Environmental Uncertainty, Strategic Orientation, and Quality Management: A Contingency Model

Abstract

Although quality management practices have been implemented by many organizations all over the world, such implementations have often failed. This failure rate is largely attributed to the lack of integration between quality management practices, business strategy, and environmental uncertainty. This article proposes a contingency model relating quality approach, strategic orientation, and environmental uncertainty. The three quality approaches addressed in this model are quality assurance, total quality management, and total quality learning. The Miles and Snow model is used as the strategic orientation typology.This proposed contingency model posits that to maximize organizational effectiveness, quality approaches need to be congruent with a particular strategic orientation and a particular level of environmental uncertainty. It proposes that quality assurance should be matched with the “defender” strategic orientation in environments characterized with low uncertainty. Total quality management is proposed to be aligned with “analyzers” in environments of moderate uncertainty Finally, it is proposed that total quality learning be matched with “prospectors” and high environmental uncertainty.

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