Total quality management (TQM) is an approach to management embracing both social and technical dimensions aimed at achieving excellent results, which needs to be put into practice through a specific framework. Nowadays, quality award models, such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, are used as a guide to TQM implementation by a large number of organizations. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of empirical research confirming whether these models clearly reflect the main premises of TQM. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which the EFQM Excellence Model captures the main assumptions involved in the TQM concept, that is, the distinction between technical and social TQM issues, the holistic interpretation of TQM in the firm, and the causal linkage between TQM procedures and organizational performance. Based on responses collected from managers of 446 Spanish companies by means of a structured questionnaire, we find that: (a) social and technical dimensions are embedded in the model; (b) both dimensions are intercorrelated; (c) they jointly enhance results. These findings support the EFQM Excellence Model as an operational framework for TQM, and also reinforce the results obtained in previous studies for the MBNQA, suggesting that quality award models really are TQM frameworks.

Much of the human resource management literature has demonstrated the impact of high per

Drawing on the contextual perspective (Johns, 2006), this study provides novel empirical evidence on how the organisational context (specifically, the firm's human resource strategy) has an effect on employee proactivity. We use matched data from managers and employees in 102 Spanish professional service firms to examine how high performance work systems contribute to enhance employee proactive behaviours through two motivational variables: role breadth self-efficacy and flexible role orientation (Parker, 2000). Results of a multilevel study demonstrate that role breadth self-efficacy mediates between HPWS and employee proactivity, but flexible role orientation does not mediate this relationship.

STRUCTURED ABSTRACTPurpose. Due to the divergent conclusions about the effects of interpersonal trust on job satisfaction, the study aims to look more deeply into this relationship by introducing job stress as a mediator variable. Findings. Our findings show that interpersonal trust has a positive effect on job satisfaction, and that job stress partially mediates this relationship. Furthermore, interpersonal trust is negatively related to job stress, which in turn is negatively related to job satisfaction.Research limitations/implications. Despite the pertinence and size of the database used in the study, it is very heterogeneous. Future research might delimit the database by organization size or sector. Qualitative studies may also improve our understanding of the relationships studied and enable other concepts to be included. 2Practical implications. Cultivating a climate of trust may provide organizations with a strategy to improve levels of mental well-being and satisfaction among their employees.Originality/value. This research explains why interpersonal trust has a positive effect on job satisfaction. Our conceptualization of trust implies risk assumption and low risk perception; low perception of risk is presumed to reduce job stress, and in turn, increase job satisfaction. We also put forward reasons for why 'excessive' interpersonal trust has been related to negative effects on job satisfaction. 'Excessive' trust might infer high risk perception, which might increase job stress, and in turn decrease job satisfaction.

Registro de acceso restringido Este recurso no está disponible en acceso abierto por política de la editorial. No obstante, se puede acceder al texto completo desde la Universitat Jaume I o si el usuario cuenta con suscripción. Registre d'accés restringit Aquest recurs no està disponible en accés obert per política de l'editorial. No obstant això, es pot accedir al text complet des de la Universitat Jaume I o si l'usuari compta amb subscripció. Restricted access item This item isn't open access because of publisher's policy. The full--text version is only available from Jaume I University or if the user has a running suscription to the publisher's contents.