Employee commitment to quality: Its conceptualisation and measurement Available to Purchase

The commitment of employees to the goals of the organisation is a critical component of any total quality programme. This study presents a conceptualisation of employee commitment to quality together with a new 12‐item scale for its measurement. Data from employees performing a variety of jobs within two manufacturing organisations (n=1,120) showed a unidimensional measure with good psychometric properties, and a number of antecedents of quality commitment suggested by existing literature were examined. Multiple regression analysis showed that quality commitment is higher for older workers and for women, and is also related to a number of work design characteristics. A case study is also reported of the implementation of self‐managing teams within one of the organisations (n=37). Data from three measurement occasions showed marked changes in work design characteristics, and this was associated with a significant increase in quality commitment. A conceptual model is presented showing how quality commitment plays a key role in achieving success in organisational strategic change initiatives.