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Annals of Library and Information Studies 49,4; 2002; 141-163.MEASURING QUALITY MANAGEMENT LEVEL WITH REFERENCE TO ISO 9000 ANDTQM FOR SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN INDIA *

RKVermaNational Institute of Science Communicationand Information Resources (NISCAIR, formerly INSDOC)14, Satsang Vihar Marg,New Delhi

The main objective of the study is to assess the.impact of six factors viz., status of library; size ofLIS units; sector of organization (administrativecontrol); type of organization (major fields ofactivities); resources; and quality awareness level(as independent variables) on QualityManagement Level (OML) of special libraries inIndia. The QML is represented by nine keyactivities of libraries viz., Commitment bymanagement/leadership; Education & Training;Services standards; Processes standards;'Customers' survey; Quality manuals; suggestion/feedback systems; Quality circles; and Individualethics for management and learning treated asdependent variables. In the. study, the empiricaldata was collected through a questionnaire froma sample population of speciallibraries.in India.A TQM based approach was followed by usingmodified form of Et,Jropean, Quality Model.Presents the findings on QML and its variationsamong special libraries in India and establishesknowledge on associative patterns between QMLand six factors. The results of the survey revealthat (or proper performance measurement of LISsector, OML depends upon a TQM orientedinstrument. Concludes that QML is closelyassociated with innovation and reorganizationprocess rather than streamlining and securingroutine functions .andprocesses. which would bea conservative approach for successful QualityManagement in libraries.

INTRODUCTIONLibraries and Information Centres have a longtradition of providing information products andservices to its customers. The main ingredientviz. information has been regarded as a keyresource to introduce innovation and increasethe effectiveness of the organisations includingLIS units. There was a time when it was sufficientto perfqrm traditional functions such asacquisition, processing and supplying readingmaterials to the users on request. The earlierscenario has drastically changed now, andvarious factors Iike- introduction of InformationTechnology (IT); resource constraints ininstitutions including budget cut; ever increasingexpectations of users and complexity ofavailability of widely scattered material, havecontributed to this state of affairs.The quality of products and services has alsobeen maintained by following national andinternational standards. However, there has beena change in the earlier connotation of qUC:ilityasa static concept which was restricted to theproduction or some aspects of service andconfined to the technical aspects only. Thecurrent perception of quality is any activity whichchanges with time, environment, customerreaction and other factors. This has happeneddue to the rapid evolutionary process of the

*Basedon authors Ph.D.thesis entitled"QualityManagementApproaches in LISSector in Indiawith particularReference to ISO9000 StandardsandTQM Concepts"

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principles and practice of quality management(aM) during the last twenty-five years. In thisprocess, four fairly discrete stages or levels viz.Inspection; Ouality Control (OC); OualityAssurance (OA); and Total quality Management(TOM) have been identified. Despite thisdevelopment, the concept of quality is vieweddifferently within the professionals in LIS sectors.For one group it is just another manage!T1entconcept with more emphasis on bureaucraticnature than real term use. Still another groupfeels that it is an effective management conceptonly in industrial sector and the same cannot beapplied to LIS sector. However, a report publishedby FID [1] describing two case studies and furthersurvey of literature reveals that probably thecorrect interpretation, commitment and propercommunication among professionals and positiveattitude towards adoption of the same are themain factors for its success.The overall effect of above factors lead to thesituation when a large number of informationproducts and services remain underutilized andin some cases even fully unutilized. Keeping thisin view and the benefits of OM standards asmentioned above, it becomes appropriate to takestock of the situation in the present system whichwill also reveal the approaches followed forimprovement in quality of not only the productsand services but the management itself, in short,the quality management (OM).The above introduction leads to the basicquestion which is posed to the professionals.What approaches on OM are being followedcurrently by the Indian libraries particularly thespecial libraries? It is high time to initiatesystematic efforts towards achieving the sameparticularly in view of success of ISO 9000certified industrial sectors and a few in LIS sectorin the Western countries. With a view to findingan answer to these questions a fresh look intothe current status of OM approaches is required.QUALITY MANAGEMENT APPROACHESWithin OM, a variety of OM approaches in theform of standards, concepts and philosophieshave been evolved. These standards are

- practice-oriented tools whose basic tunctionsmay vary from creating and sustaining confidence

in a customer-supplier relationship to providinga systematic approach to OM. In general,institutions conform to a large part of therequirements of its own standards, by adoptingmethods that are usually informal and tooperson-dependent. Therefore, conforming to therequirements of ISO 9000 standards would meanidentifying those parts of the systems that arenon-conforming, and then making the entiresystem formal and well understood bydocumentation and training. The ISO 9000standards, though, assure quality throughrigorous set of requirements specified by theinstitutions themselves, the element of itsconsistency and continuity is achieved byfollowing TOM's philosophy and techniques whichis the ultimate aim for any progressive institution.All institutions follow some OM approach includingthese two extreme approaches, however themajority may not be following either of these inits totality for any reason.Quality Management Level (QML)The above account may lead to the impressionthat adoption of quality standards in the form ofISO 9000 series is very important for the librarymanagers to follow. However, misinterpretationof quality standards requirement and claim thatit is not the prerequisite to lead to TQM pathultimately [2] and other criticism prevailing in thisfield [3] may act as barrier in following these QMapproaches for quality management in LIS units.With this assumption an attempt has been madeto find out the solution to the problem, by a fieldsurvey of select special libraries in India. Forassessing the OM approach as adopted by IndianLIS Units, the concept of Quality ManagementLevel (OML) has been followed as used earlierin a paper by Johannsen [4] and a FrD report byBang[1]. This concept of QML has opened a newdimension in assessing quality managementapproaches systematically. In essence, thisconcept isconcerned with the efforts pursued toachieve quality targets and represent as anindicator of a few well recognized key .activitiestowards quality improvement.Johannsen adds a new dimension in the field ofquality management approaches in LIS sector byintroducing the conceptofOualityManagementLevel (OML) aS8Pplicabletoiibraryservices. He

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explains that QML can be regarded as predictorof quality and adds that QM is the predecessorof quality itself. Theoretically, QML can be definedas the level of efforts by which a library seeks toachieve its quality goals. Regarding QML it isfurther clarified that there are situations when alibrary scoring high on quality (e.g. measured interms of high customer satisfaction rate) but lowin QML. This may indicate negative futurechanges in the library's quality level. On thecontrary, a high QML for a library with poor qualityresults argues well in the future.Within quality management theory two principalframeworks have been developed to enableidentification, specification, and measurement ofa company's QML: ISO 9000, and Total qualityManagement (TQM). In the ISO 9000 frameworkthe assessment of QML is based on therequirements of the ISO standards on QM:Certification' here is a measure of a company'sQML. TQM is a broader framework than ISO9000. The theoretical background of the TQMconcept is presented in the works of Deming[5], and Dahlgaard [6]. The evaluation schemesand criteria of national and international qualityawards like the Malcolm Baldrige Quality award,the Deming Prize and the European QualityAward provide practical interpretations lfndinstruments to measure QML in a TQMperspective. QML is here expressed as sum ofscores on different criteria.Keeping the above in view, an atfempt has beenmade1. To know the current status of QM

approaches in Special* LIS units in Indiathrough field survey2. To know the quality awareness level amonglibrary/information science professionalheads of special LIS units in India throughfield survey

MEASURING QUALITY MANAGEMENT LEVEL

3. To find correlations, if any, between sixidentified factors (independent variables)and nine key activities representing QualityManagement Levels (QMLs) (dependentvariables) using questionnaires' data.,

These factors are:(i) Status of library (Information work level)(ii) Size of LIS unit (Number of employees inlibrary)(Hi) Sector of organization (on the basis ofadministrative control)(iv) Type of organization (on the basis of majorfield of activities)(v) Quality Awareness Level(vi) Resources ~th following five sub-factors

Academic qualificationsProfessional qualificationsExperienceYear of inceptLon (Age of theorganization)Library's annual average, budget

and the key activities representing QMLsunder study are:a} Commitment by Management!Leadershipb} Education and Trainingc} Services standards

*Special units means libraries/Information services units in major metropolitan cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai,Chennai, Bangalore, and Kolkata as per the following criteria:Private and public secturs (including service sector)R&D units/institutes of S&T nature serving industries' needs explicitlyLibraries (from non-metropolitans also) already known to be ISO 9000 certified

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d) Processes standardse) Customers' surveyfi) Quality manualsg) Suggestion/feedback systemsh) Quality circlesi) Individual's ..working ethics andlearning

With the above six factors (independentvariables) and three Quality Management Levels(dependent variables), following null hypothesisare tested(i) Status of LIS unit in .terms of information

work level (advanced, modern or traditional)is not associated with Quality ManagementLevel (QML)(ii) There is noa.ssociatio~between size(Number of employees in LIS unit) and QML(iii) There is no association between sector oforganisation and QML(iv) There is no association betw~en type oforganisation and QML(v) There is no association between qualityAwareness Level and QML(vi) There is no association betw~en resources(including human and financial types) ofLIS units and QMLNATURE OF THE STUDYThe main objective of the study IS to assess theimpact of various factors on Quality ManagementLevel (QML) of special libraries in India. Thisassessment of a given library's QML i'3J complexand demanding evaluation task and isrepresented by certain key activities of libraries.One library's strength may be quality planningemphasizing definition of quality goals,objectives, and standards while another mayfocus on active collection of information oncustomers needs and preferences. Within the144

total quality management tradition a normativeframework for evaluating QML has beendeveloped by Deming, in his so called 14 points.These 14 points provide criteria by which anyonein the organization may measure theperformance of management as to qualitymanagement giving everyone a basis by whichto answer the question: "How is the QML of thisparticular library?" As a consequence of thegrowing awareness of the importance of quality,a situation is emerging where qualitymanagement is no longer an exclusivemanagement concept for the few but a commonfeature and everyday necessity of a librarymanagement and administrative programme. Thegrowing importance of the quality issue createsneed to understand how QML is associated withdifferent factors. The aim is to Rresent findingson QML and its variations among special librariesin India and to establish knowledge onassociation patterns between QML and a numberof factors as independent variables. For thispurpose, the empirical data is taken from thequestionnaire's survey of sample of speciallibraries population in India.9uestionnaire's Design:rhe main criteria was to include all basicconcepts reflecting the TQM philosophy and ISO9000 standard. Within this framework, it wasintented to divide the questionnaire's design into4 parts viz. Section A: Factual Data; Section B :General Issues/Aspects; Section C : StrategicalIssues/Aspects; and Section D : OperationalIssues/Aspects followed by one open endedquestion.As mentioned above, Section A refers to thefactual data which also includes requirements fordata on five factors, -the sixth factor Le. 'QualityAwareness Level' is derived from set ofquestions from Section B. For the purpose ofcalculating QML' score for each record ofquestionnaire, Sections C and D are used.Regarding tne structure and number of questionsin each section, out of a total of 55 questions(excluding Section A and 56th open endedquestion), 13 pertain to Section B, 20 from~ection B, and 22 from Section D. Section Acontains 17 questions marked from (a) to (u).The complete design of the questionnaire

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including contents with all the Sections and whichhas been used for data collection is provided inAppendix I..SamplingFor collection of data, the target population wasdecided to be special libraries for the sole reasonthat .they are attached to the institutions whichgive priority to the aM standards and conceptsas the major focus by virtue of their policies. Alsoto have sufficient and meaningful data thisdecision was taken without having anydiscrimination with purely academic and publiclibraries. For selecting sample out of thepopulation of special libraries in India, thefollowing criteria was taken in to account:

Private and public sectors (includingservice sector)R&D units/institutes of S&T nature servingindustries' needs explicitlyLibraries already known to be ISO 9000certified

For the purpose of sending questionnaires thefollowing sources were consulted for identifyingthe addresses of the LIS units.(a) Directory of R&D Institutions in India by DST[7](b) Directory of S&T Institutions in-India byINSDOC[8](c) - Q-Prod Directory of ISO 9000 certified.

.companies in India [9](d) CSIR Directory 2000 [10]

MEASURING QUAUfY MANAGEMENTLEVELData CollectionAs mentioned above, survey method using welldesigned questionnaire for knowing existingstatus and future plans of major special librarieswas followed for the study.In all, 175 questionnaires were sent to the headsof the libraries/information units attached tovarious institutions in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune,Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Out of which113were received back which is 65% response.In Delhi region, the data we-re collectedpersonally by visiting the libraries with thepurpose of clarifying points, if any, desired bythe respondents. A few questionnaires were alsoreceived bye-mail particularly those from outsideDelhi region.For the purpose of data analysis, a modifieddatabase structure as in Table 1 was used whichwas subsequently fed in to SPSS package fortesting various hypotheses.Codification and scheme for data analysisAs mentioned earlier, for the purpose of fulfill ingthe objectives of the study, six factors and ninekey activities representing QMLs were identified,the details of which are given in Tables 1 and 2along with the codes, and criteria for scoring fordata analysis. Further, the distribution ofquestions arranged by key activities represent squality management levels (QMEs)- is given inTable 3. The identification of factors and QMLsis based on the similar study made by Johannsenwho has used modified scheme of EuropeanlTIodel for Total Quality Management Criteria .

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Table 1FactolS. their codification and scheme for scoring .

.Factor CodificationStructure for ScoreStatus of library 1-Advanced2-Modem3-Traditional NASize of LIS unit 1-High >10brary) 2-Medium 5-103-Low-1-4 NASector of Organization 1-Govt.sis) 2-Autonomous3-Public sector4-Private5-Academic6-Others NAType of Organization 1-Academicbasis) 2-R&D3-Manufacturing industry4-Service industry5-Hea1th care6-Trade Association7-Financial industry8-Consultancy9-Management10-Others NAQuality Awareness level 1-High-45-65Score equal to optionno. chosen by therespondent as per 5options in positivequestions and inreverse order for*negative questions6. Resources Academic Qualifications:Maximum Total score=19 5-Phd.4-Mlib Sc3-B.Ub Sc Equal to the number ofoption chosen--

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---------

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Table 1(contn.)

SI. No. Factor CodificationStructure for Score

ns:

Total options in fiveparameters are 19 nos.5-Ph.D4-Post Graduate3-Graduate2-Under Graduate

The details are:ExperienceAcademic Qualifications =5Professional Qualifications=5Experience = 3yrs Year of inception:Year of Inception = 3(3 levels)Library's Budget = 32- From 1951-1970 The criteria for scores isas follows:Library's budget:1- High 14-19(3 levels)2- Medium 9-133- Low 1-83-> 10 Rs. L::ll.hs

*Negative types of questions: 1, 3, 6, 8, 13

The nine key activities based on TQM frameworkand representing three levels of QMLs havebeen modified from the 11 nos. provided inEuropean Quality Award mode,1(Table 4). The

criteria for calculating total score along with theQML indicators is given below. The details ofcodification and scheme for data analysis is givenin Table 2.

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Table 2Quality management levels (QMLs), their codification and scheme for scoring

SI. QML Question no.(s)Codification Structure for Scoreas given inQuestionnaire(Appendix I)Commitment by 14,19,31Five Options from eachMaximum score is 15 (based onquestion as per theSCOieof 5 for each option andfollowing codes:out of 3 questions in this QMLindicator) as per option no.agree

chosen by the respondent. Forexample option no. 1will have ascore of 1 and so on. Thee questions put in negative* sensewill have the score in reverseorder Le.option 5 will have score1and so on.Education and Training23,24,41Same as above schemeSame as aboveServices standards 21,42Same as above schemeSame as above with the withthe difference that maximumscore is 10 here because of only2 questions having 5 asmaximum marks eachProcesses standards 27,35,36Same as above schemeAs in Sr. 1Customers' survey 20,44Same as above schemeSame as against Sr. 3Quality manuals 16, 17, 18,Same as above schemeMaximum score is 75 based on15 questions with 5 as38, 39, 40, maximum pointsSuggestion/Feedback

25,47Same as above schemeMaximum score is 18.

Quality circles 26, 28, 30,Same as above schemeMaximum score is 20Individual ethics for 15, 50, 51,Same as above schemeMaximum score is 3552, 53, 54,55

*Negative type of Questions 30, 32, 33, 45

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The set of questions arranged by nine keyactivities representing OMLs are given in theTable 3.

Criteria for' three-level ranking QML' score forInstitutions (LIS Units)Tota~Maximum score calculated: 205as per option no. with 5 asmaximum score per question(as chosen by the respondentout of 41 questions, 20 fromSection C, and 21 from Section,ignoring one question Le no. 35because of its dependency onQ. no. 34)

Range of Scores for LISunits with High OML (>85%)Range of Scores for LIS units:with Medium OML (65-84%)Range of Scores for LIS unitswith Low OML 65%)

174 to 205(Rank 1)133 to 173(Rank 2)1 to 132(Rank 3)

Table 3Distribution of questions arranged by key activities representingQuality Management levels (QMLs)

SI.No.1 QML QuestionsI Commitment by 1.a is not enough to recommend standards for quality, butwhether the same are understood and accepted by allconcerned is also important2. Leadership at top management level is a must for startingany quality improvement program in the library/infor-mation center3. TOM is not a quick fix but requires a long term investmentof time over several yearsI Education and TrainingI1.All employees including frontline and staff should receivetraining in quality awareness and how to carry out2. The areas for training should be continuously scrutinisedand well known to the staff at various levels3. Are staff members adequately trained to carry out thevarious processes?I Services standards I1.There is a need to tollow established standards of service2. Do you have an identifiable process for delivering a servicewhich conforms to your customer's requirements?I Processes standardsI1.Suitable standards should be established for key processes2. Do you establish norms or benchmarks for a uisition,against which you can test and inspect3. Do you keep records of these tests and inspections?

Contd.

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SI.No.1 QML

Table 3 (Contn.)

Questions5.

6.

7.

150

Customers' survey

Quality manuals

Suggestion/feedbacksystems

1. Regular customer (user) survey should be undertaken2. Do you identify the methods whereby you check customer'ssatisfaction?1. By involving workers in decision-making process you coulduse their service up to the full potential2. The optimum quality of any product/service is determined

taking into account the cost factor also3. The quality targets should be well defined for achievingquality goals4. Designing library manuals for quality improvement help inbuilding sense of responsibility and delegation of authorityamong staff5. There should be a document record which states who will

do what, when, how and why6. There are problems in establishing good relationshipbetween top management control and promoting employeeempowerment7. An attempt to change the organizations culture is resistedby financial and other processes8. Do you have means for selecting and checking theperformance of your suppliers (vendors)9. Do you have procedures in place for cases of nonconformance, when a uisition does not meet yourrequirements or those of customers?10. Are records kep~to 5l!jw what happens when performanceis not satisfactory?11. Do you have records, which demonstrates performance ofyour supplier12. Do you choose a supplier on the basis of price alone?13. Do you identify the methods whereby statistics are kept ofloans, sales, complaints, & enquiries?14. Do the employees report for problems in their areas ofwork before it is noticed by the management?15. Do you follow statistical process control methods such as

flowcharting, check sheets, cause & effect diagrams,control charts etc.1. Suggestions from all the staff members should be taken

for quality improvement on a regular basis2. Are the employees competent enough to identify thecauses of the problems and possible solutions to offer assuggestions

Contd.

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Table 3 (Contn.)

SI.No.1 QML Questions8.

9.

Quality circles

Individual's Working Ethicsand learning

1. The initiation of Quality improvement project teams leadsto TQM path2. Team building skills like coaching, holding questionsessi~ns, listening carefully to the staff problems andcreatively soliciting is essential to the path of TQM3. Employees show reluctance to recommend changes forbetter procedures because of fear of top management4. Do you modify the product/service specifications as perthe changes in customer's demand?1. Quality improvement is linked with organisational changeand learning2. Do you have a clean desk where you can always find thingsyou need?3. Do you make notes of activities to do in a particular day?4. D~ you see to it that no tasks are postponed irrespectiveof your disliking the same?5. Do you respect hierarchical structure while communicatingwith your colleagues?6. Are you polite with your colleagues and subordinates evenin situation Gf Piv;tucaiion7. Do you listen to others attentively even if you do not agreewith them?

It may be noted here that for self-evaluationpurpose or for single and multiple case studies,the European and similar models would be anadequate means. However, if we need an overallpicture of QML in the US sector based on asurvey sites to enable statistical generalizationwe may prefer another more simple model.Otherwise, we may expect data quality problemsand a low response rate because of lengthyquestionnajres arid difficulties of US sectorrespondents in proper understanding of thequestions. Though for the purpose of survey forQML a sample of population of special librariesin India were selected, the main elements of theEuropean model have. been retained asrepresented by the degree to which the keyactivities.ard favoured by the respondents. Mostimportantly the quality results here have not beenaddressed, but the study has only focused on

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the 'enablers' as mentioned in the said Europeanmodel.APPROACHES FOR MEASUREMENT OF OML(ISO 9000 VS. TOM SCALE)Within Quality management theory two mainfr:::trne'..A.'':)rkshave been developed to enableidentification, specification, and measurement ofan organizations's QML

These are: ISO 9000 and Total QualityManagement (TOM). In the former framework theassessment is based on the requirements of theISO standards on quality management.Certification here is a measure of anorganization's QML Regarding the latter casei.e. TQM, the same is a broader framework thanISO 9000. The theoretical background of the TQM

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is provided in the works of Deming, Juran, andDahlgaard. The assessment scheme and criteriaof national and international quality awards like.the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, The DemingPrize, and The European Quality Award provide

practical interpretations and instruments tomeasure QML. In a TQM perspective, QML isexpressed as sum of scores on different criteria.As an example, the main criteria for the EuropeanQuality Award is indicated in the Table 4.

Table 4. Assessment criteria of The European Model for Total quality Management 1994

S.No. CategorizationQML IndicatorStructure for ScoreEnablersLeadership 100EnablersPeople Management90EnablersPolicy & ~rategy 80EnablersResources 90EnablersProcesses 140ResultsPeople Satisfaction 90ResultsCustomer Satisfaction200Results Impact on Society 60ResultsBusiness results 150 1000

Compared to the requirements of ISO 9000standards on QM, the European model containsunique elements like staff management andquality results. If we take a closer look at theelements common to the ISO 9000 standardsand the European Model i.e. Leadership, Policyand Strategy, Resources and Processes, a fewsignificant differences are found. For example,Leadership in ISO 9000 is understood in termsof mainly the responsibility and authority, policyand management review whereas the TQMoriented European model also counts elementslike a consistent TQM culture, involvement withcustomers and suppliers and active outsidepromotion of TQM under the 'Leadership'indicator. For the purpose of the present study,a simple version for assessment is followed with

some modifications of the European modelkeeping all the main elements of this model.Instead of concentrating on presence or absenceof particular key activity, the appropriate scoreis awarded to degree of agreement with thestrategical i.IIU operational aspects as reflectedin the questions in the questionnaire. The detailsof the same have already been provided.ISO 9000 VS QMLBefore analyzing the impact of various factorson QML itwould be interesting to note any relationbetween ISO 9000-oriented and TQM-oriented(QML) scale. The Table 5 provides thedistribution pattern between these two variablesusing SPSS package as a cross table.

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MEASURINGQUAllTYMANAGEMENTlEVELTable 5

Quality Management Level (QML) Rank according to ISO 9000 and a TQM-oriented scaleISO 9000

Low QMLMediumQMLHighQMLTotalCertified 38112Under process for certification 1405Under plan 516021No plan 2448375 33764113

Chi-square Pearson value (Tc): 2.B61Degree of freedom: 6Tabulated value (Tb) at 5% level of significance:12.5916Since Tc

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Assuming 5% level of significanceChi-Square Pearson value (Tc): 10.05Degree of freedom: 4Tabulated value (Tb): 9.48773Tc>Th, So, null hypothesis is rejected

Size (Number of employees) in libraryThe size iri terms of number of employees in thelibrary and information service unit is categorizedinto three parts with 1-10.The categorization has been done keeping inview the overall distribution of data and is arelative term.

Table 7Distribution pattern of Size (Number of employees in library) andQuality Management Level

SI.No. Size (Number of Employees)LowQMLMediumQMLHighQMLTotal1

High 1825 144Medium 928 239Low 620 127 3373 4*110

*Indicates that out of 113 respondent:>, 110 had furnished thp. C'0mp!ete informationAssuming 5% level of significanceChi-Square Pearson value (Tc): 4.396Degree of freedom: 4Tabulated value(Tb) : 9.48773

Tc

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Assuming 5% level of significanceChi-square Pearson value (Tc) : 14.966Degree of freedom: 10

MEASURING QUALITY MANAGEMENT LEVEL

Tabulated value (Tb): 18.3070Tc

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Quality Awareness levelAssuming 5% level of significanceChi-square Pearson value (Tc): 3.046

Degree of freedom: 4Tabulated value (Tb): 9.48773Tc

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4.

5.

6.

JOHANNSEN (Carl Gustav) : QualityManagement and Innovation: Findings of.a Nordic Quality Management survey. Libri1995,45,131-44DEMiNG (W E) : Out of the CriSIS.Cambridge: Mass. Institute of Technology,1986, 18-96 Juran, J M: Juran on planningfor quality. New York, The Free Press, 1988DAHLGAARD (J J) etal The qualityjourney - a journey without an end .London: Cartax, 1994

MEASURING QUALITY MANAGEMENT IEVEL

7. Directory of R&D Institutions 1999. NewDelhi: DST, 1999; 284p.8. Directory of S&T Institutions in India. NewDelhi: INSDOC, 20019. Q-Prod Directory of ISO 9000 certified

companies in India . New Delhi: Q ProdPublishers, 1995, 217p.10. CSIR. Directory 2000. New Delhi:NISCOM(C""""') nnnr. ~"'A._.::>In , LUUU, 10'+1-'.

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APPENDIX I

QUESTIONNAIRE

Quality management approaches in Library and Information Services (LIS) Sector in india with particularreference to ISO 9000 standards and TQM Concepts

Section A- Factual data

(a) Name:(b) Designation : Phone e-Mail(c) Qualifications:(d) Experience:

(e) Organisation :(f) Type of organisation (PI. tick mark):

AcademicHealth careManagement

(g) Year of inception:

R&D

Trade AssociationOther (PI. specify)

Manufacturing industryFinancial industry

Service industryConsultancy

(h) Total Budget (PI. tick mark): 1 crore(j) LIS unit's budget:(k) Number of employees in ?rganisation.(I) Number of employees in LIS unit:(m) Please indicate (tick mark) the current status/level of your library/Information Centre:(as per the following criteria)

(i) Advanced (fully automated activities; including online access to external databases/digital libraries or electronic document delivery)(ii) Modern (including applications of computers for in-house activities)(ii i) Traditional (not computerised; including routine library activities like circulation,document supply, etc.)

(n) Please indicate (tick mark) ttv, status of ISO 9000 series of standards adoption:

158

(i) Certified (ii) Under Process (iii) Under plan (iv) No plan

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(p) Please indicate (tick mark) the applicability and coverage of ISO 9000 series of standards asper the following options: _(i) Parent organisation only (ii) LIS unit only (Hi) Parent organisation and LIS Unit

(q) What are the Library/information products/services covered in certification:(r) Whether any Quality consultant/Manager was appointed:

(i) If so, from within or outside the organisation (PI. tick mark):(s) Your experience in Quality management Projects/Activities:(t) . Any formal/informal quality assurance/management practice (other than ISO 9000) adopted(such as TQM, Quality circle, Statistical process control, Benchmarking etc.):

(i) If so, give details:(u) Any national/international quality award conferred on your esteemed organisation:

(i) If so, give details:

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Section B - Quality Management - General issues/aspectsPlease tick mark the answer on one of the following options on a 5-point scale as below:1- Do not agree, 2-To some extent agree, 3-Agree, 4-Strogly agree, 5- Very strongly agree

1. Quality is an absolute category linked to universal and eternal values2. Quality is a dynamic entity changing with tilT)e,customer's requirementsand other factors3. Richness and range of collections in library speaks of good quality4. Quality is system driven and not attained by chance5. Terminological and conceptual inconsistencies prevalent in Qualitymanagement act as barrier in the path of its improvement6. Customer-focus comes in way of professionalism7. It is the system not the employees that is responsible for mostinefficiencies in the library8. Doing the work right the first time is only a quality slogan and isdifficult to maintain in practice9. If the organization, particularly the LIS section is not certified forISO 9000, the quality service will not be achieved10. The accreditation for ISO 9000 undermine autonomy and ability touse one's own skills11. There is a direct relationship between certification for ISO 9000 andTQM philosophy12. Bureaucratization inherent in ISO 9000 standards can demotivate

those wishing to be more innovative13. The philosophy of continuous improvement impose pressures at work

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Section C - Strategical issues/aspects14. It is not enough to recommend standards for quality, but whether thesame are understood and accepted by all concerned is also important15. Quality improvement is linked with organisational change and learning16. By involving workers in decision-making process you could use theirservice up to the full potential17. The optimum quality of any product/service is determined taking intoaccount the cost factor also18. The quality targets should be well defined for achieving quality goals19. Leadership at top management level is a must for starting any qualityimprovement program in the library/information centre20. Regular customer (user) survey should be undertaken21. There is a need to follow established standards of service22. Designing library manuals for quality improvement help in buildingsense of responsibility anq delegation of authority among staff23. All employees including frontline and staff should receive training inquality awaren~ss and how to carry out customer service goals24. The areas for training should be continuously scrutinised and wellknown to the staff at various levels

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Suggestions from all the staff members should be taken for qualityimprovement on a regular basis1234 5

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Team building skills like coaching, holding question sessions, listeningcarefully to the staff problems and creatively soliciting is essentialto the path of TQMThere should be a document record which states who will do what,when, how and whyEmployees shaw reluctance to recommend changes for betterprocedures because of fear of top managementTOM is not a quick fix but requires a long term investment of timeover several years

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32. There are problems in establishing good relationship between topmanagement control and promoting employees' empowerment 1 2 3 4 533. An attempt to change the organzation's culture is resisted by financialand other processes. 1 2 3 4 5

Section D - Operational issues/aspectsThe respondent is requested to answer the following questions on the 5-point scale as below:1-Never, 2-Selaom, 3-0ccasionally, 4-Usually, and 5-Always34. Do you have means for selecting and checking the performanceof your suppliers (vendors)? 1 2 3 4 535. Do you establish norms or be: :Ghmarks fcr a uisition, aqainstwhich you can test and inspec 1 2 3 4 536. Do you keep records of these tests and inspections? 1 2 3 4 5

40. Do you choose a supplier on the basis of price alone?

44. Do you identify the methods whereby you check customer's satisfaction?

39. Do you have records, which demonstrate p~rformance of your supplier

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1 234 5Do the employees report for problems in their areas of workbefore it is noticed by the management?46.

45. Do you blame employees and not the system in case of inefficiencyin the work?

43. Do you identify the methods whereby statistics are keptof loans, sales, complaints & enquiries?

42. Do you have an identifiable process for delivering a service whichconforms to your customer's requirements?

37. Do you have procedures in place for cases of non-conformance,when a uisition does not meet your requirements orthose of customers?

41. Are staff members adequately trained to carry out the variousprocesses?

38. Are records kept to show what happens when performanceis not satisfactory?

47. Are the employees competent enough to identify the causes of theproblems and possible solutions to offer assuggestions? 1 2 3 4 5

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Do you follow statistical process control methods such asflowcharting, check sheets, cause & effect diagrams, control charts etc.?Do you modify the producVservice specifications as per the changes incustomer's demand?Do you make notes of activities to do in a particular day?Do you have a clean desk where you can always find things you need?Do you see to it that no tasks are postponed irrespective of yourdisliking the same?Do you respect hierarchical structure while communicatingwith your colleagues?Are you polite with your colleagues and .subordinates even insituation of provocationDo you listen to others attentively even if you do not agree with them?

Open ended question

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56. What are your views on quality improvement approaches including ISO9000 and TOM? Please arid any other information related to the samewhich you think may contribute to successful Implementation of qualityimprovement activities (Please write in brief up to a maximum of 300 words)