Total Quality Management and Work Organization: Relationsship between TQM and Work Organization in Swedish Industrial Companies

This article examines the relationship between quality management strategies and changes of work and work organization in industrial companies. Nine case studies in Sweden show that companies whose aim is total quality practice three different quality strategies characterized by detailed control, mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human factors and ergonomics in manufacturing & service industries 1998, Vol.8 (4), p.351
Main Authors: Bengtsson, Lars, Ljungström, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article examines the relationship between quality management strategies and changes of work and work organization in industrial companies. Nine case studies in Sweden show that companies whose aim is total quality practice three different quality strategies characterized by detailed control, motivation of employees, and reorganization. It is argued that total quality management should include redesign of the work processes, combining decentralization, group work, goal-oriented control, and skill development. This reorganization strategy not only offers a greater potential for improvement of work, but it also seems essential for improving quality and productivity in the long run. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISSN:1520-6564
1090-8471