Quality approaches and practices and their impact on companies’ organizational performance

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this research is to develop and propose a conceptual framework that reflects the relationship between the implementation of quality management practices (QMPs) and their impact on the organizational performance of the Portuguese organizations. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on the literature review carried out, we have identified the most common and used quality management practices. In the next phase we conducted semi-structured interviews with the Portuguese Quality Leaders in order to validate the work developed in the previous phase. In the third phase we conducted case studies in several types of companies with the aim of validating the theoretical work that had been developed in the previous phases. Currently we are in the phase four of the project that consists in the development of the conceptual model that will try to explain the relationship between the adoption of quality practices and approaches and the companies’ quality performance. This model will be statistically validated based on a survey that will be sent to the Portuguese companies. The statistical methodology that will be used is the structural equation modeling technique (SEM). Findings: It is expected that the results show a positive relationship between the implementation of quality management practices and the Portuguese organizations quality performance. Implications: This model could be used by the quality professionals as an approach for an efficient quality management implementation. Furthermore, the conceptual model proposed and tested in this study may also be used by researchers to develop the quality management theory. Originality/value: As far as we were able to find out in the literature review phase, the proposed model is a innovative approach to characterize the direct results and effects of quality management practices (QMPs) in the companies’ quality performance.