Proposal of an empirical model that integrates relationships between organizational culture, learning and quality management

Resumen

Nowadays, more than 30,000 companies use the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). The implementation of this model may requi-re certain variables. As an adequate organizational culture and a certain type of learning. Organizational culture is a key factor for organizational excellence and in the success or failure of quality management systems implementation so can develop learning compe-tences (exploration and exploitation) that can improve performance. In the same way, organizational learning can improve results. Despite its relevance, there are not studies that analyze the suitability of the model em-pirically and there is not yet an integrated framework that links organizational culture, le-arning and the EFQM Excellence Model. For this, the objectives of this research are the following: Firstly, to analyze what type of organizational culture develops enablers crite-ria. Secondly, to study whether enablers criteria promote the exploration and exploitation competences. Thirdly, to check if these competences exercise an effect in performance. To this end, it is proposed a two integrated models whose relationships have been tested using structural equations. The first one analyzes the relationship that the culture has with the enablers criteria of the EFQM model and if these criteria generate some learning, either exploitation or exploration, that improves the results. In the second, it is studied what type of culture is related to leadership, since this variable generates the dynamics of this model.In addition, the results of both models have been compared to know if the organizatio-nal cultures required by the efqm model in the two cases are similar.The sample was obtained from the SABI database and data was collected through a structured questionnaire via webpage. Two hundred valid questionnaires were obtained that were answered by 4 managers of each of the 200 organizations. In this data resides one of the stronghold of this research.The results of the empirical analysis support the established relationships. According to which organizational culture and learning competences are a source of competitive ad-vantage and are a key intangible variable for improving organizational performance. Thus, adhocracy, hierarchical and market cultures develop enablers criteria. Besides, some of these criterias (leadership and process managment) stimulate exploitation and explora-tion competences, and these learning competences increase results.