The perception of quality has changed dramatically in recent decades, from quality control and quality assurance to customer focus and business improvement in a strategic direction with a focus on sustainable development. As the perception and concept of quality itself changes, so does the role of the quality manager. It is not a given that this change goes hand in hand.
Against this background, the Institute for Quality Development, SIQ, has initiated a study via the Swedish Quality Management Academy, SQMA, to find out how the quality profession is responding to the development.
A total of 249 people who devote a large part of their working time to quality work, often in leading positions, were included in the study. The people are active in eight major Swedish organizations representing everything from private industry to government. The research was conducted by researchers on quality development at Chalmers University of Technology and Linköping University.
The conclusion is that quality professionals are often highly educated, but still perceive that knowledge and skills often need to be further developed to cope well with mainly the strategic parts of the work.
- The research shows that quality work is often focused on the internal work with processes, audits and improvements, but should advantageously have more external focus on the customer and the development of innovative ways of working, says Ida Gremyr, Assistant Professor of Quality Management at Chalmers University of Technology.
Ensuring quality development in colleges and universities is essential
The quality role often assumes a specialist function around processes and management systems or problem solving. Previous research also shows that shortcomings and errors in processes are often compensated for by increased controls and follow-up. The development must instead focus on stable robust processes that are at the same time adaptable to meet rapidly changing requirements and drive innovative ways of working with a focus on customers and stakeholders.
- The study shows that there is a need for further training of today's active quality professionals mainly in the strategic direction based on innovative ways of working. But perhaps even more important is to ensure quality development on a broad front as a subject at colleges and universities and then clarify customer focus and strategic focus on sustainable development, says Mats Deleryd, CEO of the Institute for Quality Development, SIQ.
The study indicates that the development of the quality profession in the future provides space for both the "operationally oriented specialist" but also the "strategically oriented generalist".