Organization Culture, Distribution and Amount of Control, and Perceptions of Quality

Normative aspects of organization culture, the distribution and total amount of control, employee performance and perceived quality of service were investigated in a cross-sectional study (n = 823) involving subjects from 159 organizations. A model integrating these constructs is presented, followed by an empirical investigation of hypothesized linkages. Significant relationships were found between organization culture and control distribution, culture and total amount of control, culture and service quality, culture and employee performance, and total control and service quality. Contemporary organizations are making substantial financial and human resource investments in training in problem analysis and problem solving techniques, within the context of Total Quality Management (TQM) programs and, in some cases, culture change efforts (Beer, Eisenstat, & Spector, 1990). These investments are being made in the belief, rooted partly in the "human relations management" movement (Fayol, 1946; Likert, 1961; McGregor, 1960), that the participation and involvement of all hierarchical levels will result in higher product/service quality and, subsequently, improved organization performance.

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