Progress of quality management practices in Australian manufacturing firms

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify changes in quality management practices that occurred in Australian manufacturing firms between 1994 and 2001.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used two sets of data drawn from two separate surveys. The first survey was conducted in 1994 by the Australian Manufacturing Council (AMC) and the second survey was conducted in the early 2001 among the members of Australian Organisation for Quality (AOQ). After screening both data sets, 336 and 101 responses were usable for analysis using MANOVA.

Findings

In the year 2001, Australian manufacturing firms were investing less in training and development of employees, and saw themselves as needing to provide greater levels of leadership in pursuing best practice than in 1994. In addition, maintaining a high‐quality of working environment and managing customer relationships were considered far more important in 2001 than previously, and less emphasis was placed on the standardising and documenting of internal procedures. Finally, suppliers were increasingly involved in product development, suggesting a shift of competitive advantage from an internal focus into a supply‐chain orientation.

Research limitations/implications

The significant discrepancy in the sample size and the different populations of the two surveys are the major limitations in generalising the findings of this study.

Practical implications

The findings would be useful for practitioners who wish to track trends among Australian manufacturing firms and for those who want a benchmark against which to measure an individual firm's performance. Practitioners may also be interested in issues such as supplier involvement and documentation.

Originality/value

This study contributes new knowledge by assessing the trend of adoption of quality management practices in two separate cross‐sectional studies at two different times.

Citation

Prajogo, D.I. (2006), "Progress of quality management practices in Australian manufacturing firms", The TQM Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 501-513. https://doi.org/10.1108/09544780610685476