TY - JOUR
T1 - Does the ferry sector need soft total quality management practices? Evidence from an Italian ferry company
AU - Torre, Teresina
AU - PETROLO, Damiano
AU - Pellegrini, Massimiliano Matteo
AU - Sarti, Daria
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Purpose: The study aims to deepen existing knowledge on the specific role of soft total quality management (TQM) practices in the ferry sector. Over the last decade, TQM practices have been thoroughly restructured, allowing us to develop an appropriate framework through which the relevance of each practice to this particular sector can be explained. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative case study has been conducted to enhance the quality orientation and soft TQM practices adopted by a medium-sized company in the ferry sector. Findings: The study identifies five soft TQM practices that offer valuable contributions in terms of quality orientation. These are organised into a configurational and systemic approach according to a three-level framework. At the macro level, a customer-orientated approach is paramount, as this orientation clearly points out the fundamental values of TQM. Coherently, at the micro-level, employees should be trained, involved, and empowered to truly internalise and behave according to a quality orientation. At the meso-level, dedicated leadership should support these practices and foster their effectiveness across the organisational structure. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study is related to its narrative analysis. More empirically-grounded research should be used in the future to test the validity of the model. Practical implications: TQM practices can leverage soft aspects, finding mutual integrations and offering reciprocal support if a bundle of practices is enforced and co-present across several layers of an organisational structure. Originality/value: The model offers a configurational approach to help the ferry sector in leveraging soft TQM practices to implement TQM initiatives successfully. This is subject to external contingencies and thus requires adaptability and flexibility.
AB - Purpose: The study aims to deepen existing knowledge on the specific role of soft total quality management (TQM) practices in the ferry sector. Over the last decade, TQM practices have been thoroughly restructured, allowing us to develop an appropriate framework through which the relevance of each practice to this particular sector can be explained. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative case study has been conducted to enhance the quality orientation and soft TQM practices adopted by a medium-sized company in the ferry sector. Findings: The study identifies five soft TQM practices that offer valuable contributions in terms of quality orientation. These are organised into a configurational and systemic approach according to a three-level framework. At the macro level, a customer-orientated approach is paramount, as this orientation clearly points out the fundamental values of TQM. Coherently, at the micro-level, employees should be trained, involved, and empowered to truly internalise and behave according to a quality orientation. At the meso-level, dedicated leadership should support these practices and foster their effectiveness across the organisational structure. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study is related to its narrative analysis. More empirically-grounded research should be used in the future to test the validity of the model. Practical implications: TQM practices can leverage soft aspects, finding mutual integrations and offering reciprocal support if a bundle of practices is enforced and co-present across several layers of an organisational structure. Originality/value: The model offers a configurational approach to help the ferry sector in leveraging soft TQM practices to implement TQM initiatives successfully. This is subject to external contingencies and thus requires adaptability and flexibility.
UR - https://iris.uniupo.it/handle/11579/148760
U2 - 10.1108/TQM-02-2022-0058
DO - 10.1108/TQM-02-2022-0058
M3 - Article
SN - 1754-2731
JO - THE TQM JOURNAL
JF - THE TQM JOURNAL
ER -