EmployeePerceptionsofQualityManagement:EffectsofEmployeeOrientationTrainingMesutAkdereUniversityofWisconsin-MilwaukeeStevenW.SchmidtEastCarolinaUniversityThisempiricalstudyexaminesemployeeperceptionsofqualitymanagementatthreedifferenttimeperiods.NewemployeesatalargeUnitedStatesmanufacturingorganizationweresurveyedregardingtheirperceptionsoftheirorganization’squalitymanagementpracticesbeforetheyattendedanewemployeeorientationtraining,immediatelyafterthenewemployeeorientationtraining,andamonthafterthenewemployeeorientationtraining.Adescriptionofthestudy,aswellasfindingsandconclusions,arepresented.Keywords:QualityManagement,Training&Development,HumanResourceDevelopmentTheimportanceofqualityinorganizationstodayisparamount.Smith(1993)definesqualityinthisway:“Qualityisthegoodnessorexcellenceofanyproduct,process,structureorotherthingthatanorganizationconsistsoforcreates.Itisassessedagainstacceptedstandardsofmeritforsuchthingsandagainsttheinterests/needsofproducers,consumersandotherstakeholders”(p.241).AnimportantaspectofSmith’sdefinitionaboveistheideathattheconceptofqualitymeansdifferentthingsindifferentorganizations.Althoughdefinitionsmayvaryfromorganizationtoorganization,manyresearchersagreethateffectivequalityinitiativesofanysortinvolveeveryemployeeintheorganization.Manyalsoagreethattrainingandcommunicationareimportantfactorsinorganizationaleffortstoimprovequality(Goodden,2001;Hansson,2001;Mandaletal.,1998).“Orientationistheplannedintroductionofnewemployeestotheirjobs,theircoworkers,andcultureoftheorganization”(Cook,1992,p.133,quotedinBlackwell,1997).Mostorganizationsofferanemployeeorientationtrainingprogramcoordinatedbythehumanresourcedepartment(Blackwell,1997).Newemployeeorientationsservemanypurposesandhavemanymeaningsfrombothanorganizationalandanemployeeperspective.Researchershavefoundthatsuccessfulnewemployeeorientationprogramshelpnewemployeesbecomefamiliarwiththeirorganizationalenvironmentandhelpthemunderstandtheirresponsibilities(Robinson,1998).Theyhavealsobeenfoundtobepositivelyrelatedtojobsatisfaction(Gates&Hellweg,1989)andemployeesocialization(Klein,2000),andhavebeenrecommendedtoaidinemployeejobenrichmentandmoralebuilding(Kanouse&Warihay,1980).Researchhasalsoshownthatemployersbenefitfromnewemployeeorientationsinthattheyreceivewell-trained,highlymotivatednewemployeesasquicklyaspossible(Robinson,1998).Howeffectiveisthenewemployeeorientationprocessinconveyingorganization-wideissueslikequality?Doemployeeslearnfromnewemployeeorientations,andisthatlearningcarriedbacktotheworkplace?Itisdifficulttoaddressthesequestionsbecauseofthedearthofresearchonthetopic.WanousandReichers(2000)notethat“orientationprogramshaverarelybeenthesubjectofscholarlythinkingandresearch”(p.2).Theycontinuebynotingthat“thecurrentbodyofresearchwork(onnewemployeeorientationprograms)istoosmallformeta-analysis”(p.2),andasaresulttheychangedthemethodologyusedintheir2000studytodescriptivesummary(Wanous&Reichers,2000).Otherresearchershavecometosimilarconclusions.Whilemostorganizationsuseformalorientationtraining,“thereissurprisinglylittleintheacademicliteratureexaminingtheimpactormostappropriatestructureoftheseprograms”(Klein,2000,p.3).Thepurposeofthisresearchistoexaminenewemployeeperceptionsofqualitymanagement.Thestudyisuniqueinitsexaminationofemployeeperceptionofqualitymanagementoveratimeperiodw...
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