A case study on quality management and digital innovation: Relationship and learning aspects

Journal article, 2012

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the maturity of quality management and digital innovation in an organisation. Furthermore, the purpose is to analyse the relationship between and learning opportunities of the two concepts based on that maturity. Design/methodology/approach – An explorative case study was carried out by conducting in-depth interviews with both quality management and IT professionals, complemented with a document study. Findings – The findings of this research show the maturity of quality management and digital innovation in an organization using a set of principles. The analysis shows that, on an overall level, the majority of the principles studied concerning quality management and digital innovation are categorized as “uncommitted” or “initiators”. The study shows that there is an interrelationship between quality management and digital innovation and they are dependent on each other. Research limitations/implications – This is a case study and focuses on one context where the interrelationship between quality management and digital innovation is studied. Practical implications – The results can provide insights on the importance of working cross-functionally when developing the organisation. The maturity of quality management in an organisation can either inhibit or facilitate digital innovation, and similarly, digital innovation can improve or deteriorate service quality for both internal and external customers. Originality/value – This study contributes to the service quality literature by empirically investigating the maturity of quality management and digital innovation, and discussing how they can relate and what they can learn from each other.