Course syllabus

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Examiner: Henrik Eriksson, henrik.eriksson@chalmers.se

Course/Teaching Assistant: Daniel Gyllenhammar, daniel.gyllenhammar@chalmers.se

Course Admin: Jenny Weijland, jenny.weijland@chalmers.se

Version: 2021-08-10

Aim

The aim of the course is to help the students to acquire knowledge about various initiatives to improve quality and to better understand the area of Quality Management. The course also aims to help the students to develop practical skills as a mean to facilitate improvement initiatives.

Learning outcome

  • Describe quality management, and its principles and the content of the principles
  • Describe the reasons for organizations to improve and barriers to improvements
  • Describe how successful organizations work, and being able to apply different ways to assess organizations
  • Describe how and when different principles and methodologies of quality management can be used in practice
  • Apply different principles and methodologies practically to improve organizations, processes and products

Student representatives

Name
Gayathri Chandrasekaran
Niharika Sharma 
Tina Pakshad

 

Content

The course provides an overview of the quality management field and practical training. The course includes lectures, seminars, exercises, and group work. Guest lecturers provide insights into how quality management initiatives are carried out in practice. Topics covered in the course:

  • Key principles of quality management
  • Purpose-driven organizations, customer focus, customer needs
  • Process management and process improvements
  • Six Sigma, lean production, agile
  • Management, leadership, and motivation
  • Improvements
  • Quality management in practice
  • Management systems, and assessment and audit
  • Standards like ISO 9001 and excellence models
  • Successful and high-performing organizations
  • Management Innovations and trends

Organisation

The main building blocks of the course consist of lectures, seminars, group work and individual studies. Students are encouraged to explore other content related to the course online. Some activities are compulsory (see Schedule). The course webpage on Canvas is used as the main communication tool. 

 

Literature

  1. Eriksson, H. (2020). Five principles of Excellent Organizations. Förbättringsakademin, Göteborg, Sweden. (the book is available at Store/Campus Johanneberg and on bookstores online)
  2. SIQ (2019). The SIQ Management Model. Uploaded on Canvas
  3. Liker and Meier, D. (2006), The Toyota Way fieldbook: a practical guide for implementing Toyota´s 4Ps, McGraw-Hill. page. 6-14
  4. Rigby, D. K., Sutherland, J., & Takeuchi, H. (2016). Embracing agile. Harvard Business Review, 94(5), 40-50.
  5. Kotter, J. P. (2007). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review, 85(1), 96–103.
  1. ISO (2015). ISO 9001:2015, Quality Management Systems- Requirements. http://proxy.lib.chalmers.se/login?url=https://enav.sis.se/Standard/?std=STD-8016642
  2. Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2014). How smart, connected products are transforming competition. Harvard business review, 92(11), 64-88.
  3. McKinsey Consultancy Report, “Are you really listening to what your customers are saying?”, https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/are-you-really- listening-to-what-your-customers-are-saying

 

Supplementary Videos for inspiration. Note: Videos are complementary and voluntary

  1. The Toyota Way to Excellence - Jeffrey Liker on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/44328452
  2. John Seddon - Re-thinking IT keynote speech part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbNsQFd8DQw
  3. How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
  4. Ricardo Semler: How to run a company with (almost) no rules | TED Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/ricardo_semler_how_to_run_a_company_with_almost_no_rules/transcript
  5. Gary Hamel on the Future of Management – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYaYwCA-FaM
  6. Finn Øien Lecture - Professor Julian Birkinshaw – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK9U_9XHRmM
  7. Reinventing Organizations – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcS04BI2sbk
  8. Agile product ownership in a nutshell – Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=502ILHjX9EE

 

Supplementary Literature. Note: Voluntary, but might come in handy for the Home exam

Module 1

  1. Hellsten, U., & Klefsjö, B. (2000). TQM as a management system consisting of values, techniques and tools. The TQM magazine, 12(4), 238-244.
  2. Dean Jr. J.W. & Bowen, D.E. (1994). Management theory and total quality: improving research and practice through theory development. Academy of Management Review, 19, no. 3, pp. 392-418.
  3. Sousa, R. and Voss, C.A. (2002), Quality management re-visited: a reflective review and agenda for future research, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 91-109
  4. Hellström, A., & Eriksson, H. (2013). Among Fumblers, Talkers, Mappers and Organisers: four applications of process orientation. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 24(5-6), 733-751.
  5. Eriksson, H. Gremyr, I, Garvare R. Bergquist, B, Fundin, A., Wiklund, H., Sörqvist, L. & Wester M. (2016) Exploring Quality Challenges and the Validity of Excellence Models. International Journal of operation and production management. Vol 36 No 10.
  6. Raharjo, H., & Eriksson, H. (2017). Exploring differences between private and public organizations in business excellence models. International Journal of Operations & Production Management.

 

Module 2

  1. Andersson, R., Eriksson, H., & Torstensson, H. (2006). Similarities and differences between TQM, six sigma and lean. The TQM Magazine, 18(3), 282-296.
  2. Schroeder RG, Linderman K, Liedtke C, Choo AS (2008) Six sigma: Definition and underlying theory. Journal of Operations Management, 26, 536–554.
  1. Bergquist, B., et al. (2006). "The one-hour design of experiments course." Quality Management Journal 13(1): 26-32.
  2. Moore, C. H. (1994). "Experimental design in health care." Quality management in health care 2(2): 13-26.
  3. Olsson, J., et al. (2005). "The one-person randomized controlled trial." Qual Manag Health Care 14(4): 206-216.
  1. Woodall, W.H.; Hoerl, R.W.; Palm, A.C.; Wheeler, D.J., et al. (2000), Controversies and Contradictions in Statistical Process Control / Discussions/ Response, Journal of Quality Technology, 32 (4), 341- 378.
  2. Reed, J.E. and Card, A. J. (2015) The problem with Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, BMJ quality & safety, 25, 147–152.

 

Module 3

  1. Lenning, J., & Gremyr, I. (2021). Unleashing the potential of internal audits: a review and research agenda. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 1-17.
  2. Lenning, J., & Gremyr, I. (2017). Making internal audits business-relevant. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 28(9-10), 1106-1121.
  3. YY
  4. ZZ

 

Module 4

  1. Birch-Jensen, A., Gremyr, I., & Halldórsson, Á. (2020). Digitally connected services: Improvements through customer-initiated feedback. European Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.03.008
  2. Birch-Jensen, A., Gremyr, I., Hallencreutz, J., & Ronnback, A. (2020). Use of customer satisfaction measurements to drive improvements [Article]. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 31(5-6), 569-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2018.1436404
  3. Grönroos, C., & Voima, P. (2013). Critical service logic: making sense of value creation and co-creation. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 41(2), 133-150.
  4. Lengnick-Hall, C. A. (1996). Customer Contributions to Quality: A Different View of the Customer-Oriented Firm. The Academy of Management Review, 21(3), 791. https://doi.org/10.2307/259002

 

Module 5

  1. Anabela C. Alves, Jose´ Dinis-Carvalho and Rui M. Sousa (2012), Lean production as promoter of thinkers to achieve companies’ agility, The Learning Organization, Vol. 19 No. 3, 2012, pp. 219-237
  2. Beer, M. (2003). Why Total Quality Management Programs Do Not Persist: The Role of Management Quality and Implications for Leading a TQM Transformation*. Decision Sciences, 34(4), 623-642. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5414.2003.02640.x
  3. Beer, M., & Nohria, N. (2000). Cracking the code of change. Harvard Business Review, 78(3), 133-141.
  4. Bradley, M., & Petrolini, J. (1993). How a 7-Step Process Reduced Road Blocks Impeding Quality Improvement Teams at Teradyne. The Center for Quality Management Journal, 2(1).
  5. Cappelli, P., & Tavis, A. (2018). HR Goes Agile. Harvard Business Review, 96(2), 46-52. http://proxy.lib.chalmers.se/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=128120359&site=ehost-live&scope=site
  6. Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, leadership, and organization: Do American theories apply abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(80)90013-3
  7. http://agilemanifesto.org/

 

Questions

Questions and Answers via Canvas will be used to increase transparency. Please post questions in the discussion section in Canvas.

Examination

For passing the course, the following course elements have to be accomplished:

  1. Interactive Assessments (pass/ no pass)

Sign up for one of the two occasions. During the workshop of the interactive assessment each student will formulate a question/issue about Quality Management. We will then form groups and each group will provide answers to some selected questions/issues. Each group will present their answer for the other groups.

If you cannot attend on the day of the assessment or not get a pass: Write an essay, minimum 2000 words. In the essay you should write your reflections of the content of the course. The essay is submitted via Canvas or to the teaching assistant. The essay is due 22 of October. The essay is sent to the teaching assistant.

  1. Learning Log (pass/ no pass)

See uploaded instruction on Canvas. If you do not get a “pass” you have to redo the assignment. The learning log is submitted via Canvas.

  1. Planning Report (pass/ no pass)

See document “Exam essay” for instructions.

  1. Home Paper (Grading scale: no pass, 3, 4 or 5)

See document “Exam essay” for instructions.

Exam dialogue is scheduled at 17 of November between 12.00-13.00, via Zoom.

  1. Five out of six compulsory guest lectures and workshops (pass/ no pass)

For each compulsory guest lecture and workshop the attendance will be checked. You have to attend five or more occasions to get a pass.

During each compulsory guest lecture and workshop the attendance will be checked twice via the chat (write your name when the teacher asks you). If you fail to this (once or twice) no attendance is noted.

If you have attended 4 or less than 4 compulsory guest lectures and workshops, write an essay, minimum 1500 words for each compulsory task (if you have attended 4, write an essay of 1500 words; if you have attended 3, write an essay of 3000 words). In the essay you should write your reflections of how quality is managed in an organization where you have previously worked or have experience from.  Every kind of organization works, e.g. Non-profit, summer jobs, etc. Preferable you use some kind of model, for example, the five principles from the book to describe the organization. This task is due 22 of October. The task is sent to the teaching assistant.

Course Evaluation

In order to improve the course, the course evaluation group of is to be formed with the aim of developing the goals, contents and pedagogy of the course, focusing on student learning. The process shall encourage a dialogue between teacher and students on how the education can be improved, i.e. current and future course. The course evaluation meetings with the course evaluation group and the examiner and teaching assistant will be held on 3 occasions.

Office

Division of Service Management and Logistics is located in the right wing of the Technology Management and Economics building, one level up from the entrance floor. Course staff offices are in the division corridor.

Course summary:

Date Details Due