Welcome to issue 2 of the Quality Management Journal. As winter ends and we enter spring, we think of the importance of quality management. I am excited about this issue of the journal as it has one of the strongest sets of papers we have ever had. IF you are a researcher, I encourage you to cite these papers as they are certainly worthy of citation. I will introduce each of these papers individually:
The first paper is “Nurses Perception of a Hospital’s Process Improvement on Patient Satisfaction,” Yunsik Choi (School of Business, Meredith College), Lawrence D. Fredendall (Department of Management, Clemson University), Aleda Roth (Department of Management, Clemson University), Anne Musitano, (Akron Children’s Hospital), Rosanna Fierro (Akron Children’s Hospital). According to the authors, “As nurses provide most of the patient care in hospitals, patient satisfaction depends in part on their interactions with patients. We examined how the nurses’ use of non-technical methods (shared goal understanding, patient focus, and nurse empowerment) and technical methods (standard problem-solving and visual management) affect patient satisfaction. Significant findings are that patient focus, the use of standardized problem-solving methods, and nurse empowerment improve patient satisfaction” affect patient satisfaction.
The second paper is: “Integrated Management Systems: Barrier Assessment Through Grey Incidence Analysis and Contributions to Quality Management” by Gilberto Cassoli de Oliveira Júnior (School of Mechanical Engineering, State University of Campinas, Brazil), Tiago F. A. C. Sigahi (Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil), Izabela Simon Rampasso (Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad Católica del Norte, Chile, Lucas Gabriel Zanon (School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Brazil), Jefferson de Souza Pinto (Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo, Brazil), Walter Leal Filho (Department of Health Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany), Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes (School of Applied Sciences, State University of Campinas, Brazil), Jiju Antony (Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, United Kingdom) and Rosley Anholon (School of Mechanical Engineering, State University of Campinas, Brazil). According to the authors: “This paper addresses the growing need for effectively managing multiple concurrent management systems to enhance organizational competitiveness. It focuses on investigating the barriers hindering the integration of these systems within companies, emphasizing the influence of these difficulties on quality management. A survey involving 86 Brazilian experts who had experience with management system integration in their respective organizations was conducted. Grey Incidence Analysis was employed to assess the survey results, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the barriers and identification of the most critical. The results of this study highlight critical factors that impede management system integration. Employee engagement emerged as a significant barrier.”
The third paper is: “The Quality 4.0 Roadmap: Designing a Capability Roadmap Toward Quality Management in Industry 4.0” by André M. Carvalho (UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa), Ana Rita Dias (Department of Production and Systems Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal), Ana Margarida Dias (Department of Production and Systems Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal), and Paulo Sampaio (Department of Production and Systems Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal). According to the authors, “Literature shows that the path toward Quality 4.0 is unclear and that there is no roadmap to assist organizations in preparing or navigating this transition. This article aims to understand such a path, design, and develop a roadmap to guide organizations. This roadmap offers an original tool to assist organizations in achieving and developing the required capabilities for pursuing the digital transition with an operational and human-centered perspective. It also defines vital stages in the Quality 4.0 transition, identifying the evolving requirements and marking boundaries and touchpoints between Technology and Quality management.”
Finally, the fourth paper is entitled, “Achieving Sustainable Excellence: A Theoretical Comparison of Established Quality Awards” by Ying Cao (Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, Erie, PA), Xianghui Peng (Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, Erie, PA), and Victor Prybutok (Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences, G. Brint Ryan College of Business, University of North Texas). According to these authors, “This research scrutinizes and synthesizes three well-known quality awards in the world including the Baldrige Award, Deming Prize, and European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Award with a longitudinal examination. The study generates insights for improving the award frameworks and producing a greater impact on sustainable excellence for organizations. While differences exist among the three award frameworks, a trending convergence was observed in their evolution toward sustainability and the inclusion of agility and stakeholders.
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