Development of Total Quality Management

The purpose of the research activities in the total quality management field is to develop strategies and methodologies for building up and implementing total quality management that suits the individuel company. Strategies for development of total quality management taking the particular characteristics of the specific company into consideration are emphasized with focus on issues related to the development of appropiate total qualilty activities and employee behavior with the aim of attaining optimal total qualilty management. Total quality managment requires process orientated interdepartmental cooperation and a cross-functional company culture.
Emphasis on the process of developing the company from one situation to another is an essential feature of the research. Focusing on the generic process and generic means of analyzing and developing total quality management activities, concepts, principles and methodologies are being developed. The research area has won the European Award for Best Doctoral Thesis on Quality Management, EFQM, for a Ph.D thesis on analytical principles and design strategies. The research activities in this area are a combination of theoretical research projects and case study research in companies. Some of the research activities are performed in cooperation with other Scandinavian universities and as leader of a research project in IAQ, International Academy for Quality.
In 1999 articles and papers have been published about a.o. The Development of a Generic Quality Managment System and Developing Total Quality Management.Articles/papers have been finished about TQM in the New Millennium and Analysing and Developing TQM Strategies.