| Abstract: | Using a qualitative case study approach, the mental models of quality among employees working in a small manufacturing company with a Total Quality Management (TQM) agenda are identified and described. The results of a content analysis of subjects' verbatim responses to open-ended interview questions, employing Hyper RESEARCH software, indicate the presence of five overlapping yet qualitatively distinct mental models of quality. In order of least to most complex, these are: a) product-based, b) production- or process-based, c) value-based, d) continuous improvement-based, and e) TQM-based mental models of quality. Each mental model offers a different perspective of what constitutes quality and appropriate quality-oriented practices. Implications for training are discussed. |
