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The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model is used increasingly in the public sector in the Middle East. This thesis addresses a shortage of empirical research in this field and extends the, so called, dynamic capabilities perspective by investigating how the EFQM model can contribute to developing organisational capabilities. A research model was developed based on the theory of structuration and the dynamic capabilities perspective. A multiple case study design was used in three public sector organisations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The unit of analysis was the activity configuration involved in the deployment of the EFQM model. This research investigates how activity configurations changed over time, their effect on the organisational social structure and their outcomes in developing new capabilities. In-depth data were collected using interviews and archival sources. The thesis suggests that motives for using the EFQM model represent an important factor in defining the type of activities in its deployment and for its success. It was found that external and internal motives can both have positive impact. The findings showed that organisations experienced with the EFQM model tend to follow similar paths of deployment and achieve comparable results. An indicative model is proposed describing the three stages the organisation can go through in the deployment of the EFQM model. Firstly, the organisation develops the capability to understand the benefits of the model and to plan for its successful deployment. Secondly, the organisation focuses on developing operational capabilities, using the EFQM model. Thirdly, the organisation improves existing capabilities and develops new ones in a recurring cycle, referred to as the cycle of dynamic capabilities. This research contributes to the perspective of dynamic capabilities by investigating the sources of capabilities and how they are shaped through the deployment of the EFQM excellence model. The theoretical background and the research methodology used in this research extend the research application of the structuration theory by linking it with the dynamic capabilities perspective. Suggestions for further research include investigation of the learning cycle of dynamic capabilities through the lens of organisational learning. The research methodology can also be extended to consider strategy formation. An investigation of the EFQM model, which is the basis for assessment in the government award scheme, carries inevitable sources of limitations and bias. A significant proportion of the data collected and analysed was confidential in nature and presented challenges in relation to dissemination of the results.

Efficiency in the manufacturing industry is not a new phenomenon; Toyota andMotorola were to companies that early found a way to eliminate waste by inventing theefficiency models Lean and Six Sigma. For Sweden’s economy, the manufacturingindustry plays an important role in which the forestry industry accounts for around70,000 employees. The forestry industry is very capital intensive as a result of being amanufacturing industry with expensive machines and property, thereby it is important tohave an efficient production. To maximize the output from the machines it is a non-stopbusiness and sales needs to meet the production capacity. The efficiency focus inproduction based on such change programs that Toyota and Motorola created have in some cases been implemented in service organizations. It is until today not researched ifmanufacturing companies have been able to apply these change programs throughouttheir entire organization to create higher efficiency. This study will focus on if changeprograms have, or can be implemented in a customer service organization in a Swedishglobal manufacturing company within the forestry industry.To understand what has been done previously, a thorough investigation has beenconducted on previous research regarding change programs and how they have beenapplied in service organizations, this resulted in three highlighted change programs;Lean, TQM and Six Sigma. The literature review also includes sales, since higherorganizational efficiency can be reached if customer service performs sales activities.This has proven to lead to higher revenue for the company and increased the customers’satisfaction. The empirical findings originate from a qualitative study where I haveinterviewed employees in customer service and managers within sales and customerservice at my partner company, which is a Swedish global manufacturing companywithin the forestry industry. The interviews have given an in-depth knowledge on thecontext how they are working with efficiency, quality and sales within their customerservice units.The result show that it is important to have the fundamental platform settled before anyimplementations of sales can be done in customer service as time is a big hinder to beable to perform more tasks. Both previous research and the empirical findings highlightthe importance to understand your customers’ expectations and needs. My partnercompany in this study have implemented a good way to receive feedback and work withthis by conducting a customer satisfaction survey. The fundamental platform ispresented in a customer service management model in the practical contribution, chapter8.2.2. When the implementation of sales is to take place, top-management commitmentis needed to make the implementation successful and encourage the employees to fulfilthe changes to reach the desired result.

This diploma thesis analyses present state of quality management in small business and include proposal for quality improvement, which lead to effective cooperation, enterprise culture, understanding consumers requests and cost reduction.

Befintlig forskning visar att det finns ett starkt samband mellan ledarskap och att skapakvalitetskultur för organisationers framgång. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hu skap påverkar kvalitetskulturen. Dgenom att ta reda på vilka förutsättningarledare behöver för att kunna skapa kvalitetskultur, samt vilka faktorer i ledarskapet somfrämjar respektive hindrar skapandet av kvalitetskultur. Studien har en kvalitativ ansatsoch har genomförts genom litteraturstudier och semistrukturerade intervjuer med femledare som anses vara förbilder på att skapa kvalitetskultur. I studien framkom blan annaatt skapa kvalitetskultur kräver tydliga incitamt, kunskap, enig ledning medinsikt och förståelse om vad det innebär att skapa en kvalitetskultur. Vidare visa resultatet att det är ett långsiktigt, hårt och svårt arbete som kräver strukturer som gerstöd till en kvalitetskultur och ett tränat ledarskap. De hindrande faktorer somframkommer är bland annat detaljstyrning, okunskap, adhoc-lösningar och kortsiktigh Studiens resultat bekräftar på många sätt den befintliga forskning som finns på området.Resultatet visar på att skapandet av kvalitetskultur ofta är ett förändringsledningsarbeteoch att det är komplext, svårt och tidskrävande. Det väcker frågor som; hur säkerställervi kunskap och förmåga som krävs i organisationer för att hantera den komplexitet somdet innebär att skapa kvalitetskultur och hur blir kvalitetskulturen bestående? / Exisg research shows that there is a strong connection between leadership andcreating quality culture for organizations' success. This study aims to investigate howleadership affects quality culture. This by finding out what conditions leaders need to bable to create quality culture, and what factors in leadership that promote or obstruct thecreation of quality culture. The study has a qualitative approach and has been carried outthrough literature studies and semi-structured interviews with five leaders who areconsidered being role models to creating quality culture within different organizations.The study indicates, among other things, that creating a culture of quality requires clearincentives, knowledge, agree management with insight and understanding of what itmeans to create a quality culture. Furthermore, the results show that it is a long-term,hard and difficult work. It requires structures that support a quality culture and trainedleadership. The obstructing factors that arise are detailed control, ignorance, ad hocsolutions and short-sightedness. The study's findings in many ways confirm the existingresearch that is in the field. The result shows that the creation of quality culture is often achange management and that it is complex, difficult and time consuming. It raise questions like; how do we ensure the knowledge and abilities required in organizationsto manage the complexity that it entails to create quality culture and how does the quality culture consist over time? / <p>2019-06-27</p>

In today's society, it is of great interest to constantly streamline and improve yourorganization for the better. How to do this, however, is not obvious and there are usually anumber of solutions, ideas and recipes that claim to solve various problems. When we in Sweden in the 90's started to focus more and more on quality - with the quality movement that started in the western world called TQM (total quality management) - both regarding the produce of our goods and services as well as how we organize ourselves, we think it isinteresting to study how managers themselves experience these organizational changes. The study is based on Rövik's theories of administrative reforms. The analysis of the empirics was conducted through the two perspectives that are presented by Rövik; the symbolic perspective and the tool perspective. TQM is represented in this study by Self-Control, Quality Certification and Click and Collect. The purpose of this study is to examine how store managers in the food industry themselves view TQM reforms that they have been involved in and if any of these recipes are loosely linked. The study uses a qualitative research strategy by interviewing a total of three respondents from both Coop and Ica. The respondents' reasoning could most easily be understood from a symbolic perspective, and the results also showed a difference in freedom of action and loosely linked recipes. Coop tends to loosely link these recipes to a greater extent compared to Ica. Nevertheless, both Self-Control as well as the Quality Certification can be best understood with a symbolic perspective as they, quite forcefully, offer meaning and legitimacy to organisations, rather than a voluntary solution to a, already defined, quality related issue within the organisations.

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Firms which adapt new manufacturing technologies, such as flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) or computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) and concepts such as just-in-time (JIT), can expect to exert a significant influence on various stakeholder groups. Additionally, innovative accounting systems which are currently being developed to monitor and evaluate the performance of manufacturing systems will have a direct impact on certain stakeholder constituencies. Uses stakeholder theory as a basis for explaining the complex relationships among the firm and various constituencies or stakeholders. Major stakeholder groups include educators, auditors, trainers, line managers, human resource managers, suppliers, customers, stockholders, labour unions, the financial community, government, local community organizations, environmentalists, employees, directors, management and bondholders. The needs of the various groups are placed in the context of the new global competitive environment.

The literature emphasises the need to integrate innovation initiatives under the umbrella of the total quality management (TQM) philosophy. Such integration is instrumental towards achieving and sustaining a superior organisational performance. Using a sample of 229 Portuguese manufacturing organisations, factor and regression analyses procedures were used to assess the impact on organisational performance of innovation for small and large organisations in the Portuguese TQM business context. The results of this study point to the significance of the size of the organisation, and product and process innovations for organisational performance. Organisational innovation was not found to have a significant impact on organisational performance. These results might be attributed to specific ownership, which is associated with process and product innovation. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that small organisations might want to consider directing their innovation investments towards management aspects such as processes and products. In this context, top-down organisational innovation might take more time and effort.

The project's primary objective is to make a survey of quality management in Korea, with an in-depth study of how management motivates employees to work for quality. A secondary objective is to make proposals on how Scandinavian and Korean industry can learn and improve in quality management areas. The main focus was on the automobile, electronics and shipbuilding industries.Our survey revealed that the Korean conglomerates have extensively implemented and applied quality management in their operations, and deserve more international respect and recognition in this area. Regarding motivation for total quality, we found that Korean workers are not so much involved in quality related work, but management is now succeeding in enhancing everybody's awareness, in essence through materialistic incentives.We reckon that Scandinavia can learn something when it comes to building employees' company pride, using TPM, and making decisions. Likewise, Korea can learn from Scandinavian industry in terms of service quality, capability-based human resource management and employee involvement. Further, we stress the importance of principles in the adoption process.