An exploration of organizational readiness factors for Quality 4.0: an intercontinental study and future research directions

Purpose Quality 4.0 incorporates the role of automation and digitization and provides competitive advantage for organizations by enhancing customer experience and increase profitability. The purpose of this study is to critically examine the organizational readiness factors for the successful implementation of Quality 4.0 implementation and assess their importance.Design/methodology/approach This study applies a quantitative research methodology to examine readiness factors of Quality 4.0 in organizations by 147 senior management professionals in various organizations including manufacturing and service companies in America, Asia and Europe participated through an online survey.FindingsThe readiness factors for Quality 4.0 were critically ranked amongst manufacturing and service organizations by senior management professionals from three continents. Five significant reasons for non-adoption of Quality 4.0 were lack of resources, inability to link Quality 4.0 with the corporate strategy and objectives, lack of understanding of benefits, high initial investment and the current quality management strategy and methods are already delivering good results hence unsure of the need for Quality 4.0. The handling of big data in quality management was the most important factor for adopting Quality 4.0, irrespective of the size and nature of the organization. More accuracy and less errors and improved decision-making the factors of adopting Quality 4.0 in service sector were not significant for manufacturing sector. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reported that costs and time savings over the long run were not so significant.Practical implications This study is focussed on the significance of pros and cons of adopting Quality 4.0 in organizations. Senior managers in both large and SMEs can benefit immensely from understanding before investing heavily towards implementing Quality 4.0. The importance of identified organizational readiness factors for the successful adoption of Quality 4.0 can be used as indicators to understand how ready an organization is to implement Quality 4.0. The top three readiness factors for the successful adoption of Quality 4.0 were identified as: top management commitment, leadership and organizational culture. Improved understanding of the readiness factors can be highly beneficial to senior quality professionals in both manufacturing and service companies in the journey towards successful implementation of Quality 4.0.Originality/value This is the first empirical study on assessing Quality 4.0 readiness factors at an intercontinental level and therefore serves as a foundation for many future studies. The study provides a theoretical foundation for the Quality 4.0 in terms of organizational readiness for successful adoption and overcoming implementation challenges. During the planning, implementation and progress review of Quality 4.0, review the readiness factors while planning and resourcing a Quality 4.0 implementation strategy to ensure effective performance.

The Impact of Strategic Awareness on Organizational Readiness: An Analytic Research of the Opinions of the Sample of Top Leaderships in Private Colleges in the Provinces of the Al-Furat Al-Awsat in Iraq

The current research aims to investigate and determine the nature of the relationship between strategic awareness as an independent research variable and organizational readiness as a dependent variable, and to know which dimensions of strategic awareness have the highest influence on organizational readiness. Private universities were selected in the Al-Furat Al-Awsat governorates in Iraq. There are (14) colleges that represent the field and community of the research, the size of the community has reached (230), and the research sample was chosen randomly, method. 180 questionnaire sheets ware distributed to the subjects of the sample, and the ones retrieved were (157), while the valid for statistical analysis reached (151) questionnaires valid for statistical analysis, and they were analyzed using the statistical program (SmartPLS) and (SPSS V.23). A set of results, including the presence of a moral effect of strategic awareness on organizational readiness, and the dimension of reflection is one of the dimensions of strategic awareness that has the most influence on organizational readiness, as well as the Interest of colleges in orienting learning as one of the foundations for the success of educational institutions, especially colleges and private universities, as their environment is highly competitive and needs to be more developed and differentiated among them to ensure their continuity, as well as the orientation learning.

The readiness of human resources and organization in implementing total quality management (TQM) in Indonesia’s manufacturing industries

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a method of organizational improvement that is quite widely used in the world. Unfortunately, there are still many failures in its implementation, especially in Indonesia, for many reasons. The aim of this study was to determine the readiness of organizations and individuals in implementing TQM and its influence on the quality performance in Indonesia's manufacturing industries. The sample of this research consisted of 48 employees from about 20 privately owned companies at Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) areas, Indonesia. The data were collected through interviews and questionnaires, followed by statistical analysis with Structural Equation Modelling using Partial least squares (PLS) method. The results of this study indicated that, within the sector, the individual and organizational readiness in implementing TQM, as well as their quality performance, was found to be at a good level. Furthermore, the level of individual and organizational readiness in implementing TQM showed a significant effect on the quality performance, with the significance levels of 84% and more than 99%, respectively. Accordingly, 43% variation on quality performance was influenced by the individual and organizational readiness in implementing TQM, and the rest (57%) was influenced by other factors.

Issues and Implications of Readiness to Change

In light of readiness to change, organizational readiness has received little attention with the extensive assessment of individual readiness to change. (1) Background: Therefore, this conceptual paper aims to address the need for change at the organizational level through the lenses of Lewin theory, organizational change theory, and social exchange theory. It will identify issues and implications in readiness to change at the organizational level; (2) Methods: The primary method used in the study was mainly a literature review to add neglected factors driving change such as contextual factors and technology. (3) Results: The paper shows how various players and other determinants of successful change implementation can derail the organization’s readiness to embrace change. (4) Conclusions: The paper adds to the available knowledge on how technology is likely to affect organizational willingness to change. The study suggests various solutions that seek to address the issues on organizational readiness to change. Hence, this study may provide organizational managers with takeaway implications on change management for policymakers and practitioners to improve an organization’s preparedness towards change implementation.

Impact of Empowering Leadership, Innovative Work, and Organizational Learning Readiness on Sustainable Economic Performance: An Empirical Study of Companies in Russia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the global economy, with numerous companies suffering losses and shutting down. However, some companies proved to be resilient, being able to sustain their economic performance despite the pandemic. The study aims to explain the sustainable economic performance of companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relationships between empowering leadership, innovative work behavior, organizational readiness to change, and sustainable economic performance were assessed. The data were collected via an online questionnaire from January 2021 to March 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. The respondents were Russian companies’ employees holding management positions, competent to objectively assess organizational circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 337 was used in the analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted using SPSS AMOS. The structural model was tested with standardized parameter estimates, standard errors, and p-values calculated. The findings of the study suggest that innovative work behavior and organizational readiness to learn have a direct influence on sustainable economic performance. The findings also suggest that empowering leadership impacts innovative work behavior but not sustainable economic performance. The mediation analysis indicates that innovative work behavior is a mediator between empowering leadership and sustainable economic performance, whereas organizational readiness to learn is not a moderator. The study adds to the leadership and sustainability body of knowledge and contributes to the research on the COVID-19 pandemic in the organizational context.

Career adaptability and career intention on government employees’ years of service and job level

Employees’ level of career intention plays an important role in organizational readiness and dynamism to achieve success. Several studies were conducted on career adaptability and career intention, however, only a few were able to find evidence on the influence of position and years in service to government employees in the Philippines. This study aims to determine the significant differences in career adaptability and career intention of government employees based on years of service and job level. Results showed a significant difference in career intention when grouped according to job level and years in service and no significant difference in career adaptability when grouped according to job level and years in service.