Title: QM light, a proposed model for quality management in SMEs. Part 1: developing the model

Authors: Carolien Zegers; Alaa Garad

Addresses: University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK ' Department of Operations and System Management, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK

Abstract: Implementing quality management, while beneficial to all organisations, may be challenging for SMEs. Nevertheless, SMEs generate employment and contribute to innovation and sustainability, making them crucial to economies worldwide (OECD, 2017). We propose a model that helps SMEs to benefit from QM. We seek to answer key questions: 1) what makes the BE-models complex for SMEs to apply? 2) how can a 'QM light' model improve the applicability for SMEs? In this part, we introduce the developed model while part II will introduce the empirical evidence after implementing this proposed model, which draws on our extensive practice as quality management senior practitioners, while insights on the effects of implementing 'QM light' were gained from both theoretical perspectives and exploratory qualitative data. We address the low resource intensity, which affects the impact on performance and costs (ROI) for SMEs to implement QM, which should decrease the human and financial barriers.

Keywords: empowerment; leadership; business excellence; total quality management; SMEs; European Foundation for Quality Management; EFQM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2022.127506

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2022 Vol.37 No.4, pp.468 - 480

Received: 02 May 2020
Accepted: 06 Jan 2021
Published online: 07 Dec 2022 *

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