Table 1 Questionnaire items

Social quality management practices

Ketokivi and Schroeder [19]

SQ1: Employees at this organization learn how to perform a variety of quality management tasks/jobs.

SQ2: Employees are quality management cross-trained at this organization so that they can fill in for others if necessary.

SQ3: Direct labor employees are involved to a great extent on quality management before introducing new products or making product changes.

SQ4: We work in teams, with members from a variety of areas (marketing, manufacturing, etc.) to introduce new products.

SQ5: We strive to establish long-term relationships with suppliers.

SQ6: We maintain close communication with suppliers about quality considerations and design changes.

Technical quality management practices

Ketokivi and Schroeder [19]

JIT

tQM1: Our suppliers deliver to us on a just-in-time basis (where a part/service is received within the appropriate time it is needed and only when it is needed).

tQM2: We can depend upon on-time delivery from our suppliers.

tQM3: Management emphasizes the importance of setup time reduction.

tQM4: We have low setup times of equipment in our plant.

tQM5: We have low work-in-process inventory on the shop floor.

tQM6: When we have a problem on the production floor, we can identify its location easily.

tQM7: We make an effort, in the design process, to list only the specifications which are really needed.

tQM8: The emphasis in part design is on minimizing the part count.

tQM9: The parts we produce are designed for ease in manufacturability and assembly.

Structural contingency factors

Lin and Huang [35]; Shang et al. [36]; Stock and Tatikonda [34]

SC1: How large is your organization?

SC2: How many employees are in your organization?

SC3: Quality management is well understood in our organization.

SC4: Our employees are given enough information about quality management practices to adequately employ them.

SC5: Our organization understands how to incorporate quality management practices.

SC6: I frequently coordinate my quality management efforts with others.

SC7: My own performance in quality management work is dependent on receiving accurate knowledge from others.

SC8: In order to do my work in quality management, I need to spend most of my time talking to other people.

SC9: An organization practicing quality management is ethical.

SC10: Based on possible consequences, I think an organization practicing quality management is ethical.

SC11: Considering both possible consequences and my own values, I think an organization practicing quality management is ethically acceptable.

SC12: Based on my own values, without considering any possible consequences, I think an organization practicing quality management is ethical.

SC13: Based on my own values, without considering any possible consequences, I think an organization practicing quality management is ethically acceptable.

Innovation

Kim et al. [2]

INN1: Our new products differ substantially from our existing products.

INN2: We introduce radical product innovations into the new market more frequently than our competitors.

INN3: The percentage of total sales from radical product innovations is up substantially.

INN4: Our new products differ slightly from our existing products.

INN5: We introduce incremental product innovations into the market more frequently than our competitors.

INN6: The percentage of total sales from incremental product innovations is up substantially.

INN7: Our organization has introduced new or significantly improved machinery and equipment for producing products or services.

INN8: Our organization has introduced new or significantly modified productive processes for producing products or services.

INN9: Our organization has introduced new or significantly improved information technologies for producing products or services.

INN10: Our organization introduced minor or incrementally improved machinery and equipment for producing products or services.

INN11: Our organization introduced minor or incrementally modified productive processes for producing produce or services.

INN12: Our organization introduced minor or incrementally improved information technologies for producing products or services.

INN13: Our organization implemented new or improved existing computer-based administrative applications.

INN14: Our organization implemented new or improved existing employee reward/training schemes.

INN15: Our organization implemented new or improved existing structures such as project team or departmental structures, within or in-between existing structures.