Jens J. Dahlgaard

• Linköping University

Purpose This study aims to reflect on quality, sustainability and resilience as emerging organisational priorities within total quality management (TQM) and organisational excellence. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a conceptual approach based on reflection and theoretical studies on the philosophical foundations of quality, excellence,...

Purpose This paper aims to review total quality management (TQM) literature in the past three decades to identify the quality related key terms, to analyse their linkage among the identified key terms and their developmental trends. Design/methodology/approach Bibliometric and statistical methods are used to analyse article titles published in the...

The primary purpose of this paper is to identify human decision-making patterns that can be transformed into machine decision-making in the era of Industry 4.0. We first isolated 40 key decision attributes and 6 decision patterns based on a literature review. Subsequently, we conducted a survey study of a group of 550 respondents from 11 different...

The competitive position achieved by the Japanese and Western industries during the 1970s to mid-1990s, and 1980s to mid-1990s, respectively, derived from understanding, implementing, and developing Total Quality Management (TQM) as a comprehensive management philosophy. Several research and/or company studies provided evidence of this development...

A Quality Scorecard (QSC) performance measurement model is proposed to evaluate the quality aspects of an organization in Industry 4.0. To design a QSC for the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, we examined existing measures regarding costs of quality items. The measurement system was refined by simplifying duplicate measures and incorporating quality...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a greenhouse gas (GHG) management model for mitigating GHG emission. GHG emission by way of human activities is causing catastrophic effects on the natural environment in the form of climate change and global warming. GHG management of different products, bodies and processes is going on worldwide, e...

The present paper explores design requirements to take into consideration when designing and developing new products or services. The purpose of this article is to develop a strategic approach for analysing variations between potential customer needs in order better to understand what qualities should be further cultivated before product launch. Th...

The lack of an implementation roadmap always deters enterprises from choosing Total Quality Management (TQM) as its major management approach. This paper proposes a stepwise ISO-based TQM implementation approach which is based on the notion of the new three-dimensional overall business excellence framework developed by Dahlgaard et al. [1]. The pro...

This study examines the relationship between export involvement/performance and domestic market performance of pharmaceutical enterprises in Iran, an area which has remained largely unresearched. The study seeks to address the following three research objectives: first, to assess the export performance of Iranian pharmaceutical companies; second, t...

This study explores how service quality in hospitals is perceived and measured among different groups of patients from four major continents (i.e. Asia, Europe, Australia and North America) who came to receive medical services in Thailand. Using stratified random sampling, data were collected from 2189 patients from 80 countries and four continents...

For the last decade, companies have tried to survive in a continuous competitive global marketplace with informed and demanding customers for first-time-right delightful products and services. The present paper tries to answer the simple corporate question ‘How to design a new product for customer delight?' by exploring the relevant design requirem...

One major means to address corporate sustainability practices in organizations are sustainability-oriented innovation practices, which tend to result in significantly improved products, services, processes or even management systems. Prior research has widely discussed the relevant issues about integrating sustainability aspects into innovation pro...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to clarify the relation between sustainability practices and financial and market performance, and also, the role of non-financial performance outputs in this relation. Corporate sustainability is a growing area of importance for organizational development. Managing sustainability practices successfully is an...

Quality management (QM) has been popular and widely used in Taiwan since the 1960s. However, it has been found that a review of its development is lacking. Hence, this paper aims to examine the history and the evolution of QM in Taiwan, and to take a step further to look for cues for shaping its future development. The research purpose of this pape...

This paper aims to explore the relationship between sustainability practices and organizational performance. In particular, this paper draws upon institutional theory whit the aim to enhance the understanding of sustainability-related phenomena, mainly from the perspective which has not yet been widely investigated in prior empirical studies. Ther...

Purpose – Corporate sustainability is a growing area of importance for organizational development. Managing sustainability practices successfully is an imperative to achieve competitive advantage. This study intends to clarify the relation between sustainability practices and financial and market performance, and also, the role of non-financial per...

Theoretical and empirical research often points to a positive relation between corporate sustainability and organisational performance; however, attempts to conceptualise the multi-dimensional nature of sustainability practices are rare in the current literature. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework to aid in underst...

Although research has been carried out linking Total Quality Management and Innovation, it was found that there is a dearth of literature exploring the relationship between Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Innovation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between LSS and Process/Product/Service Innovation. A number of interviews were carried out...

Background and Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse the effects of sustainability-oriented innovation practices on the overall organizational performance. Further, this paper also aims to advance understanding of the measurement of corporate sustainability practices with the focus on innovation dimensions. Design/Methodolog...

The theory of attractive quality and the Kano methodology were introduced about 30 years ago. Since then, research and practitioner communities have adopted both the theory and the methodology, as they help to explain the roles different quality attributes play for customers. This paper reviews 147 research papers published between 1984 and 2012 an...

The objective of the research presented in this paper is to identify the relations and strength of the relationships between the elements of two models – the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence model. For that purpose, a framework which indicates the relationships between the mentioned model...

The use of business excellence models (BEM) has become popular in the last two decades, and several companies have learned how to use them and gained from such models. More companies, we assume, have experienced problems when using such models because of various weaknesses such as too-sophisticated assessment criteria, excessive paperwork, cumberso...

The purpose of this article is to create a snapshot of 25 years’ quality movement. The creation process of the snapshot, as well as the result of the study, aims to help in diagnosing the current status of quality management (QM) and further contribute in understanding and shaping its future direction. For this purpose, all published articles durin...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the implementation of a total quality management (TQM) approach positively affects the financial performance of European companies. This paper tests whether North American results showing the relative out‐performance of companies that have successfully implemented TQM approaches are replicated...

The purpose of this article is to present and discuss the development of a system for assessing and improving healthcare organisations. The system components comprise (1) a framework or model for assessing, measuring, diagnosing and improving healthcare organisations, (2) a simple methodology for data collection, data analysis and prioritising impr...

In this paper the five cornerstones (key principles) of total quality management (TQM) are introduced by using a new management pyramid called the TQM pyramid. These principles are leadership, focus on the customer and the employee, continuous improvements, everybody's participation and focus on facts. These key principles are discussed in relation...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the development of a system for assessing and improving technology development and innovations. The system components comprise: a framework or model for assessing, measuring, diagnosing and improving innovation enablers and results; a simple methodology for data collection, data analysis...

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of management factors on enterprise performance, considering a survey that the University Consortium in Engineering for Quality and Innovation has led. The relationships between management factors and enterprise performance are formalized by a Simultaneous Equation Model based on the generalized maximum...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of how statistical process control (SPC) methodology can be implemented and used in organizational settings. Design/methodology/approach An action research model was used. Data were collected through formal meeting protocols, interviews and participant observation. Findings B...

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present and discuss the Kansei engineering (KE) methodology, and to reflect on the future development of KE. The paper presents a model of the KE methodology and illustrates how this model was applied on a simple example which all may understand – design of a new chocolate bar. Design/methodology/approach –...

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present a proactive quality costs measurement methodology, which describes the value of quality improvements and the implication of this value on customers' perception regarding the value of the product. Design/methodology/approach – By describing the perceived customer value in a dynamic term, it becomes p...

The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a methodology and an associated measurement instrument for diagnosing innovation excellence, and to show how this methodology was applied in a case study. The conceptual model behind the measurement instrument has been developed based on the specific enabler criteria and criteria parts fr...

A sample of Italian manufacturing companies was selected in order to verify the abilities and effects (relationships) of the management factors human resources, leadership and strategic planning on company performance. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) estimation method was used for analyzing the data collected, where the relationships between the ma...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine two approaches to measure and diagnose innovation excellence. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a conceptual model for innovation excellence and a measurement system is developed. A Danish survey forms the empirical basis for the study, where a simple approach (by using stated importance of di...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss/reflect on some well‐known excellence frameworks or models in order to understand the development in the contents of excellence during the last 25 years and to understand the problems or limitations which such kind of models still may have. Design/methodology/approach – The studies exam...

In this paper we analyse the European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI) model measured on five different customer groups. In the analysis we use Structural Equation Modelling, which is a general and convenient framework for statistical analysis, including traditional multivariate procedures such as factor analysis or multiple regression modelling....

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to develop existing tools or methodologies to measure customer value during acquisition and use, in such a way that the measures concurrently indicate the level of performance and more “accurately” identify the improvement opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – The producer is the entity that creates the...

This paper presents a methodology to nominate and select improvement projects that are perceived as adding value to customers (both internal and external). The structure of the methodology can be explained in three “stages”. First, the methodology suggests a new way of categorizing improvement opportunities, i.e. reactive-proactive, to “upgrade” th...

The Six Sigma and Lean Production methodologies suggest that creating value for customers is the objective of a production process or an organisation. In the production context, “added value” dominates the discussion about the creation of value to customers. However, “added value” is often only defined conceptually or discussed at a strategic level...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how a performance measurement system called “the flow model” is designed to measure changes towards lean thinking in health care services. Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates literature from the health care sector and the lean production movement in order to understand whether lean th...

This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey of the auditing practices and the value of certification audits in 269 Swedish ISO 9001:2000 certified organisations. Certification audits help to improve the quality management system and increase the motivation for quality work. Certified organisations want auditors not only to issue a cer...

Purpose The aim of the study is to investigate and to understand the practice of implementing and operating the QMS in an organisational context, providing an analysis of the way ISO 9001:2000 was implemented and operated and focusing on identifying factors which have negatively or positively influenced the effects of the quality management system...

Purpose – The authors analyze the principles and results of lean production and compare the lean production philosophy with the six sigma quality process and the principles of total quality management (TQM). At the end of the paper, it is discussed how to build the necessary company culture for having success with these principles/management philos...

Some of the leading models and frameworks about Excellence from the last 25 years are presented and discussed: Peters and Waterman's eight excellence attributes (1982), Peters and Austin's simplified excellence model (1985), Lists of Best Practices, Xerox Excellence Models (1990, 2002), the European Excellence Model (1992) and two different but ove...

Background and Purpose: Does screening/treatment reduce amblyopia and is it worth doing it? Materials: All children (3126) born in 1982 have been followed from birth to ten years. The second study was an investigation of four Low Vision Centers to see how many persons become visual handicapped due to amblyopia. Methods: Up to the age of 4, inspecti...

Purpose – Product development projects can be utilized to create not only new products or services but also competitively important capabilities on how to work with product development. The resulting capabilities can be, and often are, as important as the product itself. Although there is potential for an organization to improve product development...

Purpose – Continuous improvement has become an important strategy in improving organizational performance. Unfortunately, product development is often excluded in continuous improvement programs due to the special characteristics of product development activities. The overall purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of conti...

In this paper, the climate for improvement in Swedish healthcare is explored via a self-assessment model. The result from a cross-sectional survey at the clinical department level in the County Council of Östergötland is presented and discussed. The underlying theoretical model consists of three parts, first a Leadership Profile Model that contains...

In this paper, leadership in a professional and complex organization is explored via a leadership model. The Swedish Health Care System is used as the context for the suggested Leadership profile model. The Leadership profile model contains eight leadership styles that characterize different aspects of leadership. A leadership profile dominated by...

ISO 14000 is based on the concept that better environmental performance can be achieved when environmental aspects are systematically identified and managed. Despite the growing interest in voluntary environmental management standards, little empirical information exists and only a few survey studies have been made. This paper contains an evaluatio...

Based on a combination of theories, experiences and cases a sustainable change strategy and self-assessment method with a focus on the human dimension in TQM are suggested and discussed. The Post Denmark TIQ (Total Involvement in Quality) case will be used to illustrate how breakthrough in people attitudes and organisational culture happened and be...

With the evolution of quality from inspection and defect reduction to the new management philosophy, TQM, a new quality metrology is needed. Contributions to building the new TQM Metrology in the form of principles, guidelines and examples are presented and discussed.

It seems today to be an indisputable fact that ISO 9000 is a powerful instrument, which cannot be disregarded. It is, far and away, the most influential initiative that grew from the quality movement of the late 1980s. This paper contains an evaluation of results from a survey on ISO 9000 certified companies and aims to present some aspects of the...

The authors present and discuss a new type of questionnaire to be used for what we call "Focused Self-Assessment". The questionnaire has been designed in co-operation with a big service company (Post Denmark) with almost 30,000 employees. The company has used the questionnaire two times - a first time in 1997 - when it was decided to start up a com...

Employees are recognized as the most crucial asset of today's organizations by both academics and practitioners. The importance of employees is also reflected in the EFQM Excellence Model, since two of the criteria deal with employee - related issues (i.e. 'people' and 'people results'). The EFQM Excellence Model is by far the most widely used mode...

For businesses a major drawback of self-assessments based on quality award models is the amount of precious time and effort they require. Based on work with a major European service company, a ‘quick’ approach has been developed by Aarhus School of Business. In the second of two articles, Jens Dahlgaard and Jakob Eskildsen explain its new method fo...

Excellence in innovation requires that organisations have the competencies to react quickly to new market conditions and customer needs, and see the possibilities that can arise from constantly looking for creative solutions and continuous improvements in products and innovation processes. Today’s companies must continuously adapt, develop and inno...

This paper highlights how the European Business Excellence Model can be adapted to innovation when formulating strategies and plans. The Business Excellence Model is too general to be applied directly to innovation, and the authors find that specific criterion parts have to be supplemented. A cause and effect diagram is formulated showing eight cri...

This represents the sixth in a series of articles on Quality Improvement Practices and Trends in Europe, with the first five pieces having discussed the progress of quality management and quality engineering practices in Demark, the Czech Republic, Unit..

[This abstract is based in part on the authors' abstract.] The development of quality management in Sweden is summarized with an emphasis on recent decades. Examples of quality programs in some Swedish companies are given. Also covered are: Swedish ..

The article analyse the empirical data from a questionnaire survey run in manufacturing companies in the Nordic companies and East Asian companies. The purpose of the study is to evaluate to what degree the synergistic eff ects of TQM and JIT are to be expected. The following six operational hypotheses are formulated and tested: 1. High degree of c...

In conducting full-scale implementation of a total quality management programme an organization's success will depend on how well it can answer two basic questions: ‘where are we now?’ and ‘how do we proceed?’. A quantitative measurement tool developed at Aarhus School of Business and used by a major European corporation gives management an instrum...

Traditional quality measurements based on ‘closed’ indicators such as annual results reinforce a management focus on short-term ‘fire-fighting’. The development of predictive elements for customer and employee satisfaction opens the way to a measurement system able to drive an improvement cycle.

This paper compares quality management practices in manufacturing companies in the East and the West. It uses data collected from three countries in the East, namely Japan, Korea and Taiwan and compares these with data collected from four countries in the West, namely Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Australia. Twenty-five Japanese companies, 105 Korea...

Quality improvement has had a sweeping global impact from the 1980s onward and Denmark is no exception to this phenomenon. National characteristics dating from the Viking Age such as pragmatism, personal and corporate tenacity, and simple but ingenious ..

The chapter on the development of Total Quality Management in Denmark will be subdivided into the following four sections plus this introduction.