Quality management and environment: exploring the connections

This paper concerns regional development of quality management. The purpose is to identify and describe environmental factors that governments can influence in order to facilitate the development of quality management in regions and nations.

The paper is a survey directed at the quality managers of industrial companies in the region of Götaland, Sweden. The data have been analysed using factor analysis.

The results in this paper indicate that human issues are most important for achieving regional quality development whereas physical infrastructure is less important.

The paper has been based on Porter's diamond model. The implications of the results are that the human aspects of this framework are most important, particularly the attribute “firm strategy, structure and rivalry”. A tentative quality diamond model, which can provide a basis for further research, is proposed.

Regional and national leaders should focus on human aspects such as education, training and leadership in order to stimulate successful quality management. The proposed quality diamond model might be an aid in their effort to create an environment that is conducive for quality management.

The paper provides academia with added knowledge of the importance of different environmental factors for successful quality management. In addition, it provides valuable directions for regional and national leaders in their quest for higher quality.