Quality management initiatives in Europe: An empirical analysis according to their structural elements

Abstract

In recent years, managers have opted for implementing quality management (QM) in their firms. The market offers different alternatives for QM implementation, such as the EFQM model, ISO standards, the Malcolm Baldrige model or the recent Six Sigma methodology. The difficulty in implementation of each initiative varies from case to case. In this article we propose a criterion for choosing among four alternatives (quality control, EFQM, Six Sigma and ISO 9000), according to the degree of development required for the elements that structure the alternatives. To do so, using an ANOVA analysis and mean comparison t-tests, we analyse 234 organisations in Europe that have implemented the four alternatives mentioned and observe the degree of development of nine of the elements that compose them. From the research, one can conclude that quality control is the simplest initiative, followed by ISO 9000 and, finally, the EFQM model and Six Sigma methodology.

Keywords:

• quality management initiatives
• difficulty of implementation
• structural elements
• EFQM model
• Six Sigma methodology
• ISO
• quality control

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