The active participation of all personnel is the basis for continuous improvement in companies. This paper describes the main features of systems for channelling such participation, used in a series of companies in the automotive parts industry in the Northwest of Spain. These characteristics...

This paper records the research on the investigation of the empirical relationship between employee involvement (EI) and quality management. It is based on data from a survey of 180 manufacturing companies. The main findings are: EI is positively correlated with total quality management (TQM)...

Addresses employee involvement as a management approach, tracing the concepts, assumptions and roots in which it can be located. It reviews the plethora of typologies based upon which employee involvement programmes implemented in organisations today are founded. It advocates further research to...

A successful TQM implementation requires employees’ engagement in extra‐role behaviors. This study identified and examined the critical factors embedded in the organizational system that may enhance or hinder employees’ participation in TQM activities. Factors including individual training...

Purpose – The core principles of total quality management (TQM) are considered to be incompatible with the traditional mechanistic way of organizing. It is believed that this constitutes a major reason for failed TQM programs: attempting to introduce its principles with the traditional...

Reports on the adoption of total quality methods by RNAY Fleetland, a company which undertakes repair and maintenance of military helicopters, and which had to contend with the hurdle of taking the two cultures, military and civilian, within the business and turning them into a quality culture....

Describes the efforts made by Newcastle Breweries to improve its competitiveness by implementing TQM and therefore achieving superior customer satisfaction. Follows the company through its introduction of a “quality customer package” outlining the range of services available to the customer;...

Examines the implementation of profit sharing and employee ownership schemes, uses some case examples to show how the popularity of these concepts has grown over the years. Presents the results of recent research on top management views of such schemes, which show a high percentage of managers...

Discusses the implementation of a TQM programme at Armstrong Europe Services (AES) and the problem‐solving Training workshops which it introduced to help achieve its goal of an 80 per cent reduction in non‐conformance within five years, in all areas of the business. Notes the interest...

Explains the decision of Ulster Carpets to choose “total customer satisfaction” (TCS) over traditional “total quality management”, in order to involve the entire workforce in their quality programme. Details the company′s use of awareness sessions and Training to involve employees, as...