Explains why companies wishing to make the transition to TQM must address the issue of organizational learning. Also provides some evidence that quality circles (QC) can facilitate organizational learning in the quality context. Discusses three theoretical stages of organizational learning, and...

Explains why companies wishing to make the transition to TQM must address the issue of organizational learning. Provides some evidence that quality circles (QCs) can facilitate organizational learning in the quality context. Discusses three theoretical stages of organizational learning, and...

The paper reports some findings generated by a postal survey of Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies. The aims of the survey included: gaining some insight into levels of awareness, understanding and use of business process re‐engineering (BPR) in the province; examining the positioning of BPR...

This article reports the results of a longitudinal study of some of the earliest quality circle (QC) programmes to be established in the United Kingdom. The 27 companies in question were first contacted in 1981. A second survey, conducted in April/May 1985, aimed to find out how many of the QC...

The aim of this study, which followed two prior postal surveys, was to explore in detail, the roles of incremental improvement typified by TQM, and radical innovation in the form of BPR, in organisational change strategies. The empirical research comprised six in‐depth case studies, the...

Presents a model of organisational transformation drawing on case study research and a review of relevant literature. Concludes that it is important for change managers to understand how both the internal and external environments can influence organisational change strategies and activities....

Investigates why some companies make a successful transition from ISO 9000 to TQM while others experience difficulty or failure. Identifies factors influencing a successful transition and their significance in the context of organisational learning. Methodologies employed include literature...

One of the main difficulties with the Quality Circle (QC) technique is that, to the uninitiated, it appears attractively simple in concept. This attraction has been enhanced by the many claims made for it in the management literature. Such claims though, are often based on experiential rather...