‘Skipping the quality abracadabra’: academic resistance to quality management in Finnish higher education institutions and quality managers’ strategies to handle it

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the main total quality management (TQM) elements adopted and the respective results achieved by higher education institutions (HEIs) in Greece. Design/methodology/approach A research study was designed and carried out in private sector Greek HEIs. Fifteen HEIs were approached through interviews based on a structured questionnaire. The measured variables of the TQM elements and results identified in the literature were used as the questionnaire items. Descriptive statistics were applied to determine the TQM elements mostly adopted and the results achieved by the HEIs. Findings According to the findings, the TQM elements mostly adopted by the Greek HEIs concern the following: student focus, leadership and top management commitment, strategic quality planning, process management and teaching staff and employee involvement. On the other hand, the most significant results achieved by the sample HEIs concern quality performance improvement, teaching staff and employee satisfaction, operational performance improvement and the positive impact on society. Research limitations/implications The subjective data collection involved chief executive officers of a small sample of HEIs operating in a European Union country. Thus, no advanced statistical methods could be applied. Based on these limitations, future research studies are recommended. Practical implications By focusing on specific TQM elements, an HEI can develop a robust TQM model, approach business excellence, which can, in turn, help the HEI apply for appropriate quality awards, and finally derive significant benefits. In doing so, an HEI can lay the foundations for being competitive in the current global context that is characterised by an economic downturn. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by empirically determining the TQM elements mostly adopted as well as the respective results achieved by Greek HEIs in a period of economic downturn. This is the first research study in the field of TQM in higher education that has been carried out in Greece in a period where many service organisations, whether private or public, are making significant efforts to withstand the current downturn and achieve a sustainable growth.

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Quality management system in higher education institutions and its impact on students' employability with the mediating effect of industry–academia collaboration

Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences ◽

10.1108/jeas-07-2021-0135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Jawad Abbas ◽

Kalpina Kumari ◽

Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Management ◽

Management System ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Quality Management System ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Capital Theory ◽

Content Type

PurposeBased on the principles of the human capital theory, this study investigates the role of the quality management system (QMS) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing successful employability attributes among graduates. Considering industry as a prominent stakeholder in academia, the authors took industry–academia collaboration as the mediating variable.Design/methodology/approachUsing the European Foundation for Quality Management model, the author analyzed how QMS in public HEIs located in London, the United Kingdom (UK), impacts business management, computer science and engineering students' employability. Following the nonprobability convenience sampling technique, this study included data from 324 local and international students.FindingsThe structural analysis identified QMS as a significant factor in enhancing students' employability, and industry–academia collaboration is found to act as a partial mediator in this relationship.Originality/valueThe management of HEIs in developing countries can take valuable guidelines from this study and integrate QMS in their institutions in developing their students' employability, as it is being done by HEIs in the UK.

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Expanding the Application of EFQM model for Institutional Accreditation of Educational Organizations

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal ◽

10.14738/assrj.81.9624 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 289-295

Author(s):

Nabi Yskak

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Quality Management ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Educational Organizations ◽

Institutional Accreditation ◽

Efqm Model ◽

Standards And Guidelines ◽

European Foundation

Relevance of this article topic consists in the necessity to find some alternative to the existing practice of using of the 2015 Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA (ESG-15) for accreditation of educational organizations in Kazakhstan. This study purpose is to develop the ways of expanding the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) use for institutional accreditation of universities. Methods: comparativ analysis, formalization method. Results: 1) the genesis, functions and levels of educational organizations’ accreditation in Kazakhstan are described; 2) existence of the link between EFQM and ESG-15 is proved, however, EFQM is more adapted to institutional accreditation of higher education institutions; and 3) it is shown if formalized data are used to prescribe the scores when filling in the RADAR matrix, then filling in the RADAR matrix will be easier, and subjectivity will decrease, and accuracy will increase.

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Higher Education Environment

Ideological Function of Deming Theory in Higher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2265-2.ch001 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1-25

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Management ◽

Total Quality Management ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Knowledge Society ◽

Total Quality ◽

New Era ◽

Education Environment

Tertiary education faces a new era as expectations for good quality education are increasing. Globalization and knowledge Society formed new conditions on the global economic and geopolitical scene, and led higher education ahead to new challenges which require a redefinition of its role. These challenges have created new opportunities, new collaborations and new ways of managing Higher Education Institutions. In response to the demand for higher quality products and services, a growing number of Higher Education Institutions worldwide are implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) and the Deming Management Method. The first chapter is designed to provide the reader an overview of the role of Higher Education Institutions and the implications of globalization and knowledge society on tertiary education. Furthermore, this chapter deals with the strategic challenges of Higher Education Institutions and their strategic response to those challenges, focused on Deming and Total Quality Management.

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Quality Management and Academic Leadership

Quality Management Principles and Policies in Higher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-1017-9.ch006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 101-120

Author(s):

Joseph Ezale Cobbinah ◽

Samuel Agyemang

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Quality Management ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Faculty Members ◽

Senior Faculty ◽

Academic Leaders ◽

Academic Leader ◽

Effective Delivery ◽

Quality In Higher Education

Quality management in higher education is one of the measures that institutions put in place to ensure that courses and programs that are offered meet international and accreditation standards. This chapter examines how academic leaders can promote and manage quality in higher education institutions. Higher education institutions and senior faculty members appear to improve performance by ensuring that quality assurance unit enforces effective delivery to increase students and parents' satisfaction. Promotion of quality and the management of quality is not about long service but an exhibition of effective leadership that will help higher education institutions to navigate through the turbulence of challenges facing higher education institutions today. To achieve this, the academic leader is supposed to assist institutions to pursue their vision and mission to enable them to effectively manage quality.

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Quality Management in the Higher Education of the Republic of Moldova as a Framework for University Performance

Scientific Annals of Economics and Business ◽

10.1515/saeb-2017-0027 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 431-446 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Veronica Prisacaru ◽

Aurelia Litvin

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Management ◽

Performance Management ◽

Management System ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Management Systems ◽

Quality Management Systems ◽

Republic Of Moldova ◽

The Republic ◽

And Performance

Abstract This investigation is focused on two objectives: 1) explaining the relationship between quality management and performance management in higher education; 2) evaluating the existing quality management systems in the higher education institutions of the Republic of Moldova. In order to accomplish the first objective, a comparative theoretical analysis of the quality management and performance management was carried out in terms of common aspects and distinctive peculiarities. Consequently, it was reasoned that the performance management system of a higher education institution is created and functions on the basis of the quality management system by extending the area of the quality objectives to the level at which they will ensure performance or, in other terms, by moving towards excellence. In order to achieve the second objective, an opinion survey for the teaching and managerial staff from 6 universities was carried out. As a consequence of processing the obtained results, there were identified problems related to the functioning of the quality management systems. The investigation resulted in the formulation of a set of recommendations for the higher education institutions of the Republic of Moldova in order to increase the efficiency of the quality management systems functioning and thus to ensure an efficient management.

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The practices of quality management in Norwegian higher education

International Journal of Educational Management ◽

10.1108/ijem-11-2017-0327 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 698-708

Author(s):

Bjørn Stensaker ◽

Elisabeth Hovdhaugen ◽

Peter Maassen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Management ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Local Level ◽

Division Of Labour ◽

Content Type ◽

Study Programme ◽

Using Data ◽

High Level ◽

And Control

Purpose In recent decades, higher education institutions have been encouraged to develop their own internal management systems as a response to perceived quality challenges in the sector. These quality management (QM) systems have often been found to mainly reflect external accountability requirements, with less focus on coherent study programme development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between QM practices and study programme delivery in Norwegian higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach The study examined how coordination and control of quality work with respect to educational activities take place, using data from a survey to study programme leaders in a large sample of Norwegian higher education institutions. Findings The main findings show that a majority of institutions have established formal advisory bodies with a QM mandate, contributing to more coherent thinking, even though the division of labour between these bodies and formal decision-making structures often is unclear. The study also shows a high level of diversity in the collaboration practices among different actors involved in QM work, indicating that QM practices are adapted to local needs. Originality/value The paper provides new knowledge as to how QM is conducted in practice at the local level. It nuances earlier studies by showing the involvement of collegial bodies in QM although such bodies may have unclear mandates and, thus, an unclear role in the QM process.

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