Joan Henderson

Influencing the future of TQM: internal and external driving factors

The aim of this paper is to investigate the future of total quality management (TQM) by determining the scope and depth of the influencing or driving factors that will shape the body of knowledge, known as TQM, into the future. The rapid rate of change in global and niche markets has increased pressure on organisations to become more competitive. TQM is not immune from such changes. Rather, TQM theory and practice must continually adapt to be in the vanguard of such change and potential future changes. The research to determine the influencing/driving factors for the future of TQM involved a panoptic literature review and an inductive grounded theory approach using multiple case studies. Overall, the research indicates that both the mechanistic and organismic aspects of TQM will continue into the future, along with the continual representative development of initiatives to meet current and future organisational change. Furthermore, the TQM discourse will remain a challenging research area for both academics and practitioners.

A Learning Framework for the Small Business Environment.

Purpose – The aim of this article is to offer insight into the factors affecting individual and organisational learning in a small business; specifically the identification of the learning relationships that are unique to the small business environment.Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply Crossan et al.s (1997, 1999) Organisational Learning Framework. The proposed framework is supported by empirical evidence generated through a longitudinal case study carried out in a small business in the Republic of Ireland over a two‐year period. A learning catalyst, in this case the implementation of a new information system (IS), offered an initial point from which to gauge subsequent learning within the studied case.Findings – This framework acknowledges the learning impact of a small workforce, an owner‐centred culture and a simple organisational structure, as well as the time and resource constraints specific to small businesses which affect the learning dynamic. The framework also takes account of the...

Reflecting on a TQM‐based university/industry partnership

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to show how a university‐industry partnership can be used in two key ways. First, to contribute to academia through the development of new research methodology and improved understanding of the subject area (total quality management (TQM)). Second, to add to organisational learning by developing critical reflection and reflexivity in employees and managers involved in the partnership and the development of TQM in the organisation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper critiques the partnership between the authors university and a large utility organisation over a four‐year period. The development of academic and organisational learning over this period is discussed, with particular emphasis on the need for developing appropriate research methodologies in this type of environment. Findings – The paper has shown that partnerships between universities and organisations often experience difficulties due to apparently differing and incommensurate desired outcomes. Any part...

North/South infrastructure development via cross‐border PPP mechanisms

Both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland governments recognise the current infrastructural deficits in their respective jurisdictions which, if not addressed, will undermine the future economic prosperity of both regions. This paper considers the adoption of a collaborative approach on the island to addressing the deficit, using public private partnerships (PPP) as the delivery vehicle. It presents a critical perspective of the challenges and opportunities posed by adopting such a cross‐border approach. Whilst PPPs have the potential to bring about North‐South co‐operation, bridge gaps in infrastructure capacity and facilitate the advancement of sectoral knowledge, their adoption on a cross border basis will require significant reorganisation and change at administrative and sectoral levels. This review concludes that governments and construction sector representatives in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have still some work to do in order to enhance the capability and readiness of public and private partners to evolve an all‐island PPP infrastructure development approach.

Adopting a learning‐based approach to improve internal communications

The aim of the paper is to review the internal communication process of an electrical utility organisation and propose a template for improving communications centred on learning organisation principles. It also looks at the contribution which good internal communications make to the development of sustainable business improvement. The case study central to this research is a large electrical utility organisation with almost 40 separate operational facilities geographically dispersed across Northern Ireland. It has experienced significant change over the last decade. Managers continually adapt strategies, policies and procedures in an attempt to proactively address the challenges presented by the external competitive environment. Communicating these changes to employees has posed a problem for managers and has led to confusion and allegations of operational inefficiency. The paper critically evaluates the approach adopted by the managers to address their internal communication problems in the midst of change. It goes on to propose a communication template which is a common‐sense approach to good internal communications and draws conclusions regarding the link between internal communications, organisational learning and change management.

A critical review of e‐service in Northern Ireland Electricity

This paper presents a critical review of e‐service in Northern Ireland Electricity, highlighting the challenges faced by a large electrical utility, in integrating IT with customer service aspirations, such as customer education, attracting new customers, and building and developing more meaningful customer relationships. It presents the organisations proposals for overcoming these challenges, deducing a set of guidelines, which allow the e‐service strategy to be effectively operationalised, and when implemented will provide mutual benefits for both the customer and the organisation.

Decision making in the fragmented organisation: a utility perspective

Organisations are responding to the deeper structural changes taking place in the underlying system of commercial competition by becoming agile and fragmented. In the emergence of such network organisational structures it must be clear how each unit is performing relative to each other and relative to the key market players. To manage such fragmented specialised business units, executives need effective decision making processes that are capable of measuring key indices quickly, accurately and effectively. The aim of this article is to conduct exploratory research into management decision making in the context of change evaluation for a structurally fragmented electrical utility organisation. The case study research highlights the benefits and shortcomings of the change evaluation approach as part of the management decision making process and shows how the findings from the study inform strategic and operational decision making within the case study organisation.

The strategic “pull” and operational “push” of total quality management in UK regional electricity service companies

The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether the UK regional electricity companies (RECs) has used total quality management (TQM) as a “push” or as a “pull” change methodology. “Push” is the operational improvement role of TQM; “pull” is the strategic or direction giving, improvement role of TQM. Following the onset of privatisation in 1990 there has been evidence of the RECs adopting TQM in both “push” and “pull” methodologies with varying degrees of success. An evaluation of the change processes involved will enable improved change models to be developed leading to increased business effectiveness in this £30 billion industry. Other possible benefits include the possible generalisations to other utilities such as water, roads, gas and telecoms. The research methodology includes a comparative case study analysis of five RECs, which have used TQM as their overarching approach to change. One of the cases is analysed to a more in‐depth level based on the multiple case findings. The findings indicate that the “push‐pull” analysis enables the full range of TQM activities to be evaluated in the RECs studied. Overall, there is a need to have a balanced portfolio of operational or “push”‐based TQM activity that is driven by strategic or “pull”‐based TQM planning and activity.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC INNOVATION — HOW IS GOVERNMENT POLICY HELPING?

Organizations are looking for new ways to compete within increasingly turbulent business environments. At the macro level, governments are challenged to develop strategic innovation policies that seek to support business competitiveness in this new era. At the same time at a micro level, companies are struggling to re-orientate themselves and become strategically innovative so that they can effectively overcome threats presented by, for example, new emerging low wage economies. This paper aims to develop a clearer understanding of the interface between innovation policy at a macro (regional) level and strategic innovation development at an organizational (micro) level.

An Innovative Approach to Evaluating Organisational Change

This paper addresses the difficult problem of how to improve the process of evaluating organisational change. Given that the data emergent from an evaluative exercise will strongly influence the subsequent strategic and operational decisions taken by organisational managers, it is critical that the evaluation approach itself is capable of delivering high quality, accurate and timely data. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of the IT-based Optionfinder Technology used in conjunction with focus groups, in generating management decision-making data, and reflecting the changes in key performance indicators in a utility organisation. The case study research evaluates the innovative integrative approach adopted by the utility organisation and concludes that the proposed approach contributes to improvements in the decision-making capability of managers.