Publication

How do organizational performances vary between early adopters and late adopters of Quality 4.0? An exploratory qualitative study

Jiju, Antony
Swarnakar, Vikas
Sony, Michael
McDermott, Olivia
Jayaraman, Raja
Citation
Antony, Jiju, Swarnakar, Vikas, Sony, Michael, McDermott, Olivia, & Jayaraman, Raja. (2023). How do organizational performances vary between early adopters and late adopters of Quality 4.0? An exploratory qualitative study. The TQM Journal, doi: 10.1108/TQM-03-2023-0083
Abstract
This study aims to investigate how early and late adopters of Q4.0 differ in terms of organizational performance. The authors employed a grounded theory approach for interviewing 15 senior managers from diverse organizational contexts throughout the globe as part of their qualitative research methodology. The research's findings were analyzed based on four types of performance: operational, financial, environmental, and social. It was clear that early adopters of Q4.0 were sustaining superior performance in quality over time, even though their investment was significantly higher than that of late adopters. From a financial viewpoint, it was evident that early adopters had a competitive edge over their rivals compared to late adopters. Late adopters have utilized the notion of the circular economy (CE) more effectively than many early adopters in the context of environmental performance in order to establish a green economy and sustainable development. Although the results of the interview indicate that Q4.0 is having some positive effects on social performance, in the authors' view, it is still least understood from an empirical standpoint. The study's findings assist organizations in comprehending the performance differences between Q4.0 early adopters and late adopters.
Funder
Publisher
Emerald
Publisher DOI
10.1108/TQM-03-2023-0083
Rights
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IE