Culture and quality in New Zealand manufacturing organisations

Abstract

For many years culture has been claimed as an important component of quality improvement. However, very little research has been performed to examine this relationship. This study aimed to expand on this area of research by investigating culture and quality within the New Zealand manufacturing industry. Specifically this study examined management culture, quality perceptions of management and quality performance in forty randomly chosen New Zealand manufacturing organisations. The quality and culture variables were tested using the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) (© Human Synergistics) and questions from "Leading the Way: A Study of Best Manufacturing practices in Australia and New Zealand" (Australian Manufacturing Council, 1994) From this study many important relationships between management culture and the quality in an organisation were found. Management culture was found to have a number of correlations with quality indicators such as: warranty claims, defects, ratio of quality inspectors and delivery in full, on time. In addition, correlations were found between management culture and management's perceptions of their quality. This research is a beginning step in the understanding of culture and quality in New Zealand manufacturing organisations. It suggests that through understanding these relationships between culture and quality, managers may be able to develop more effective and competitive organisations.