Introduction
Creating the environment, in which the improvement of product quality becomes a possibility, requires a substantive amount of effort. In their study, Foster, Howard, and Shaninon (2002) make it quite clear that the variables are tightly connected to each other in a case. Particularly, by linking the strong leadership strategy behind the teamwork, the application of a proper quality management tool, and the stakeholders’ satisfaction allows for a significant improvement in the performance of the organization.
Contextual Variables
As Foster et al. (2002) explain, the contextual variables, which define the leadership approach used by the company managers, predetermine a range of processes within a company. For instance, understandably enough, the leadership approach adopted by the managers and the company leader determine the outcome variable such as employee satisfaction due to the opportunities to motivate the staff that leadership approaches invite (Pyzdek & Keller, 2014b).
Similarly, the contextual variable in question, i.e., the leadership tool adopted as the primary means of steering the firm in a specific direction, defines the rates of customer satisfaction it serves as the means of either reinforcing the employees’ performance or, on the contrary, inhibiting it. Consequently, the quality of the product may either increase or plummet because of the choice of a leadership tool. Since customers are highly interested in the quality of the end product, the contextual variables are essential in shaping the loyalty rates among the latter and convincing them to create a positive image of a company in their mind.
Enabler Variables
Although the study shows the connection between the contextual and the outcome variables most efficiently, the links between the former and the enabler factors are also rather evident. The study shows quite explicitly that the understanding of the quality tools significance coupled with an elaborate design thereof creates prerequisites for an outstanding performance of entrepreneurship and, therefore, triggers an immediate surge in the amount of clientele. Therefore, the enabler variables are linked tightly to the outcome variables. Particularly, enabler variables show how exactly the outcome variables can be shaped.
However, it would be wrong to assume that enabler variables have nothing to do with the contextual ones. Quite on the contrary, it is the design of the contextual factors of the company’s operations that, in fact, permits the control over the enabler variables, as the study shows (Foster et al., 2002). The given phenomenon aligns with the idea voiced by Pyzdek and Keller (2014a), who state that successful management requires consistent supervision and guidance.
Outcome Variables
Finally, using the example of the existing researches, the authors show that the improvement of the overall performance of an organization is triggered inevitably by the changes in the design of its leadership approach and communication strategies. In other words, the connection between the enabler factors mentioned above and the outcome variables is reciprocal, as the article by Foster et al. (2002) shows quite graphically. To make sure that the outcome of a specific project in an organization should meet the desired criteria, however, one should also consider the enabler variables, as it has been stressed above. Thus, all three elements are connected in a single framework that defines the success of a company or a specific project thereof.
Conclusion
The article written by Foster et al. (2002) showcases the close connection between the variables indicating the connection between the teamwork approach, the satisfaction of the customers, employees, etc., and the reconsideration of the quality management approach. Therefore, the study can be viewed as the primary example of the above variables
Reference List
Foster, S. T., Howard, L. W., Shaninon, P. (2002). The role of quality tools in improving satisfaction with government. Quality Management Journal, 9(3), 20-31.
Pyzdek, T., & Keller, P. (2014a). Process behavior charts. In The Six Sigma handbook (4th ed.) (pp. 293-392). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Pyzdek, T., & Keller, P. (2014b). The measure phase. In The Six Sigma handbook (4th ed.) (pp. 271-292). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.