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- Alänge, Sverker, 1951, et al.
(författare)
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Process Analysis in an Academic Environment
- 2001
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Ingår i: Park Dahlgaard, S.M. and Dahlgard, J.J. eds. (2001), Building People and Organisational Excellence: Proceeding of the 4th International QMOD Conference, September 12-14, 2001 in Linköping, Sweden. ; , s. 124-131
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Process improvement is frequently discussed and is being implemented in both industry and other organizations, but the results of these efforts have not always been satisfactory. The purpose of this article is to explore the limitations of and potential for process oriented improvement in an academic environment, based on experience from Chalmers University of Technology.It was found that process oriented improvement can work in a university setting, which also could be expected. The improvement projects chosen concern administrative processes, and hence they are not that different from processes in other types of organizations. While the improvement methodology demanded some training and experience, the real challenge was linked to the existing organization and barriers within its social system, political power structure and culture. In order to overcome barriers, the importance of contact between project members and key stakeholders is emphasized.
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| 2. |
- Book, Stefan, 1966
(författare)
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Naturalizing Quality Management: A problem of organizing in processes of change
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Various studies have investigated success factors, the effects of organizational contexts, key issues for sustainability, and the financial impact of the quality management (QM) trend in industry. However, few studies of QM in practice build on experiences and data collected as an employee, as well as data collected through interviews after leaving the company. This thesis is grounded in three persons' complementary experiences from taking part in the development at Fagersta Stainless AB (FSAB) between 1984 and 2000: the quality and development manager between 1984 and 2000, an associate professor facilitating the TQM development between 1994 and 2000, and myself as an employed project manager and change leader between 1997 and 2000. During our investigations, one problem intrigued us, concerning the understanding of why principles, practices and techniques become or do not become part of people's natural ways of working. This thesis terms it the problem of naturalizing quality management. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an understanding of the problem of naturalizing quality management. Four complementary papers contribute in fulfilling this purpose. The purpose of paper 1 is to describe the evolution of QM at FSAB between 1984 and 2000, in order to gain a longitudinal view of the development and the context of interrelated changes. The purpose of paper 2 is to examine the development of QM in the perspective of ongoing company development processes. The purpose of paper 3 is to elaborate on the problem of naturalizing QM. Finally, the purpose of paper 4 is to develop an understanding of the problem of naturalizing QM. Quality management is defined as a matter of constantly orientating and taking actions to fulfil, and preferably exceed, customer needs and expectations, by developing, applying and adapting value-adding principles, practices and techniques. This thesis suggests that by recognizing the variation in how people are orientating and taking actions, we can develop a shared view that can facilitate the development, application and adaptation of value-adding principles, practices and techniques. Fourteen modes of organizing specializing and integrating, ideal state and emergence, conformity and learning, exploration and exploitation, stability and flexibility, procedure and process, in theory and in action are suggested to be important in understanding the variation in the ways that people are orientating and taking actions in their work. Through these modes, people are addressing new ideas, problems or opportunities in a variety of ways and this creates tensions that may be beneficial or problematic. This thesis proposes that managers and consultants can get better results from an investment and its facilitation if they recognize and act on patterns in the ways that people are orientating and taking actions. A question is how to do so, which is one interesting topic for future research.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Book, Stefan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Perceptions of Improvement Work in Swedish Health Care: Implications for Improvement Practices.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Quality Management in Health Care. - 1063-8628 .- 1550-5154. ; 12:4, s. 217-224
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study explored perceptions of improvement work in Swedish health care. The article discusses effects that these perceptions may have on improvement processes. As part of a broader study surveying managers' (n = 2313) view of improvement work in Swedish health care, this study focused on those 845 managers who regarded their improvement work as bringing about benefits. Three underlying factors that may characterize the managers' perceptions are exposed. More than 50% of the respondents perceive a complexity in the practices and techniques associated with improvement work. Furthermore, approximately 50% of the managers recognize a conflict in the meeting between the improvement work and the organization. This indicates that adaptation is a primary concern in this work. The managers' perceptions also reveal that the experience of improvement work in Swedish health care may be positive, although the perception is that it does not necessarily generate more health care per monetary unit.ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR
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| 5. |
- Book, Stefan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Quality Management from a Company Development Perspective - The complexity of a change process
- 2004
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 7th International QMOD Conference ‘Management Challenge of the New Millenium’ in Monterrey, Mexico, August 4-6, 2004. - 9707730153 ; , s. 57-70
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper examines the development of quality management in a company setting and in the perspective of on-going company development processes. Presenting a longitudinal perspective, a discussion of different dilemmas and matters of importance in understanding the QM development in a company and its implications, leads to a conclusion; in order to better understand and develop QM in a company a processual perspective applying a more profound process view than often prevailing is needed.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Marmgren, Magnus, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions between Ideas and Behaviour in Organizations
- 2016
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Ingår i: Quality Innovation Prosperity. - : Technical University of Kosice, Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling. - 1335-1745 .- 1338-984X. ; 20:2, s. 185-207
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To develop and test a framework which can be used to facilitate the understanding of how ideas interact with behaviour in organizations, in ways that have practical relevance in organizational development and improvement.Design/methodology/approach: The framework proposed in this paper is the product of an abductive research process. This process involved testing and reflecting in action, and on action when writing. The emerging framework was also challenged by theoretical input from continual literature studies and has (at different stages of its development) been part of the theoretical framework for a PhD dissertation, research articles and master’s theses. Findings: The framework graphically highlights the relationship between explicit (i.e., spoken or documented) and tacit ideas, and that the latter is what largely controls action. It also implies that for new explicit ideas or theories to become effective, which is normally the purpose of improvement initiatives, they have to become part of the tacit guiding ideas. This is often quite difficult to achieve. The framework gives a perspective on why this is the case and how it can be counteracted. Examples of measures indicated include seeing development as iterative and contextual, and supporting sense-making and learning by doing. Another example is to address the coherence between the parts of the framework: what is said, documented, and done. Practical implications: The framework has been tested with practitioners and has rapidly assisted professionals in making explicit, and developing, the tacit knowledge they have of the specific problem/opportunity areas for their respective organizations. It has also been successfully used in analyses in several papers, including studies of sustainability and process management.Originality/value: The implications of the framework are in line with existing research, yet we believe that the graphical model adds both scientific and practical dimensions. This is partly due to the framework making it easier to differentiate between complex concepts that are often confused.
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| 8. |
- Marmgren, Magnus, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding Management Systems: a test of a conceptual framework
- 2012
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Ingår i: 15th International QMOD Conference, 6-9 September, Poznan, Poland. ; , s. 1-15
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Management systems can be developed in a variety of ways. General standards, such as ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment), and specialized standards influence this development and have become part of the reality for many organizations. The interpretation and conceptualization of ‘management systems’ is however a challenge. In practice, the development of a management system risks ending up in a mainly normative and document oriented work, creating a type of virtual reality that does not drive actions on genuine needs. This paper presents and elaborates upon a conceptual framework designed to understand the challenges during the development of management systems. The methodology of this paper is founded on three individuals' experiences from being involved in the development and observation of management systems during the past two decades. This experience and organizational, learning and change theories provide the basis for a conceptual framework. The framework is tested by analyzing three management initiatives (QS9000, ERP and BPM) within a case company. The conceptual framework was found useful for analyzing management initiatives. The dimensions of the framework, such as ‘documentation structure’, ‘explicit normative structure’ and ‘tacit guiding structure’ served as a foundation for the comparison of the initiatives and provided insights for interpreting practical outcomes in the case company. These dimensions were also useful for analyzing interactions between the different initiatives. This paper provides a conceptual framework that can be of value both for the academic community and for managers trying to understand what kind of factors impact behavior in practice; including why actions sometimes do and sometimes do not provide intended results.
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