Why quality management programs fail

Purpose – This paper seeks to elaborate the reasons why quality management programs (QMPs) frequently fail to produce the intended results, and to demonstrate how QMPs could be effectively institutionalised in an organisational setting.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of literature from different management fields was carried out to determine how the main issues about QMPs' implementation are discussed in diverse areas (such as strategic and operations management) and how useful insights regarding better implementation and institutionalisation of QMPs could thus be induced.Findings – To harness maximum benefits, QMPs need to be implemented as a meta‐methodology (or meta‐management) targeting the whole enterprise. The QMPs need to be effectively integrated with the business strategy, which steers the business processes towards its unique competitive advantage. An undesirable scenario would be employing QMPs as sub‐methodologies that take the form of tools and techniques (quick fixes) and thus remain ...

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