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Fashion Setting in Quality Management and Continuous Improvement

Author

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  • Natcha Thawesaengskulthai
  • James Tannock

Abstract

The area of business improvement is particularly prone to the emergence of management fashions. This paper contributes to the understanding of this phenomenon, supported by empirical evidence concerning quality management (QM) and continuous improvement (CI) initiatives. Quantitative evidence of the trends of academic and management discourse on these themes is presented, based on annual publication numbers for a range of important QM and CI approaches. These trends in QM and CI initiatives from the literature are then compared with reported industrial practice, using data from an international company survey conducted by Bain and Company over several years. A quantitative comparison of publication trends with this usage data shows that publication and usage trends appear to resemble each other, but industrial usage tends to lag behind academic discussion and may endure after the latter declines. The article concludes by discussing how these facts help to explain fashions in QM and CI approaches and suggests that dissemination effects are important to global developments in these fields.

Suggested Citation

  • Natcha Thawesaengskulthai & James Tannock, 2008. "Fashion Setting in Quality Management and Continuous Improvement," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 5-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:mimoxx:v:38:y:2008:i:2:p:5-24
    DOI: 10.2753/IMO0020-8825380201
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    Cited by:

    1. Dag Øivind Madsen & Maria Storsveen & Pål Klethagen & Tonny Stenheim, 2016. "The diffusion and popularity of Lean in Norway: An exploratory survey," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1258132-125, December.
    2. Dag Øivind Madsen & Tonny Stenheim, 2016. "Big Data viewed through the lens of management fashion theory," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1165072-116, December.
    3. Dag Øivind Madsen, 2020. "Have the Reports of TQM’s Death Been Greatly Exaggerated? A Re-Examination of the Concept’s Historical Popularity Trajectory," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-25, May.
    4. Dag Øivind Madsen & Kåre Slåtten, 2015. "Social media and management fashions," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 1122256-112, December.
    5. Dag Madsen & Kåre Slåtten, 2013. "The Role of the Management Fashion Arena in the Cross-National Diffusion of Management Concepts: The Case of the Balanced Scorecard in the Scandinavian Countries," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-33, August.

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