Organizational culture in implementing quality management system.

Costache, Bogdan Mihai ; Funar, Stefan Petru ; Adamescu, Dorina 等

1. INTRODUCTION

In organizations where a quality management system is implemented it's required a great level of implication and commitment of the working staff. A good quality system configuration is based on specific organizational culture, preexisting cultural elements, organizational culture flexibility in integrating new values and norms specific to quality.

2. KEY ELEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTING THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Taken in consideration the above mentioned, before configuring the quality system, the followings must be analyzed:

* Management philosophy: organization mission and strategy objectives; values, management orientations and principles applicable in the organization;

* Socio-cultural environment where the organization conducts it's activity;

* The way that work is perceived by employees: hazards at working sites; role conflicts; station monotony; activities complexity;

* Aspects regarding organizing and work situations: organizational structure and work schedule (determine and analyze of formal and informal groups from organization, the interconnecting methods etc.); the decision process (structure, content and personal implicated); personal management policy; station analyzes (jobs, responsibilities, authority and decision, organizational relations, cost management) (Anghel et al., 2007).

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

Also, cultural values promoted with the implementation of quality management system are a consequence of changes in organizational culture. Change is the process of creating a situation / condition perceived by the organization / individual as different from the original one. It involves a sequence of organizational events and a psychological process that takes place over time. For the change process (as sequence of organizational events) to be successful it is necessary that the following steps to proceed:

* Involvement of all employees in the change process;

* Planning of activities initiating the change;

* Putting into action of planned elements;

* Evaluating results obtained during changing action;

* Change institutionalizing (keeping the need to produce changing for quality continuous improvement).

Also (fig. 1), the success of change process (as a psychological process) depends on how change is perceived both at individual and group (organization) level in the cognitive, attitude and action (behavioral) aspect.

The success of configuring a quality management system as a process of organizational culture changing is closely related to the way that the organization personal respond under this cultural aspect. In order to obtain a positive response is required from the organization staff:

* To know what implementing the quality management system means at individual and group level (the cognitive plan);

* To have a relatively positive attitude towards change involving the configuration of quality management system (the attitude plan);

* To develop a specific individual and group behaviour that supports the implement and maintain of a quality management performance system (Nica et al., 2008).

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

In order to "known", the staff must be trained regarding the problems which develop from implementing the quality management system, from the elements provided in the documentation system which comes in contact with the work related with it. Thus, the organization personal:

* Will know and understand what must be done, how, when and where specific activities should be conducted;

* Becomes able to solve problems that may arise in ordinary activities, using change as an instrument for continuous improvement.

To "create a positive attitude" (motivation) related to the responsibilities incumbent on the staff by implementing the quality management system:

* One must start with the question "Why should I achieve these activities?";

* It is established the personal response (affective) ("I like it/ don't like it because ...");

* The answers are used to develop a positive attitude (it maximizes the benefits arising from the implementation of quality management system: the recognition of ones own value; to clarify ones position and role in the organization; team spirit development etc.).

To "develop an individual and group behavior oriented towards quality" among all the employees of the organization:

* At first, senior managers will send those messages (through their own behaviour as well) to be constituted as an example to be followed by the other employees;

* The managers will support the training of employees, especially skills of those who support the change process (implementation of quality management system) and together with teams that they run periodically review the progresses made (Dumitrescu et. al., 2008);

* During the time in which the employees acquire those behaviours that can sustain a performing quality management system (behavioural automatisms are created), the management will review and support periodically the development of an organizational culture oriented towards quality--bases of a stable group behaviour oriented towards quality.

Due to organizational changes implicated, the configuration of quality management system of is a long term process (Landon & Landon, 2003). This process begins by implicating senior management in the development of individual behavior that support change and continuous with the involvement of all employees, aiming the development of group behavior that support continuous improvement (fig. 2). In order for the beneficiaries, stakeholders of the organization results to benefit the most from implementing a performing quality management system, after a development of an organizational culture oriented to quality, it is necessary that the change is planned, participated and negotiated, characterized by that: change rhythm can be rationally planned; obtained change is for long term (level of performance requested by a efficiently and effectively quality management system is maintained and improved through its own mechanisms; the active involvement of all organization employees ensure in time stability of "best practices" presented in the system documentation).

3. CONCLUSION

After implementing the quality management system, all cultural elements involved allow the organization to adapt better to new conditions and ensure maintenance and continuous improvement of quality. By implementing and maintaining a quality management system in the organization is formed a strong organizational culture in which values and beliefs, roles and behavioral norms, etc. are subordinated to the idea "everything you do, must reflect quality".

4. REFERENCES

Anghel, F., Cazacu, D. A., Carutasu, N. L. & Carutasu, G. (2007). Cost analysis in mechanical engineering production, PML--Assessing the industrial relevance, Editors: Garetti M; Terzi S; Ball P; Han S pag. 147-156, ISBN 0-907776-33-7, Italy

Dumitrescu, D. M., Popa, C. L., Nica, G. B. & Cotet, C. E. (2008). Competences versus trust in a young virtual organization, Annals of DAAAM for 2008 & Proceedings of The 19th International DAAAM SYMPOSIUM, pg. 453-454, ISBN 978-3-901509-68-1, ISSN 1726-9679, Trnava, Slovacia, October, 2008

Kotler, Ph. (1993). Marketing Management, ed. Teora, ISBN:973-601-365-0, Bucharest, Romania

Landon, K.C. & Landon, I.P. (2003). Management Information Systems, Organization and Tehnology, in The Networked Enterprise 7th Ed., Prentice-Hall Int., New Jersey, 2003

Nica, G. B., Aurite, T. & Dumitrescu, D. M. (2008). Geocentric Extraversion Versus Ethnocentric Introversion: a Clash in Multinational Human Resources Management Annals of DAAAM for 2008 & Proceedings of The 19th International DAAAM Symposium, pp 485-486, ISBN 978-3-901509-68-1, ISSN 1726-9679, Trnava, Slovakia, October 2008