Reflecting on a TQM‐based university/industry partnership

Joan Henderson · Rodney McAdam · Denis Leonard

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Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to show how a university‐industry partnership can be used in two key ways. First, to contribute to academia through the development of new research methodology and improved understanding of the subject area (total quality management (TQM)). Second, to add to organisational learning by developing critical reflection and reflexivity in employees and managers involved in the partnership and the development of TQM in the organisation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper critiques the partnership between the author's university and a large utility organisation over a four‐year period. The development of academic and organisational learning over this period is discussed, with particular emphasis on the need for developing appropriate research methodologies in this type of environment. Findings – The paper has shown that partnerships between universities and organisations often experience difficulties due to apparently differing and incommensurate desired outcomes. Any partnership activity must involve deep learning transfer and practitioner reflection and reflexivity as opposed to training. The overall method of working, which included the research methodology, was that of critical action learning. The emphasis on criticality involving this cycling process enabled practitioners to critically reflect and to carry out reflexive change actions. This approach ensured that grounded TQM models were produced which represented the complexity and dynamics of TQM implementation within the organisation. Once again, the practitioner's reflection and reflexivity added to the richness of the findings and developments. Overall, the partnership produced a range of successful outcomes.

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References

1984Case Study Research: Design and Methods 1992Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques.2017The Discovery of Grounded Theory 1992Basics of Qualitative Research 1997Internal R & D expenditures and external technology sourcing 1993Using Experience For Learning 1998Organizational Adaptation to Institutional Change: A Comparative Study of First-Order Change in Prospector and Defender Banks 1997From Complex Organizations with Simple Jobs to Simple Organizations with Complex Jobs

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2018Quality in higher education institutions: insights from the literature 2009Exploring the growing phenomenon of university‐corporate education partnerships 2022An analysis of the organisational factors that determine education-related university-business cooperation activities in manufacturing SMEs

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