Quality culture deployment – using behaviours to explain, diagnose and improve a quality culture

Effects of the organizational culture and knowledge exploration and exploitation on results in the EFQM model framework

Purpose

This paper aims to adopt Cameron and Quinn’s analysis of organizational culture and March’s learning framework to analyze the type of organizational culture (OC) that promotes learning competences and whether exploration and exploitation competences (ambidexterity) improve the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) results (excellent results). In addition, this research tests if these competences exercise a mediating effect in the relationship between OC and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A model is proposed whose relationships have been tested using structural equations. The sample was obtained from the SABI database. Two hundred valid questionnaires were returned via a webpage, in which four managers from each of the 200 organizations responded.

Findings

The results support the proposed relationships. Adhocracy, hierarchy and market culture have a positive relationship with excellent results. A hierarchical culture develops exploitation competences, and a market culture develops learning ambidexterity. Moreover, exploration and exploitation increase results. Finally, these two cultures indirectly influence results through exploration and exploitation competences.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed model can help managers who implement the EFQM model to better understand how the culture of their organization promotes learning and how these two variables improve their performance.

Practical implications

Because the EFQM model requires organizations to use a knowledge management system to enhance the effect of the enabliers criteria on excellent results, the managers of these companies must know that only market and hierarchy cultures are suitable for it. Besides, this study highlights the importance of two cultural values for the implementation of the EFQM Model and, therefore, to promote excellent results: market orientation and process control.

Originality/value

This study fills an existing gap in the literature by combining exploitation, exploration, OC and EFQM results in a single model and highlights the importance of market orientation and process control for excellent results and knowledge exploration and exploitation.

Procedure model to integrate digital elements into lean production systems

Purpose

Industry 4.0 is one of the most used terms in the current industrial discussion. There are several perspectives and approaches related to Industry 4.0 so far, but no universal definition. Often-mentioned basic requirements to “implement” Industry 4.0 are lean and well-organized processes. In the past and still until today, a lot of companies try to implement lean production systems (LPS) according to the example of Toyota to realize a systematic approach to ensure well-organized processes. The process model aims to support organizations to integrate Industry 4.0 elements into LPS, regardless of the size of the organization. The purpose of this paper to describe a model as a first basis for further elaborations that could focus on the detailed design of each model-phases. Furthermore, the identified digital elements of Industry 4.0 build a first foundation to choose pilot projects related to existing challenges of the organizations LPS. In this context, especially the suitability of LPS and Industry 4.0 elements should be further investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the current status regarding the realization of Industry 4.0 approaches and related challenges in the German industry, the two authors realized a survey with over 300 participants from different sectors and company sizes, using an online questionnaire. The results of the survey will be a part of this paper and a technology analysis, which was the outcome of an extensive literature analysis. The results were summarized in a model to integrate digital elements into existing LPS. Practitioners can use the process model as a first orientation to integrate industry 4.0 technologies into their existing LPS, based on specific challenges with their LPS processes.

Findings

Even if most of the participating German companies recognize Industry 4.0 as an important or very important topic, many of them do not consider themselves well prepared. The participants see huge challenges with regard to the needed qualifications and investments Industry 4.0 requires. In general, the companies hope to improve productivity and customer satisfaction to name two main objectives of the implementation of digital elements of Industry 4.0. In addition to the survey, a profound literature analysis was made and identified eight core digital elements. On this basis a milestone-based model to integrate these digital elements into existing LPS was developed.

Originality/value

This paper considers results from a study and analysis regarding the potentials of digital elements of Industry 4.0 for production system from different angles and introduces a model for integrating these elements.

Quality Culture of Manufacturing Enterprises: A Possible Way to Adaptation to Industry 4.0

The concept of Industry 4.0 means a new paradigm of modern manufacturing. This phenomenon requires continuous innovation processes and technological development from each enterprise. Traditional concepts of quality must absorb changes and prepare themselves for new challenges. The studies linked to successful adaptation to Industry 4.0 focus mostly on technical dimensions and forget the impact of organisational culture. One should, however, remember that quality culture plays a crucial role in the organisational culture of manufacturing enterprises with elements of quality management implemented. Developed quality cultures support the innovation environment, which is why it is necessary for the enterprises to identify the current level of their quality culture and detect significant factors that differentiate individual quality cultures and focus on them. Given this fact, the aim of the paper is to analyse the typical cultures and quality concepts and to detect the factors that differentiate individual quality cultures in Slovakia. We use data from our own survey; dependences were indicated by means of correspondence analysis and the test of proportion. The improvement and assurance of quality, the use of information and the overall effectiveness are significant factors detected by the discriminant analysis. The conclusions of the survey may be used by scientific researchers but especially by manufacturing enterprises interested in quality which are coming to terms with the era of Industry 4.0.

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE FOR COMPANY'S INNOVATION STRATEGY

The resource-based view recognizes present organizational culture as a key component to its success or failure. It has a direct impact on the innovation strategy of organizations and therefore should be treated as a determinant of the organisation's future. Presently companies should naturally strive to make efforts aiming at the creation of such organizational cultures which would affirm knowledge – cultures characteristic for organisations based on knowledge, that foster engagement of employees, building trust and sharing knowledge. They are most often convergent and mutually complementary and described as: lean culture, learning organization culture, information culture, group-development culture. One type of the organizational cultures indicated as optimal for operating in knowledge-based economy is the quality culture. Concentration on quality is currently a sine qua non-condition for the survival and development of modern organization and at the same time, one of the main tasks of managers. Because of the fact that that instruments are in place but still there is a lack of quality culture in the practical aspects and also common point of view that there is a gap to be filled in the development of appropriate culture for quality, the study provides an initial comparative verification of which stage of evolution towards quality culture is represented by companies from different sectors in Poland. The paper has theoretical-empirical ladder. Its aims are to review existing literature dedicated to organisational quality culture essence, elements, determinants and dimensions. Investigation of the topic in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: TQM implementation → Organizational culture → Quality culture → Organizational Quality Culture. The purpose of this paper is to describe components of organisational quality cultures in polish enterprises from different sectors. The methodological tool of the research methods was survey questionnaire, included 20 closed-ended questions – most of them multiple choice. It was decided to research, in the context of quality culture, all enterprises: those operating in production, in services and also mixed enterprises. Based on exploration of empirical data, the condition of quality culture in companies operating in Poland is diagnosed. Paper proves that verified organisations are on their way in the direction to the phase of permanent organisational quality culture creation. The results of the research can be useful for developing the complex model of organizational quality culture constitution. They can also provide managers with valuable suggestions on building stable organizational quality culture.