Mid Sweden University

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore important quality-related challenges facing organizations, and investigate how current excellence models incorporate these challenges. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a Delphi study of Swedish organizations. Forty-nine challenges were generated and ranked according to importance and the ten top-ranked challenges were compared to the principles of four excellence models. Findings: The excellence models still seem to be relevant since their content matches many of the identified challenges. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Swedish Institute for Quality models were found to have the most comprehensive coverage, while the International Organization for Standardization model had limited coverage. Research limitations/implications: Three areas for further research were identified: first, how quality management (QM) can evolve in different contexts that have varying needs in terms of adaptive and explorative capabilities; second, the interfaces of QM and sustainability, and ways to understand how customers and stakeholders can be active contributors to improvements; and third, the roles of the owners and board of directors regarding QM, and how to organize and distribute responsibilities of the QM work. Practical implications: There are three important challenges that future revisions of excellence models could address: first, making QM a strategic issue for company owners; second, involving customers in the improvement activities; and third, developing processes that are robust yet still easily adaptable. Originality/value: The Delphi study identified upcoming challenges in the QM area based on input from 188 quality professionals.

Following in the footsteps of ‘New Public Management’, where quality management and quality control have become widely implemented concepts among public authorities, there is now a subsequent government demand to also be innovative. However, integrating and achieving a balance between improved quality and increased innovation is not an easy task. Previous research indicates a complex and ambiguous relation, raising questions as to how to optimally combine these two approaches organisationally, operationally, and culturally. Is there an ‘edge of chaos’ where there is maximal flexibility for innovation while maintaining sufficient order for quality? The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential integration of innovation and quality management practice within the public sector. The paper is based on a multiple case study design, confronted with existing literature, and shows that the current quality management practice is perceived as being related to standardisation, leading to a decrease in the space for innovation. Second, that there is an expectation and belief that innovation and quality management can be handled in parallel and reinforce each other instead of being mutually detrimental.

Purpose

Innovation is currently at the top of many agendas worldwide: not only in the private sector, but also when it comes to increasing quality, efficiency, and effectiveness in public administration. InSweden, this is reflected in the recent call from the Government for innovation in public management. However, innovation has not traditionally occurred to any significant extent on the strategic level of Swedish public management. Furthermore, governmental administration is a complex system in need of coordination and alignment for this new call to be effectively realized in practice.  

The purpose of this paper is hence to explore the phenomenon of innovation in the current Swedish governmental administration system. More specifically, the paper explores the current understanding within the system of what innovation is, as well as why and how it should be achieved.

Methodology/approach This study has been based on a qualitative approach with a case consisting of three embedded units: the Government itself, a ministry and a government agency. The data have been collected from documents and interviews.

Findings

The study shows that there is currently a notable disparity when it comes to how aspects of innovation are understood at different levels within the Swedish governmental administration system. Furthermore, the recent business development to increase the standardization of work processes is perceived as having created poorer preconditions for working with innovations.

Practical implications

The results highlight critical areas of disparity and possibilities for improvement towards a shared understanding and aligned innovation actions within the system.

Originality/value

The articlecontributes knowledgeabout the current understanding of innovation in the Swedish governmental administration system.

In present paper we would like to share some experiences of building new education in Sports Technology at MidSweden University and the results of 10 years of successfully running it in Östersund. The Sports Technologyeducation at Mid Sweden University started at Campus Östersund in 2003 as a part of the curriculum of theEngineering Department. This specialization was initially at the three-year Bachelor level, and later it was extendedto an additional two-year Master level. Aiming at the quality of Sports Technology education, three keystones areunderlying its process, representing the solid knowledge base, capacity to be flexible in problem solving and the usean innovative approaches. The Department unites researches with a background in both natural sciences andengineering disciplines, having a wide experience of working with and within the industry, equally active in researchand teaching. The unique constellation of the profiles forming the Department include not only the SportsTech®group, being “the backbone”, but also the Ecology and Eco-technology, and Quality Technology groups bringing theexcellence and extra competence needed to assure the quality of the Sports Technology education. We were the firsthigher education institution in Sweden to give this kind of education program and now some other SwedishUniversities have followed us. Our success can be measured by a number of graduates taking good jobs in theindustry. We also enjoy a steady flow of new students coming from all parts of Sweden, and Sports Technologyeducation stays among the most desirable ones in the country.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop an approach to measuring health-related quality management based on earlier research on the connection between quality management and employee health. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire was developed and a research study was carried out at a manufacturing company. The constructs were tested for internal reliability using Cronbach's alpha tests. The dimensions' correlations with employee health were checked using Pearson correlation. Findings - Three of the dimensions were correlated with the perception of employee health: "presence/ communication" and "integrity" derived from leadership commitment, and "influence" derived from everybody's participation. These findings substantiate earlier studies indicating a relationship between visible, clear leadership and employee health. They are also in line with earlier findings of how the possibilities to influence their own work promote employee health and work ability. The paper provides a proposal as to how managers can proceed in the measurement and evaluation of quality management efforts related to employee health. Research limitations/implications - The research is conducted as a single research study in one industrial manufacturing company. Further research should be conducted in other organizations from different lines of business with the same conditions and in organizations with different conditions. Practical implications - This approach can be used by managers for gaining insight into underlying mechanisms in the organizational culture related to employee health from a quality management perspective. This could lead to improved employee well-being, satisfaction and motivation. It could be used as a first step for improvements when implementing health-related quality management "to break the ice" and it could be followed up by qualitative methods. Originality/value - Traditional ways of measuring health are rarely connected to quality management. Only requiring small resources, this approach to measuring health-related quality management can add to an understanding of underlying mechanisms.

Abstract

Purpose –

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of measuring the starting

point of improvement work focusing on soft values and to present one way of measuring the

starting point of a Lean implementation. The purpose is also to describe the Lean

implementation planned within a municipal division and also to present their measured

starting conditions.

Methodology/approach –

A literature study, with Lean implementation, measuring starting

points for improvement work, soft values and the effects of the improvement work in focus

has been carried out. Documents from the planned Lean implementation within a municipal

division have been studied. To measure the conditions for the implementation a previously

conducted measurement approach that measured health-related Quality Management was used.

Findings –

The paper contains an argument for the importance of measuring the effect of a

Lean implementation with a focus on soft values and measuring starting points. A description

of one planned Lean implementation within a municipal division and their starting conditions

are presented.

Practical implications –

To measure the conditions at the starting point of a Lean

implementation gives managers information to help them focus on important improvement

areas. A description of a Lean implementation can help other organizations to plan their

implementation.