Applying quality function deployment to social housing?

Process View to Innovate the Management of the Social Housing System: A Multiple Case Study

All countries recognize the right to adequate housing for all human beings. Yet, in many countries, social housing is in a critical state: most buildings need to be restored and better services should be guaranteed. Such actions should be part of a larger plan aimed to overcome the organizational and technological backwardness of the agencies that manage the social housing system. With a not large, but old public asset, the Italian context may represent an interesting case to start investigating difficulties and problems in the management of the social housing system that, as it occurs in most Mediterranean countries, arise when the public housing rental model is adopted. In the paper, a multiple case study on five Italian regional public Agencies responsible for the social housing system is discussed. In particular, the theoretical lens of process theory and ambidextrous business process management are adopted to study the Agencies’ “problematic situation” and identify innovative solutions to address it. The paper contributes to research and practice on process innovation and digital transformation of public administrations: three important lessons are derived and discussed also taking into consideration Industry 5.0, the vision on the future of industry recently proposed by the European Commission. Finally, the adoption of process theory combined with ambidextrous Business Process Management is an underexplored research method in the field of Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Facility Management (AEC/FM) research. The results reported in the study reaffirm the potential deriving from its adoption also in such a field.

Mapping the customer centric weather index insurance service design using quality function deployment

Purpose

The present paper aims to propose a framework on weather index insurance (WII) service design by using quality function deployment (QFD).

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes QFD technique to propose a customer oriented framework on WII service design. In initial phase, customer and design requirements were gathered to derive the relationship between customers' and managers' voice for construct the house of quality (HOQ). Later on, prioritized customer and design requirements as QFD outcome were utilized to develop the action plan matrix in order to suggest the future action plans.

Findings

This study proposed a customer centric framework on WII service design to address the customer requirements. Findings show that adequate claim payments, hassle free prompt claim payment and transparency in losses computation are prioritized customer requirements with highest importance rating, whereas, accurate claim estimation, claim management system and advancement of technology are prioritized service design necessities with highest importance rating.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed WII service design can enhance the quality of WII service by attain the higher standards of WII service in order to completely satisfy the customers.

Practical implications

The proposed WII service design can provide a solution to the problems faced by WII industry by improve the customer's service experience and satisfaction.

Originality/value

Based on best of author's knowledge, this paper first proposed a framework on WII service design by integrating customer and design requirements by using QFD.

Patterns emerging from the TQM paradigm in relation to the 21st century complex context within TQM journal

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to explore the deployment of the total quality management (TQM) paradigm in the TQM Journal in relation to the context of the 21st century. The study builds on the theoretical framework of the four quality paradigms that together compose TQM. The four paradigms differ in their effectiveness based on the context in which they are used. In a complex context, one would expect the reflective and the emergence paradigm to flourish. The TQM Journal is one of the leading scientific journals on TQM. If the assumption that the reflective and emergent paradigm would flourish in a complex environment is correct, one will see that represented in the past five years of scientific research in that magazine.

Design/methodology/approach

The TQM Journal articles of the past five years from January 2016 till January 2021 have been chosen as the scope of an exploratory review. The author assessed the title and abstract of all articles based on the characteristics of the four quality paradigms, as described in the theoretical framework. If the title and abstract did not provide enough data to take the decision for the assessment, the whole article has been taken into account. The results have been collated, summarized and reported. Based on the results, the author explores the possible patterns.

Findings

In total, 283 articles from 2016 to 2021 (from Volume 28, Issue 1 to Volume 33, Issue 1) were included in this study. In total, 45 were read fully to be able to characterize the article. Most of the studies relate the tertiary (33.3%) and secondary (27.9%) sectors. Healthcare was the sector in 32 of the cases (11.3%). Most studies have been conducted in Europe (n = 82, 28.9%) and Asia (n = 58, 20.5%). Within Europe, Italy was the most prolific country with, respectively, 25 (30.8%) of the articles. The USA and Canada only had five articles in these five years (1.8%). Many articles did not specify the region. More than half of the articles (52.4%) worked with surveys, questionnaires or other methods to involve the customer in the research; 16 articles (5.6%) used experts in the field through expert panels and such to collect data from. In total, 107 articles (37.8%) did involve no other stakeholders than the researchers themselves. Eight studies (2.8%) used action research or co-design methodology to create optimal stakeholder participation. Based on the data, four patterns can be discovered: the context sensitivity of the articles, reflexivity, coping with uncertainty and co-creation.

Research limitations/implications

It is acknowledged that the articles in the study were published in just one scientific journal. One can expect that this will be represented in other journals on TQM. Still, it would be interesting to conduct a follow-up study in other journals on TQM and compare the results. The research is done by one subjective researcher.

Practical implications

Research on TQM should take the complexity of the context into account. For that purpose, researchers should focus more on the emergence paradigm within TQM.

Originality/value

This study is the first to investigate TQM as a holistic paradigm, including the empirical, reflective, reference and emergence paradigm in TQM research.

Developing a QFD model for prioritizing the CSFs of ERP based on the enablers of organizational agility

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to develop a model for prioritizing the critical success factors (CSF) of enterprise resources planning (ERP) based on the enablers of organizational agility (OA).

Design/methodology/approach

First, the CSFs of ERP and the enablers of OA have been identified and classified using Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), and then a three-phase quality function deployment (QFD) model has been designed to prioritize the influencing and influenced criteria. The proposed approach has been examined in the banking sector.

Findings

Major findings indicated that organizational structure, IT technology infrastructure, and commitment and support by top managers were selected as indicators with top priority.

Research limitations/implications

Research variables were limited to the enablers of OA and the CSFs of ERP; analysis was time-consuming due to the interconnected multiple QFD phases, and findings were limited to the selected branches of a bank. The bank managers were suggested to enhance their commitment and support toward ERP. Also, it was recommended to the managers to evaluate their organizational structure and empower it as much as possible toward the fulfillment of customers' requirements and customers' expected agility.

Originality/value

The development of the QFD matrices and dividing the factors of each research variables into influencing and influenced factors distinguished this study from the literature.

Service quality function deployment by the C-shaped QFD 3D matrix

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of C-shaped QFD 3D Matrix in comparing process characteristics (PC), performance aspects (PA) and customer requirements, simultaneously and to prioritize the first two sets, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

A three dimensional matrix has been developed with three sets of PC, PA and customers’ requirements and C-shaped matrix has been applied for simultaneous comparison of the dimensions and prioritization of the subsets of PC and PA. The proposed approach has been examined in a post bank.

Findings

Findings confirm the possibility of simultaneous comparison and prioritization of the three sets of dimensions of this study in post bank services. In addition, “growth and learning” and “bilateral relationship with suppliers” had the first priorities among PA and PC, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

While the proposed approach has many advantages, filling the matrixes is time-consuming. Since illustrating the 3D matrix was not possible, the matrix was separated into five two-dimensional matrixes.

Originality/value

Compared to the studied literature, the proposed approach is practically new in the post bank services.