Training quality managers-do they practice what they preach?

This paper discusses the personal and professional development needs of Quality Managers. It has been presumed that training is the most important factor to improve quality, once commitment is present. This paper poses the question as to whether Quality training is objectively, systematically, and continuously performed in Australia. In previous research by the authors, it was ascertained that training is often initiated by individuals and provided by private providers as directed by the client. It is of interest to determine if the two largest professional associations for Quality, Australian Organisation for Quality (AOQ) and SAI (Global) perform in this respect. Questions of interest included: what do they offer; how do they determine the needs of their members; who provides these programmes; how do they communicate these programmes to their members; how do they evaluate the success or otherwise of their programmes; and by what process of evaluation do they determine future needs. These data have been collated and analysed and it is concluded that a specifically designed and comprehensive training needs analysis for Quality Managers is being neglected and that the initiation for professional development remains with the individual.

Quality managers: beyond 2000?

A review on current quality management literature discloses a conglomeration of sentiments amongst quality managers with regards to the future of their quality profession. These sentiments can primarily be grouped into two categories: (1) that quality managers will no longer play a role in functional management, as quality will become an integral part of the organization; and (2) alternatively, they will play a significantly different role, leading to a specialized job design (Stratton, 1996, Quality Progress, 29, pp. 73-74). Despite the fact that many have voiced their concerns regarding the future of the quality profession, little formal research has been conducted to address this issue. Thus, the significance of undertaking this research is to aim to verify and substantiate their sentiments. Findings of the research may also contribute as a signal to quality managers with regards to their future roles and may inspire them to prepare themselves better for meeting future qualityrelated endeavours. It is important not to prophesy the precise future role of quality managers, as no one outside the psychic industry will claim to be capable of it. Rather, the research endeavours to predict the role of quality manager in the next decade by conducting interviews with various professionals in the quality-related fields, testing the significance of research questions generated from these interviews through surveys and reviewing current quality manager-related literature. Thus, synthesizing the results from the above-mentioned means to predict the role of quality managers in the years beyond 2000.

Future considerations for the training and development of Australian quality managers

Adequate, appropriate training of quality managers is essential to the development and implementation of effective quality management systems. This study reports on a survey of 235 Australian quality managers to determine their perceptions of their training and development needs, the extent to which these were being met, and their views on the future of their discipline. The study found that there was a general lack of systematization, most programs were short-term and delivered by a fragmented set of providers. Many managers had received no training in the past 5 years. While the respondents were generally satisfied with the training they had received, there was evidence that their insight into their own needs was imperfect. The respondents were divided between those who thought quality management would remain a discrete field and those who saw it being absorbed by other management systems. The challenges of developing an appropriate training and development regime in this environment are discussed.

The challenges for quality managers in Britain and Australia

Purpose – This paper aims to compare and contrast the career experiences and development needs of British and Australian quality managers.

Design/methodology/approach – The results of a postal survey of the careers of British quality managers are compared with Australian quality managers based on two surveys.

Findings – The study finds that quality managers in both countries brought wide functional experience to their roles. Their current jobs are major sources of intrinsic job satisfaction for both groups of managers but they utilise a very limited range of quality tools. Also British and Australian managers show little awareness in terms of their development needs for a broader background in quality.

Practical implications – The findings suggest a worrying lack of innovatory zeal amongst quality managers who appear to be more concerned with the maintenance of standards rather than taking a more dynamic approach. Thus it is argued that while quality managers bring wide functional experience to their current roles, there are many who do not appear to be at the cutting edge of knowledge in their field. Neither do the British quality managers in particular appear to be sufficiently aware of the need to address such shortfalls through professional development opportunities.

Originality/value – The roles of those charged with carrying the flag of quality in the two countries have only previously received limited research coverage. This paper, based upon empirical research in Britain and Australia, identifies issues which require the attention of senior management to ensure future competitiveness for their organisations.

The roles, responsibilities and development needs of quality managers in Britain and Australia

This paper compares and contrasts the career experiences and development needs of 334 British quality managers compared with Australian quality managers based on two Australian surveys. The quality managers in both countries brought wide functional experience to their roles, with many coming in particular from production and operations and general management. In their current roles major sources of job satisfaction for managers in both countries were improving efficiency and problem solving, whereas aspects of employee relations was a source of least satisfaction. Both groups of quality managers utilised a very limited range of quality tools, the most popular being brainstorming, control charts and Pareto analysis, with virtually no mention of more sophisticated tools like Six sigma, which is in stark contrast to American managers. Also British and Australian managers showed little awareness in terms of their development needs for a broader background in quality, which could disadvantage their companies in global markets.

Taking up national safety alerts to improve patient safety in hospitals: The perspective of healthcare quality and risk managers.

BACKGROUND National safety alert systems publish relevant information to improve patient safety in hospitals. However, the information has to be transformed into local action to have an effect on patient safety. We studied three research questions: How do Swiss healthcare quality and risk managers (qm/rm(1)) see their own role in learning from safety alerts issued by the Swiss national voluntary reporting and analysis system? What are their attitudes towards and evaluations of the alerts, and which types of improvement actions were fostered by the safety alerts? METHODS A survey was developed and applied to Swiss healthcare risk and quality managers, with a response rate of 39 % (n=116). Descriptive statistics are presented. RESULTS The qm/rm disseminate and communicate with a broad variety of professional groups about the alerts. While most respondents felt that they should know the alerts and their contents, only a part of them felt responsible for driving organizational change based on the recommendations. However, most respondents used safety alerts to back up their own patient safety goals. The alerts were evaluated positively on various dimensions such as usefulness and were considered as standards of good practice by the majority of the respondents. A range of organizational responses was applied, with disseminating information being the most common. An active role is related to using safety alerts for backing up own patient safety goals. CONCLUSIONS To support an active role of qm/rm in their hospital's learning from safety alerts, appropriate organizational structures should be developed. Furthermore, they could be given special information or training to act as an information hub on the issues discussed in the alerts.

An examination of factors influencing effective and continuous improvement of Indonesian contractors' quality management systems

This paper presents the results of a pilot study examining the factors that impact most on the effective implementation of, and improvement to, Quality Mangement Sytems (QMSs) amongst Indonesian construction companies. Nine critical factors were identified from an extensive literature review, and a survey was conducted of 23 respondents from three specific groups (Quality Managers, Project Managers, and Site Engineers) undertaking work in the Indonesian infrastructure construction sector. The data has been analyzed initially using simple descriptive techniques. This study reveals that different groups within the sector have different opinions of the factors regardless of the degree of importance of each factor. However, the evaluation of construction project success and the incentive schemes for high performance staff, are the two factors that were considered very important by most of the respondents in all three groups. In terms of their assessment of tools for measuring contractor’s performance, additional QMS guidelines, techniques related to QMS practice provided by the Government, and benchmarking, a clear majority in each group regarded their usefulness as ‘of some importance’.

Quality management system and construction performance

This paper discusses the level of effectiveness of quality principles and quality management system implementation and the relationship with performance of ISO9000 certified Indonesian contractors. It also discusses the statistical relationship between quality management systems (QMSs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) amongst a large sample of Indonesian construction companies. Data collected is from questionnaire surveys involving Quality Managers, Managers, and Project and Site Engineers representing 77 different companies. Results indicate that even though some contractors have not yet effectively implemented an effective QMS, most of the KPIs of respondent companies are still at the level of high performance. The statistical results show that the relationship between variables of ISO9000 QMS principles and contractors’ KPIs is significant. These results suggest that an increment in the implementation level of QMS principles can increase KPIs, however that much effort is still required for Indonesian contractors to fully effectively implement QMS principles and thus substantially improve performance against KPIs.

Has quality management run its course? Views from the field

The aim of this paper is to assess and reflect on, through the perspectives of Australian Quality practitioners, the current status of quality management; whether there had been any significant and recent shift in their roles and responsibilities; and if there had been any improvement in the extent to which their development and training needs were being fulfilled. This paper sets out to identify the roles, responsibilities, and training and development needs of Australian quality managers and what impact these may be having on the current 'quality agenda' of organisations in Australia. In light of these findings this paper focuses on the HR people aspects of QM implementation (e.g. development of a quality culture; learning, training and development; leadership and management commitment and support) and the significance of these aspects for sustainable QM implementation. Recent literature On QM implementation and the findings of three previously conducted surveys (Waddell 1998; Waddell and Mallen 2001; and Stewart and Waddell 2003) have been integrated with the findings of this research.

Knowledge management as perceived by quality practitioners

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the relationship between knowledge management and quality management with a particular focus on the role of quality culture. The paper also aims to address the assumption that as knowledge management reaches its maturity, in terms of acceptance as an important part of doing business in the modern world, quality will again become the mantra of successful companies.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 1,000 quality managers from Australian organisations were surveyed for their perspectives on current and future knowledge management and quality management approaches. The questionnaire utilised both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The questionnaire was broken into three sections: respondent profile, current knowledge management and quality management practices, and future predictions for both knowledge management and quality management.

Findings – The key finding of the paper was that organisations would have to embrace a quality culture as a fundamental component of implementing knowledge management in order to compete successfully in such a dynamic business environment. The responses from this survey assist in identifying the relationship between knowledge and quality management, and the importance and future of both knowledge and quality management.

Originality/value – This paper is based upon the assumption that quality is in fact, resurging. It has identified quality culture as the significant link between knowledge management and quality management that leads to successful competitive advantage. Organisations are urged to recognise knowledge management as a vehicle for success not a stand-alone process. It is the first time that such a survey has been designed, and the first time a paper has produced an explanation to the current situation.

"Quality lives on":quality initiatives and practices in Australia and Britain

Purpose-The purpose of this research is to explore the incidence of innovative approaches to quality in both Australia and Britain, the reasons behind their implementation, the ways in which they were undertaken and the success factors and the pitfalls encountered along the way. Design/methodology/ approach-A structured postal questionnaire was sent to 1,000 quality managers in both Australia and Britain. A response was received from 129 Australian and 175 British companies, who reported on why they did or did not introduce a new quality initiative within the past five years. Findings-A comparative analysis shows trends, similarities and differences, and future directions of quality in both countries. The paper concludes by identifying important lessons for senior management needing to make changes in this important aspect of any business. A high proportion of organisations in both countries are actively undertaking new quality initiatives. The impetus to change and the barriers to successful implementation were common to both countries. The type of initiative differed between the two countries, with a preponderance of ISO 9000 in Australia amongst a much wider choice of approaches than in Britain. There is a low take-up of Six Sigma in both countries, particularly in Australia. Originality/value-The paper offers a recent insight into quality approaches undertaken in both countries and identifies important lessons for senior management. © 2010 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and occurrence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in surface waters determined by quantitative PCR

The prevalence and concentrations of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp. and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) were investigated in surface waters in Brisbane, Australia using quantitative PCR (qPCR) based methodologies. Water samples were collected from Brisbane City Botanic Gardens (CBG) Pond, and two urban tidal creeks (i.e., Oxley Creek and Blunder Creek). Of the 32 water samples collected, 8 (25%), 1 (3%), 9 (28%), 14 (44%), and 15 (47%) were positive for C. jejuni mapA, Salmonella invA, EHEC O157 LPS, EHEC VT1, and EHEC VT2 genes, respectively. The presence/absence of the potential pathogens did not correlate with either E. coli or enterococci concentrations as determined by binary logistic regression. In conclusion, the high prevalence, and concentrations of potential zoonotic pathogens along with the concentrations of one or more fecal indicators in surface water samples indicate a poor level of microbial quality of surface water, and could represent a significant health risk to users. The results from the current study would provide valuable information to the water quality managers in terms of minimizing the risk from pathogens in surface waters.