Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a survey on quality management systems (QMS)-related problems faced by management representatives. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was carried out on certified organisations by means of a self-administrated questionnaire. A total of 97 organisations participated in the study. Findings – It was found that the majority of management representatives believe themselves to be well aware of the weaknesses in their respective organisations and of the underlying causes. They also maintain that they know how to overcome them. They perceive insufficient involvement on the part of managers and staff and limited resources as being far more crucial problems. Research limitations/implications – The sample only covers 97 organisations, so including more entities would be strongly recommended in any future research. This would enable grouping by general characteristics, such as businesses and public administration, for instance, and allow a comparative analysis to be conducted. Furthermore, as the data in this study were collected from management representatives and are based on their subjective evaluations, they should be set in the perspective of other viewpoints, for example those of top management and internal auditors. Practical implications – The survey data make it possible to identify the personal traits and competences required for the role of management representative. An analysis of the problems identified by means of the survey indicates that those competences should fall within the areas of internal communication, motivation and so forth. Originality/value – ISO 9001 pays little attention to the competences and role of a management representative. Empirical research on the subject is also lacking. The survey results and their analysis presented here contribute towards a better understanding of the sources of success or failure in implementing, maintaining and improving a QMS.
Purpose This study aims to demonstrate the suitability of text-mining toolset for the discovery of trends in quality management (QM) literature in 2000-2019. The hypothesis was formulated that as the field of study is mature, the most important trends are related to deepening and broadening of the knowledge. Design/methodology/approach A novel approach to trend discovery was proposed. The computer-aided analysis of full-texts of papers led to increased reliability and level of detail of the achieved results and helped significantly reduce researchers’ bias. Overall, 4,833 papers from 8 journal dedicated to QM were analysed. Findings Trends discovery led to the identification of 45 trends: 17 long-lasting trends, 4 declining trends, 11 emerging trends and 13 ephemeris trends. They were compared to the results of earlier studies. New trends and potential gaps were discussed. Practical implications The results highlight the trends that gain or lose popularity, thus they can be used to focus studies, as well as find new subjects, which are not so popular yet. The knowledge about emerging trends is also important for those quality managers who strive for improvement of their efficiency. Originality/value The research was designed to bypass the limitations of previous studies. The use of text mining methods and analysis of full texts of papers delivered more detailed and reliable data. Resignation from predefinition of classification criteria significantly reduced researchers’ bias and allowed the discovery of new trends, not identified in previous studies.
Purpose The authors of this study, who adopted a holistic view of the international organization for standardization (ISO) 9000 series of standards, aimed to evaluate the current status of the standards within the framework of the quality movement. Specifically, the evaluation covered two dimensions, i.e. the significance of the content included in the standards and the quality of the standards’ elaboration, which encompasses such issues as, for instance, their correctness, relevance to current trends in quality management, comprehensibility, etc. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a review of the scientific literature, analysis of the current and all previous versions of the international standards and the results of a survey, through which data were collected from 73 quality management experts from 17 different countries. To evaluate the results, an importance-performance analysis was performed. Findings As the results of the research demonstrated, experts in quality management have accepted the ISO 9000 standards series. However, this positive view refers mainly to the very idea of developing quality management standards and these standard’s content structure (components included in them). Study participants assigned a low rating to the quality of the standards’ elaboration. Therefore, improving the following aspects of the standards is essential: definitions, guidelines explaining the requirements for a quality management system, self-assessment tools and guidelines concerning quality management concerning chosen forms of activity. Research limitations/implications The research described here in has both practical and social implications. First, it delineates the direction needed to improve standardizations, whose use need not be strictly limited to quality management but can be successfully used to improve the standards in other areas of management. Therefore, the conclusions of this research directly contribute to increasing both the effectiveness and the quality of the standard organizations. The significant consequences of this research for managers are the identification of ISO 9000 components which they will find are the most useful. Practical implications The research described herein has both practical and social implications. First, it delineates the direction needed to improve standardizations, whose use need not be strictly limited to quality management. However, it can be successfully used to improve the standards in other areas of management. Therefore, the conclusions of this research directly contribute to increasing both the effectiveness and the quality of the standard organizations. The significant consequences of this research for managers are the identification of ISO 9000 components, which they will find are the most useful. Originality/value Most research treats ISO 9000 standards as a benchmark for their studies on quality management systems implemented in organizations. The standards themselves are rarely the subject of a study, and so this paper fills a gap in the research and provides insights into desired directions for standards improvement.
The aim of the paper is to identify and analyze the current opinions concerning the usefulness of the ISO 9001 quality management system among people (from small and medium enterprises) who are not directly involved into activities connected with implementing, maintaining and improving the systems. The survey was completed by 34 people including 29 representing manufacturing companies, and the remaining 5 represent service companies. The biggest group were executive directors (13 people), the second place was shared by owners and co-owners (8 people) and directors (8 people). The smallest group were the specialists (5 people). The research has proven that ISO 9001 quality management system is a management system that is widely used, and also gained recognition in business environment. This claim is confirmed by the fact that as many as 18 (from 34 included in the research) organizations were certified with ISO 9001. Additionally, all respondents (also those, who represented organizations without such certification) declared they knew what ISO 9001 quality management system is. It may also be assumed that the popularity of quality management system will not decrease in the nearest future despite the changes introduced to the standard in 2015.
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