Browsing by Subject "Quality Management"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    An examination of quality management in support functions of elementary and secondary education using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award's criteria for performance excellence.
    (2009-07) Olson, Lela Marie
    Quality management is an approach to achieving and sustaining high quality products and services by focusing on the continuous improvement of processes throughout an organization in order to meet or exceed customer requirements (Flynn, Schroeder, & Sakakibara, 1994). Accountability measures in elementary and secondary education define and monitor quality in teaching and learning and perpetuate continuous improvement of the core processes of school districts. Similar mechanisms do not exist for support functions, which on average account for over 33% of district expenditures (Zhou, Honegger, & Gaviola, 2007). This study examined customer-focused continuous improvement efforts in five Minnesota public school districts by using survey research to gather perceptual data from 196 front-line workers in the following work groups: food service, operations and maintenance, human resources and business services, transportation, and administrative/other support. Survey items reflected the essential components of quality management as found in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award's Criteria for Performance Excellence. Data was used to examine participants' perceptions of quality management on the job in terms of leadership, data, planning, the workforce, work processes, stakeholders, and results. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationship of these constructs in the support functions of elementary and secondary education as well as the applicability of the Baldrige model to this setting. Findings of the study were largely consistent with previous research using the Baldrige model in manufacturing, health care, and higher education settings. Key differences were also noted. The study makes an important contribution to the small body of literature on support service functions in elementary and secondary education and adds to the growing amount of research on quality management within organizations.
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    Faculty Feature: Rachel Hawn 2016 and 2017
    (University of Minnesota Crookston, 2022-10-20) Bengtson, Jess
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    Health care supply chain design for emerging economies.
    (2010-08) Kohnke, Emily Jane
    This dissertation research is motivated by the global mismatch in the supply and demand of quality health care for underserved communities. To begin addressing the identified need for additional health care services in many communities, this dissertation unfolds a design for the health care supply chain. This design is based on the coordination constructs of access, awareness and affordability and will advance our understanding of how to increase the quality and volume of care in underserved communities by connecting the development of care to the delivery of care. The dissertation is comprised of three studies that are designed to: (i) uncover the nature, measurement and relationships between the three mechanisms (affordability, awareness and access) and propose an integrative framework to inform supply chain design for delivering quality health care to underserved communities; (ii) empirically analyze the relationships in the proposed framework and, (iii) extend the framework by examining inter-organizational relationships and roles between partners in the health care supply chain and how they influence the delivery of care. This research was conducted in collaboration with Children's HeartLink, a medical non-profit organization which partners with health care organizations in developing countries around the globe to provide health care services for individuals suffering from congenital heart conditions. The research setting for this study was the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, located in the Gansu province of China.
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    Quality exploitation versus quality exploration: measurement, antecedents, and performance implications.
    (2009-06) Zhang, Dongli
    Quality management (QM) practices and the benefits related to these practices have been addressed in many studies. Although these practices are touted as "universal remedies," there are mixed results and high-profile failures in their implementation. The necessity of customization of the practices has been proposed in some studies. However, research on how to customize and what factors should be considered is still scant. This dissertation research makes an effort to address this customization issue. Specifically, the dissertation is organized into three essays. Essay 1 differentiates and examines two different aspects of QM practices that have different objectives: quality exploitation (QEI) and quality exploration (QER). QEI includes the QM practices that aim to control the known problems and processes. The objective of QEI is to ensure the consistency and efficiency of outcomes. QER includes the QM practices that aim to explore the unknown and to identify and pursue novel solutions. QER keeps organizations open and flexible to new ideas. Essay 1 develops a reliable and valid set of measures for QEI and QER and empirically shows that these measures can discriminate QEI and QER as two separate constructs. It provides a solid foundation for further research on customization of QM practices. Essay 2 examines performance associated with QEI and QER under different organizational structures and different levels of environmental uncertainty. The results of essay 2 provide possible ways to customize the QM practices. Two types of models are used in the study to understand organizational structure: mechanistic and organic. Organizations with a mechanistic structure are structured hierarchically and are centrally controlled by an authority. In contrast, organic structure settings present more flexible and open-type internal arrangements of an organization. In an organization with a mechanistic structure, QEI is proposed to be more effective than QER. In contrast, QER should be more effective than QEI in an organization with an organic structure. The focus on QEI or QER also needs to be adjusted according to the environmental uncertainty the organization faces in order to attain high performance benefits. Organizations facing high environmental uncertainty should focus on QER to gain more performance benefits. In contrast, organizations facing low environmental uncertainty should get more benefits from QEI. Essay 2 provides empirical evidence that supports the above relationships between QEI, QER, and performance under different contextual conditions. Essay 3 investigates the theoretical motivation for the adoption and implementation of QEI and QER. Two different theoretical views are identified and empirically tested: the institutional view and the rational view. Institutional perspectives generally emphasize the role of social factors rather than economic or efficiency factors in driving organizational actions. The rational view suggests that goals and objectives may be a motivational factor that influences the organization's implementation of QEI or QER. Based on the different aims of QEI and QER, their implementation might be driven by different goals of an organization. Empirical results show certain support for both the institution view and the rational view to explain the implementation of QEI and QER.
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    Why UMN Crookston is the 'M' for Me - Quality Management BMM online student Mikayla McKivergan Q&A
    (University of Minnesota Crookston, 2022-12-15) UMN Crookston University Relations