Gunning, J G and McCallion, E M (2007) TQM in large Northern Ireland contracting organisations. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 23rd Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2007, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
The designated Quality Managers of twenty of the largest contracting organisations in Northern Ireland were interviewed in a semi-structured fashion to investigate their attitudes to and perceptions of Total Quality Management. The survey, reported anonymously, found that there was little progress being made beyond ISO9001 - certificated systems towards full TQM Indeed, some of the respondents appeared to be unaware of the concept of TQM or the principles of supply chain management. The picture has changed little since previous research by the primary author, published in 1994. Three main obstacles to effective TQM were identified: lack of commitment, poor communication and traditional cultural attitudes. The work of Latham, Egan and the Constructing Excellence movement has gone largely unnoticed by major contractors, and the industry attitude to quality does not embody the continuous improvement principles of ISO9001:2000. Recommendations are made regarding promotion of the concept of post-certification improvement towards TQM, plus much greater publicity for the work of the Constructing Excellence movement.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contractors; Northern Ireland; quality; TQM |
| Index terms: | manager, total quality management, certification, Latham, promotion, movement, commitment, continuous improvement, survey, Northern Ireland, contracting organization |
| Subjects: | performance measurement, management, physical geography and landforms, administrative processes, industry policy reports, health behaviours and lifestyles, practitioner, data collection methods, evaluation methods, psychology |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Human Resources, Contract Administration, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Governance, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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