Mid Sweden University

Today's organisations are faced with increasingly complicated and complex challenges. To master these challenges, organisations need to work more together, both within their own organisations and in collaboration with others. Working as a ‘real’ team, while also creating a sustainable quality culture, can be one way to address these challenges. The top management team within the organisation will play a crucial role in determining the organisation's success. 

The purpose of this thesis was to contribute to a deeper understanding of real teamwork and how real teamwork relates to a sustainable quality culture. The purpose was also to describe perceived success factors in creating real teamwork and sustainable quality culture, aiming at increasing an organisation’s performance. 

Conclusions drawn from this research can be summarised into seven overarching proposals or recommendations on how to increase the abilities for real teamwork alongside with creating a sustainable quality culture: 

• Embrace the heart and develop ‘emotional commitment’: this involves ‘touching the hearts’ of individuals in the organisation, both when it comes to ‘real’ teamwork and in creating sustainable quality culture. 
• Balance between structure and culture: structure and culture should go ‘hand in hand’ and harmoniously complement each other. 
• Apply a systems view: this entails considering ‘real’ teamwork within the broader context and viewing core values as a system. 
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement: improvement is achieved through reflexivity and the adoption of novel perspectives. Continuous improvement is fundamental for both ‘real’ teamwork and the development of sustainable quality culture. 
• Apply a customer perspective on value creation: this is critical for practicing ‘real’ teamwork, as well as in developing a sustainable quality culture aiming to increase organisational performance.
• Apply long-term and sustainable thinking: as a part of practicing ‘real’ teamwork and when creating a sustainable quality culture. Both the presence and the future should be built into the system.
• Measuring and assessing ‘real’ teamwork and sustainable quality culture is valuable in establishing the prerequisites and abilities necessary for ‘real’ teamwork, as well as for advancing the development of a sustainable quality culture within an organisation.

The research has also led to practical suggestions on how the participating organisations can enhance their abilities for real teamwork and strengthen the culture of quality within their organisations.