An empirical examination of quality tool deployment patterns and their impact on performance

Although research suggests that quality management initiatives often fail to meet managers' expectations, few studies consider that an inappropriate choice of quality tools may adversely affect the results. This paper analyses the pattern of quality tool deployment and its impact on performance using a sample of 313 North American and European firms. The analysis reveals that four primary types of quality tool applications occur: Human Resource (HR) tools, Design tools, Discipline tools and Measurement tools. Several significant relationships between these dimensions and quality performance were found, suggesting that successful tool deployment often depends on competitive conditions and internal strategies.