An action-research based instrument for monitoring continuous quality improvement

Despite containing an extensive body of normative or prescriptive studies, quality management literature offers little by way of generally applicable guidance concerning how to measure or monitor the critical factors underlying strategic quality management initiatives, such as total quality management and continuous quality improvement. Although several studies have relied on survey data from a multiple set of sources to unearth models of such factors, they do not offer general guidelines to select factors appropriate in a specific setting. In this paper, in contradistinction to the multiple-source survey methodology, we take an action-research approach and present the findings of contextually specific, single-site empirical research that we carried out at Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, in Fort Worth, Texas. We discuss the implications of our findings for extending our empirical understanding of the factors underlying strategic quality management programs and for the development of reliable and valid instruments to monitor them.