Evidence-Based HR-Mediated Innovative Quality Management Practices: A Study on Two SMEs of India

Abstract

To achieve excellence in quality is now the top priority of organizations across the globe. From conformance to standards, quality has now transcended to customer satisfaction. While many have established continuous quality improvement tools, there is not much evidence on innovation- and creativity-backed quality pursuits of organizations. To ensure innovative and creative quality improvement, organizations are required to embrace various Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. Such HR practices hand help organizations to involve all cross-sections of employees in achieving excellence through continuous quality improvement and at the same time lend support to institutionalizing the culture of innovation and creativity. This chapter investigates the innovative quality improvement strategies of two SMEs in India, which helped them in achieving business results even in a competitive economy. Both the organizations have substantial stake in the domestic and export markets. Both the organizations, despite their less competitive pay and benefits compared to other domestic and international level competitors, through their excellent HR practices, could successfully institutionalize innovative and creative quality improvement culture.