Sustainable Quality Management Systems in the Current Paradigm: The Role of Leadership

Cláudia Sousa Silva, José Magano, Ana Matos and Teresa Nogueira
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Cláudia Sousa Silva: GOVCOPP, Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
José Magano: ISCET-High Institute of Business Sciences and Tourism, Rua de Cedofeita, 285, 4050-180 Porto, Portugal
Ana Matos: Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Teresa Nogueira: Center for Innovation in Engineering and Industrial Technology (CIETI), Polytechnic Institute of Porto, R. António Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: This study supports the proposition that sustainability’s integration into Quality Management Systems (QMS) could be a viable pathway to the development of the Emergency paradigm, in which leadership plays a crucial role. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was performed in order to deepen leadership’s relationship with Quality Management (QM) from an evolutionary perspective. An exploratory survey was then conducted to assess quality managers’ perceptions of sustainability’s integration into QMS and their leadership styles, using the 5X Short Leader Form MLQ instrument. The results indicate that leadership is a critical element of QMS performance, enhancing transformational leadership, which appears to be the dominant self-perceived style of the quality managers who participated. Nevertheless, these practitioners recognise the difficulties in committing all employees to the sustainability journey. The theoretical and managerial implications give rise to this work. The SLR results could be a useful database to support future QM and Leadership research. The organisations could follow the suggested pathway to evolve their QMS to support solutions to some of the current challenges. At the same time, quality managers could reflect on their future professional challenges. This work has taken a step forward, indicating sustainable quality management systems as a viable pathway to explore QM knowledge regarding the Emergency paradigm, and thus enhancing leadership’s role.

Keywords: quality management systems; sustainability; ISO 9001; leadership; systematic literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2056-:d:499314

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