SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY PUBLISHING HOUSE

SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2023

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT SERIES NO. 175

EVALUATION OF QUALITY POLICY OF SELECTED COMPANIES

IN THE CONTEXT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT INDEPENDENCE

Michał MOLENDA
Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Organization and Management, Institute of Economics and
Informatics; [email protected]; ORCID: 0000-0002-0276-742X

Purpose: The primary purpose of the article is to present a study whose subject was the
assessment of the quality policies implementation in selected enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach: The deliberations are based on the related subject literature
and an analysis of the long-term survey results. The practical results of the research described
in this article are based on a survey of supervisory employees and middle managers, who
represented the enterprise by filling out a single survey sheet. The survey was conducted in
2015-2022 among 240. enterprises operating in Poland. During the survey, independence in
setting quality policy was identified for 237. enterprises. These were manufacturing and service
enterprises from various industries. Enterprises were selected on the basis of proposals issued
to conduct a survey. The surveyed group does not have the character of a research sample.
When analyzing the survey results, no parameter estimation was made on the population of
Polish enterprises. The quality policy survey sheet described 35. aspects (behaviors)
characteristic of a strongly quality-oriented organization, close to the TQM philosophy
(The article contains results for only 10 aspects). Respondents indicated how the behavior
described in the survey is characteristic of the organization where they work. The described
aspects were rated by respondents on a scale of 1 to 5. The scale adopted reflects the strength
of the similarity of the behavior described in the survey to the situation in each organization.
Findings: In close to every studied Quality Policy aspects, higher score was received by
companies where the standards are imposed by foreign management boards. This is connected
obviously not just with standards but also with the governance. The reasons for this should
become a subject of further analyses. A certain potential can be observed for national companies
relating to the foreign good practice implementation.
Originality/value: Knowledge of quality management issues has been increased. The article
raises the issue of implementing quality policies in companies. The quality policy was
characterized by selected aspects. An evaluation of these aspects in selected enterprises was
carried out, and differences dividing quality policies among independent and dependent
enterprises in the implementation and supervision of quality standards were identified.
Keywords: quality policy, quality management, quality management system, improvement,
Total Quality Management.
Category of the paper: research paper.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2023.175.22 http://managementpapers.polsl.pl/

358 M. Molenda

1. Introduction

The increasing customer requirements concerning quality of products and services and the
pursuit of improved organizational efficiency are the two main challenges for modern
managers. This challenge is the major cause of determining the relevant company strategy and
resulting Quality Policy. Quality Policy is the term defined in ISO 9000 standards which
describe comprehensive approach to quality management in business organizations.
In the current version of the said standard, the Quality Policy is defined as the intentions and
direction of the organization expressed formally by the top quality management
[ISO 9000:2015]. The said formalization makes the policy equated solely with a document.
It has little to do with adopted standards and managerial practices. The study and assessment of
the actual Quality Policy implemented in the organization is a difficult and complex process.
This is why the best way to study the Quality Policy is the survey of the organization
representatives’ opinions.
In the literature, we find a number of studies on evaluating the effectiveness of quality
management systems in organizations or an activity such as quality management (Roszak,
2021; Wolniak, 2011, 2021; Ligarski, 2014). Among them, we do not find research results on
comparing the effectiveness of these systems among companies with different independence in
establishing, implementing and supervising their quality standards. This cognitive gap is the
reason for the research results described in this article.
The primary purpose of the article is to present a study whose subject was the assessment
of the quality policies implementation in selected enterprises. The quality policy's results were
compared among 3. groups of companies. The first group (I) are independent enterprises,
forming their quality policies and standards independently. These are enterprises without
external supervision. The second group (II) is enterprises with national dependence. Its quality
policy and standards are set externally for them. The center of authority and supervision is
located on Polish territory. The last group (III) is enterprises dependent on a power center
located abroad. Quality policies were compared for each group using statistical analysis.
The fundamental research question is: are there differences in the level of quality orientation
of the studied groups of companies? It can be assumed that the requirements of the global
market are valid in Poland. Therefore, differences in the implemented quality policy should not
be apparent. In order to verify this thesis, surveys were conducted among selected enterprises.
The research methodology was described at the beginning of the article.
Evaluation of quality policies … 359

2. The essence of the Quality Policy and its impact on the state and results
of the organization

The Quality Policy should exert a strong impact on the organization operation and results.
It will be possible if it does not remain just a declaration (ISO 9000:2015), if it is developed
carefully and implemented effectively in the organization (Molenda, 2015, 2019). The Quality
Policy should be considered a method of the organization management and operation relating
to quality. A documented Quality Policy is just a short description of this method concept
evidenced in other areas of the organization management and operation.
The Quality Policy taking the form of an official document plays an important role in
communication between different organizational structure levels. When communicated
throughout the organization, it offers improved understanding of the top management’s
approach to the quality aspects. Consequently, the Quality Policy is a source of information and
fosters employees’ involvement.
The Quality Policy integrates the quality management system with a general organization
management system (Claver, Tari, 2003). The Quality Policy becomes grounds to develop and
verify quality objectives. The consistency of the Quality Policy and quality objectives enables
to integrate the strategic management level fully with the quality-related operational
management level (Pacana, Stadnicka, 2017)
It can be assumed that the Quality Policy is a way to shape customers’ trust in the
organization. The Quality Policy text will tell the customers how the organization operates and
if it is likely to meet their expectations. Thanks to that, the Policy shapes a positive image of
the organization in the customers’ eyes and improves its credibility.
The reference works claim that the Quality Policy has an impact on many organization
operations’ aspects determining the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization quality-
related strategies and the ultimate market success (Sułkowski, Wolniak, 2016). Another non-
negligible aspect is the improvement function characteristic of companies having an effective
QMS (Bugdol, Hajduga, 2023; Bugdol, 2018; Escrig-Tena et al., 2018).
In practice, the Quality Policy affects the structure and operation of the quality management
system in the organization (Pacana, Ulewicz, 2020). In the simplest form, it affects the structure
of its processes and formal as well as informal internal regulations adopted by the company
which should be considered a concept of the Quality Policy implementation method.
The implemented formal documents should be a basis for an actual manner of quality
management in an organization (Ligarski, 2020; Mourougan, Sethuraman, 2017; Midor, 2013).
The Quality Policy should be reflected in the way of thinking, practice, and organizational
behavior. Employees behave in a certain specific way and solve problems related to the
insufficient product quality as per the actual expectations and attitudes of managers.
In this context, the Quality Policy helps to shape the organizational culture (Miller, Wroblewski,
360 M. Molenda

Villafuerte, 2014). To put it simply, it is a whole system of values, behaviors and artifacts that
support the organizational development and that are shared by organizational community.
The culture heavily oriented on quality is convergent with TQM philosophy (Sharma, Jain,
Pruthi, 2013; Silva, Gomes, Lages, Pereira, 2014; Calvo-Mora, Pico´n, Ruiz, Cauzo, 2014;
Chen et al., 2016).
The described practice resulting from the actual Quality Policy affects the actual condition
of the organization and its results in the technical, economical, and market areas. The Quality
Policy can also be assessed based on quality cost indicators which shape the ultimate financial
result of the company. It is worth stressing as well that the customer satisfaction indicators stem
from the adopted and implemented Quality Policy.

3. Research results in the implementation of Quality Policy

One of the determinants of Quality Policy is the independence of the senior management
when it comes to policy establishment and implementation. It is no secret that the external
authorities apart from imposing quality standards quite often also supervise and enforce them.
During the research, the independence of an enterprise when it comes to creating Quality Policy
was identified. The studied enterprises were classified into one of the following groups
described in section 2 herein. Table 1 presents mean values of policy aspect assessment for all
the analyzed companies.

Table 1.
Survey results for selected 10 Quality Policy aspects – mean values and standard deviations
QP aspect Mean
value
[n=237]
#A1. Degree of the Quality Policy determination and communication to employees by top 3,67
management.
#A2. Degree of Quality Policy implementation by top management. 3,61
#A3. Degree of the management’s decision making based on facts/reliable data and 3,62
information.
#A4. Degree of employee incentives relating to implementing the Quality Policy provided by 3,08
top management.
#A5. Degree to which the top management initiate activities improving the company and 3,52
product quality.
#A6. Degree of employees’ knowledge of their obligations and responsibilities. 3,69
#A7. Degree to which HR policy consisting in continuous employee qualification development 3,07
is implemented.
#A8. Degree to which the organization selects verified suppliers/partners to cooperate. 3,96
#A9. Degree to which the organization cares for relationships with partners and suppliers. 3,77
#A10. Degree to which every employee, regardless of their position, is respected in the 3,41
organization.
Source: own study.
Evaluation of quality policies … 361

The study results of selected Quality Policy aspects in the form of arithmetical means
obtained for all 237 companies can be found in Figure 1. For the studied companies, the highest-
scoring Quality Policy aspects include:
 #A8 – degree to which the organization selects verified suppliers/partners to cooperate
(3.96),
 #A9 – degree to which the organization cares for relationships with partners and
suppliers (3.77) and
 #A6 – degree of employees’ knowledge of their obligations and responsibilities (3.69).

Figure 1. Rating for 10 selected Quality Policy aspects — mean values for all companies.
Source: Own study.
The lowest rating is received for the following Quality Policy aspects:
 A7 – degree to which HR policy consisting in continuous employee qualification
development is implemented (3.07), employee involvement in improving their work
place.
 A4 – degree of employee incentives relating to implementing the Quality Policy
provided by top management (3.08).
The highest rating in the studied companies’ group is awarded to the Quality Policy aspect
of cooperation with suppliers, while the lowest one to the personnel management area.
362 M. Molenda

4. Evaluation of Quality Policies among companies with different

supervisory independence

One of the Quality Policy determinants can be the independence of Quality Policy
development and surveillance of its implementation. The managers of companies subject to
external authorities usually follow the imposed Quality Policy. In such companies, more intense
supervision of the policy implementation can be observed, e.g. in the form of audits. During the
studies, the independence of companies from any external management relating to the
determination of quality procedures and standards was identified. The studied enterprises were
classified into one of the following groups according to:
 full independence – procedures and standards of quality are determined by the
management of the enterprise (group 1),
 national dependency – the procedures and standards of quality are determined by
external national management (group 2),
 foreign dependency – the procedures and standards of quality are determined by external
foreign management (group 3).
The analysis results presented in Figure 2 concern 237 companies for which the dependency
form relating to the quality standard determination was identified. In three cases,
the dependency was more complex. In the studied group of companies, 91 claimed full
independence, 47 stated national dependency, and 99 declared their quality-related dependency
on foreign management.

Figure 2. Structure of the studied companies due to the independence format.

Source: Own study.
Evaluation of quality policies … 363

Figure 3. Comparing the quality focus in the studied group, divided based on independence of quality
standard development.
Source: Own study.
Mean values of quality orientation for all the aspects in each group prove that the companies
subject to foreign headquarters have the most quality-oriented policy (3.74 points). Independent
companies obtained an average of 3.44 points. The least quality-oriented policy is followed by
companies dependent on external headquarters in Poland (3.31). The results are presented in
Figure 3.

Figure 4. Comparing the quality orientation for aspects #A1 to #A5.

Source: Own study.
364 M. Molenda

#A1 aspect – degree of the Quality Policy determination and communication to employees
by top management is the aspect which is to show the top management’s approach to the Quality
Policy. The results in this respect show the significance of communicating Quality Policy as
perceived by the managers. The best results are recorded for the “foreign dependency” group
of companies. The “national dependency” companies achieved lower values, with the mean of
3.48. The lowest significance is attached to the Quality Policy in independent companies (3.35).
Study results for #A1–#A5 aspects are presented in Figure 4.
The second aspect referred to studying the degree of Quality Policy implementation by top
management. It depicts the managers’ determination relating to the adopted policy
implementation. Mean values in this range are highly convergent in all groups when compared
to the first aspect. In this aspect, the approach to quality in companies with foreign standards
received the highest rating as well.
#A3 aspect – degree of the management’s decision making based on facts/reliable data and
information presents the organization managers’ approach to the quality management rule no.
6 (ISO 9000). This is the assessment of respondents from the middle organizational structure
tier. The best results are obtained by the “foreign dependency” companies (3.77). In this aspect,
independent companies achieved results slightly better than those belonging to the second
group.
#A4 aspect – degree of employee incentives relating to implementing the Quality Policy
provided by top management presents top-tier management’s managerial activities aimed at
motivating employees to follow the Quality Policy. For all the analyzed companies, this is one
of the aspects with the lowest rating (see Figure 1). Group 3 companies received the best result,
3.33 points on average. The lowest rating in this aspect was received by group 2, i.e. “national
dependency” companies.
An aspect characterizing the company quality orientation is the degree to which the top
management initiate activities improving the company and product quality (#A5). The best
orientation in this respect was observed for “foreign dependency” companies (3.78 points).
Companies dependent on national headquarters recorded inferior results (3.35 points). Initiating
improvement actions was rated a bit lower for independent companies (3.31 points).
In each quality-oriented company, a key role is played by the employees’ knowledge of
their obligations and responsibilities (#A6). The results of these aspect ratings are presented in
Figure 5. These aspect ratings are most convergent and the best result differs from the worst by
0.14 points. Study results for #A6–#A10 aspects are presented in Figure 4.
#A7 aspect – degree to which HR policy consisting in continuous employee qualification
development is characteristic of organizations oriented on personnel development. This is one
of the aspects with the lowest score (3.07 points on average). The lowest mean value was
obtained by “national dependency” companies (2.48 points). This is also the lowest score when
you consider all the compared aspects.
Evaluation of quality policies … 365

Quality-oriented organizations should assess and select verified suppliers/supply partners.

(#A8) assessment referring to the degree in which the organization selects reliable
suppliers/partners is the aspect with the highest rating (3.96 points). This proves that this is one
of the most important Quality Policy aspects for the analyzed organizations. The best results in
this respect were observed for “foreign dependency” companies (4.13 points).

Figure 5. Comparing the quality orientation for aspects #A6 to #A10.

Source: Own study.
The company Quality Policy should be aimed at ensuring good relationship with business
partners. Managing relationship with key suppliers is an end-quality determinant. #A9 aspect,
i.e. the degree to which the organization cares for relationships with partners and suppliers,
receives a bit inferior rating on average than the previous aspect. The lowest score was obtained
by companies in the second group (3.57). “Foreign dependency” companies care for
relationships with suppliers most (3.96 points).
The last aspect analyzed in this article refers to the Quality Policy in the social and cultural
area. #A10 aspect refers to the degree to which all employees, regardless of their position, are
respected in the organization. Interestingly, the best results in this respect (mean value of 3.63
points) were obtained by independent companies. This proves that the respect policy is best
when there are direct relations with company authorities.
366 M. Molenda

5. Conclusions

The impact of the Quality Policy declaration adopted by the top managers and its success
relating to quality are significant, at least in theory. The Quality Policy should be a basis for
establishing quality goals, developing process structure, and internal quality standards. It should
also determine the actual quality management, managerial practices and employee behavior.
As a consequence, it should determine the perception of the company on the market and the
ultimate business success. The study results presented herein prove that the Quality Policy is
most quality oriented in the supply management aspects, meaning the selection of verified
suppliers/partners and taking care of good relations with suppliers/partners relating to supplies.
Another area where companies get high score is the high level of employees’ knowledge
concerning their obligations and responsibilities. In close to every studied Quality Policy
aspects, higher score was received by companies where the standards are imposed by foreign
management boards. This is connected obviously not just with standards but also with the
governance. The reasons for this should become a subject of further analyses. A certain
potential can be observed for national companies relating to the foreign good practice
implementation.
Foreign supervision of the surveyed group of domestic companies has increased their
quality orientation. The results of the survey show that the best-rated aspect of the quality policy
is (#A8) the aspect dealing with procurement processes, i.e. reliable evaluation and selection of
the best suppliers. The policy has a strong focus on quality (3.96 points) in each of the
considered groups of companies. The least targeted quality policy is in the area of personnel
policy (#A7). Certainly, the continuous development of employee skills is not the strongest
point of the surveyed companies. The average score for this aspect was 3.07 points.
Overall, it can be said that policies more focused on quality and TQM are observed in
enterprises supervised by foreign power centers. High international standards and foreign
supervision are the main reason for this. The largest differences between groups of enterprises
were observed in aspect #A7 - personnel development policies. Enterprises supervised by
foreign power centers scored 0.93 more than enterprises supervised by management located in
the country. The smallest differences were observed in evaluations of aspect #A6 - the degree
of employees' knowledge of duties and responsibilities. The difference between the studied
groups is only 0.14 points. Regardless of the degree of independence, the policies are similar.
The findings highlighted the need for further research in the form of reasons for a stronger
quality orientation among companies overseen by foreign boards.
It should be remembered that the group studied was not a survey sample. The values
obtained are not estimators for the entire population of companies in Poland.
Evaluation of quality policies … 367

Acknowledgments

This article was prepared within the statutory research work symbol 13/010/BK_22/0065
performed at Silesia University of Technology, Faculty of Organization and Management,
Institute of Economics and Informatics.

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