Quality management and the work environment: an empirical investigation in a public sector organization

The integration of quality management initiatives, particularly total quality management (TQM), and ergonomics has received increasing attention from scholars and practitioners. Above all, the question of how TQM programs relate to ergonomic aspects of organizational design and culture is at the center of this discussion. This study examines how elements of a “typical”, Deming-inspired, TQM program in the public sector interact with the work environment. Elements of the TQM program were defined and measured using the Malcom Baldridge Award criteria. The specific elements examined were “Management Support of Quality”, “Information and Analysis”, “Human Resources”, “Processes and Quality Results”, and “Customer Focus and Satisfaction”. The relationship between these TQM elements and the work environment were defined through five separate hypotheses. The work environment was described by the constructs “Supervisor Support”, “Task Clarity”, “Task Orientation”, and “Innovation”. Data were obtained through survey questionnaires administered to employees of four departments in a municipal government organization. Results supported three of the hypotheses, but produced some unanticipated outcomes with regard to the other two. Namely, “Management Support of Quality” was significantly related to “Supervisor Support”, “Task Orientation”, “Task Clarity” and “Innovation”; “Human Resources” was significantly related to “Supervisor Support”; “Processes and Quality Results” was significantly related to “Task Orientation” and “Innovation”. Contrary to predicted “Information and Analysis” was negatively related to “Innovation”, and “Customer Focus” was unrelated to any of the outcome variables. The relationships between these TQM elements and work environment dimensions are discussed. Implications for TQM and ergonomic practice are analyzed, and directions for future research proposed.