The status of quality departments

Abstract

The gradual implementation by firms of the ideas and techniques associated with the concept of “quality management” is perhaps the clearest sign of the change and innovation that has taken place in firms in recent times. The quality department plays an important role in making these schemes succeed. The aim of this article is to determine the status of this department in Spanish industrial firms by focusing on its position within the hierarchical structure and on the proportion of the workforce involved, while at the same time analysing the influence of the department on the implementation of quality management practices throughout the firm. The study is based on data from a broad sample of Spanish industrial plants employing 50 workers or more and representing all the different manufacturing sectors in the country. Results show that in two‐thirds of these firms the quality department is highly placed in the management structure, a tendency that is stronger in medium to large firms and in the multinational companies. The relative size of the department increases in small‐scale companies, in multinational groups and in certain sectors, such as chemicals. Departments positioned high in the hierarchy and those that are relatively large in size are both associated with more extensive quality management practices.