With the constant change characterizing today's business and organizational climate, it is clear that adaptability and the implementation of total quality management are crucial for success. By embracing design and innovation, organizations can tackle complex challenges and improve their services, something that the public sector is also investing in through the method of service design.
The understanding that organizational culture plays a central role in quality development has increased, and it is increasingly evident that the quality culture is crucial for long-term success. However, it is common for organizations to fail to integrate quality work as a management philosophy, hindering them from creating a culture that promotes continuous improvement. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to measure the existing quality culture within an organization, based on behaviours linked to values from total quality management, to identify areas that support and hinder change efforts in a municipal operation.
The data collection method for this study was predominantly quantitative, in the form of a survey sent within a department in a municipality, with 60 respondents participating. Respondents consisted of managers and employees within the studied department.
The study shows that the behaviours and values supportive within the organization are "customer-centricity," "creating conditions for participation," "working with processes," and "constantly working on improvements." However, the value "constantly working on improvements" is close to the boundary of obstructive behaviour and should therefore be treated as obstructive. Quality values such as "engaged leadership" and "making decisions based on facts" appear as obstacles within the organization. The study's results also indicate that there is a dispersion within the organization, where factors such as "roles" and "experience of service design" contribute to a higher quality culture.
With the constant change characterizing today's business and organizational climate, it is clear that adaptability and the implementation of total quality management are crucial for success. By embracing design and innovation, organizations can tackle complex challenges and improve their services, something that the public sector is also investing in through the method of service design.
The understanding that organizational culture plays a central role in quality development has increased, and it is increasingly evident that the quality culture is crucial for long-term success. However, it is common for organizations to fail to integrate quality work as a management philosophy, hindering them from creating a culture that promotes continuous improvement. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to measure the existing quality culture within an organization, based on behaviours linked to values from total quality management, to identify areas that support and hinder change efforts in a municipal operation.
The data collection method for this study was predominantly quantitative, in the form of a survey sent within a department in a municipality, with 60 respondents participating. Respondents consisted of managers and employees within the studied department.
The study shows that the behaviours and values supportive within the organization are "customer-centricity," "creating conditions for participation," "working with processes," and "constantly working on improvements." However, the value "constantly working on improvements" is close to the boundary of obstructive behaviour and should therefore be treated as obstructive. Quality values such as "engaged leadership" and "making decisions based on facts" appear as obstacles within the organization. The study's results also indicate that there is a dispersion within the organization, where factors such as "roles" and "experience of service design" contribute to a higher quality culture.