Furthermore, it would offer guidelines for the implementation of quality programmes in the most optimal way.

In applying theories on self-efficacy, motivation, empowerment, and quality training, the authors posit that existing efficacy and quality self-efficacy are crucial for quality implementation efforts to overcome organisational barriers and lead to effective teamwork and performance success.

The authors postulate that deciding factors for organisational success originate from employees themselves as existing efficacies. Even though employees can foster quality self-efficacy through the implementation of quality improvement initiatives, existing self-efficacy, and organisation barriers will be moderating forces on eventual effectiveness of quality self-efficacy, teamwork, and organisational performance.

The model and related propositions, linking self- and collective efficacies to quality training, teamwork, and quality performance, offered in this paper will prove useful for organisational decision-makers in selecting quality programmes for implementation in organisation to achieve performance success.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the debate surrounding quality of training as it has unfolded in Australia and how concerns about high non‐completion rates have entered the debate.

This paper bases its discussion of quality in VET training on analysis of qualitative data collected from focus groups and one‐on‐one interviews conducted with employers, Institutes of Tertiary and Further Education, registered training organisations, trade unions and local, State and Commonwealth government representatives located in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia.

The paper shows that throughout many parts of the world a growing concern has emerged about the quality of training for apprentices and trainees in what has become an increasingly deregulated environment dominated by private interests. In Australia, where non‐completion rates can be as high as 50 percent of those who commence training, government leaders at both State and Federal levels are taking a renewed interested in understanding the relationship between quality of training and non‐completion rates. The paper finds that data suggesting training quality in Australia is being threatened by fully on‐the‐job training, the narrowing of training skills, the loss of transferable skills and a lack of training. It argues that these factors have contributed to high rates of non‐completions among apprentices and trainees and that poor regulation of quality standards, government subsidies to employers and training organisations and abuse are contributing to these quality problems.

The paper presents useful insights into the relationship between quality in training and attrition among apprentices and trainees in regional Australia.

Examines the concept of numerical flexibility as a new form of work in ISO 9000 registered organisations in the Irish manufacturing sector and its implications on training for quality. Also examines the reasons, if any, for the adoption of numerical flexibility as a new form of work within the Irish manufacturing sector. Although ISO 9000 registered organisations are expected to provide training to all employees, questions whether part‐time, temporary and contract staff enjoy the same amount of training as their full‐time colleagues. Commences with a review of the literature on employment flexibility, quality philosophies and standards, training in a quality context and training “atypical” employees. Following from the literature review, presents the research questions and provides a methodology to elicit the required information. Describes the primary research results and outlines the conclusions.