The impact of a TQM intervention on teamwork: a longitudinal assessment
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425459510086901 |
| Pages | 63-74 |
| Date | 01 May 1995 |
| Published date | 01 May 1995 |
| Author | Jackie Coyle‐Shapiro |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
The impact
of TQM on
teamwork
63
The impact of a TQM
intervention on teamwork:
a longitudinal assessment
Jackie Coyle-Shapiro
University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Introduction
The notion of teamwork is central to TQM. A total quality culture is described
as emphasizing holistic behaviour oriented towards co-operation (Bushe, 1988)
and high-trust social relationships (Hill, 1991). At the individual level, this would
manifest itself in a team orientation, collectivist values versus individualism; in
behavioural terms, an individual would take initiatives above and beyond the
call of duty, share information with and help co-workers (Waldman, 1994). This
type of behaviour previously classified as organizational citizenship behaviour
is oriented towards improving group and organizational effectiveness (Organ,
1988) and as such is consistent with a total quality culture.
Teamwork applies to all organizational members. It may be viewed from three
perspectives: teamwork within a natural working group, between different
departments, and between managers and employees. The focus here is on teamwork
within a natural working group. Within the context of TQM, teamwork is an
important outcome and a condition for continuous improvement. It facilitates
collaborative efforts to solve quality problems (Waldman, 1994), places overall
responsibility for quality with the team thus alleviating the potential for individual
blame (Wilkinson, 1992), allows greater sharing of information within the work
group (Oakland, 1989) and facilitates greater co-operation to improve continuously
the functioning of the work group.
There has been a lack of empirical investigation into the effects of TQM
interventions on theoretically predicted outcomes. Such empirical work would
provide fruitful insights about the validity of its theoretical underpinnings and
the conditions under which TQM interventions will lead to the desired outcomes.
This research investigates the impact of a TQM intervention on teamwork using
a longitudinally based research design. It is driven by two questions; does the
TQM intervention have an impact on teamwork? If so, how does this effect occur?
The total quality intervention
This study was set within one site of a large British engineering multinational.
The site has over 500 employees. Several years prior to the intervention, the site
as with many other sites in the organization, was restructured along module/cell
Employee Relations, Vol. 17 No. 3,
1995, pp. 63-74. © MCBUniversity
Press, 0142-5455
The author would like to thank Riccardo Peccei for his invaluable comments and suggestions. The
helpful comments of the two special issue editors and Ray Richardson are gratefully acknowledged.
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