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Adequate, appropriate training of quality managers is essential to the development and implementation of effective quality management systems. This study reports on a survey of 235 Australian quality managers to determine their perceptions of their training and development needs, the extent to which these were being met, and their views on the future of their discipline. The study found that there was a general lack of systematisation, most programs were short‐term and delivered by a fragmented set of providers. Many managers had received no training in the past five years. While the respondents were generally satisfied with the training they had received, there was evidence that their insight into their own needs was imperfect. The respondents were divided between those who thought quality management would remain a discrete field and those who saw it being absorbed by other management systems. The challenges of developing an appropriate training and development regime in this environment are discussed.

This paper aims to compare and contrast the career experiences and development needs of British and Australian quality managers.

The results of a postal survey of the careers of British quality managers are compared with Australian quality managers based on two surveys.

The study finds that quality managers in both countries brought wide functional experience to their roles. Their current jobs are major sources of intrinsic job satisfaction for both groups of managers but they utilise a very limited range of quality tools. Also British and Australian managers show little awareness in terms of their development needs for a broader background in quality.

The findings suggest a worrying lack of innovatory zeal amongst quality managers who appear to be more concerned with the maintenance of standards rather than taking a more dynamic approach. Thus it is argued that while quality managers bring wide functional experience to their current roles, there are many who do not appear to be at the cutting edge of knowledge in their field. Neither do the British quality managers in particular appear to be sufficiently aware of the need to address such shortfalls through professional development opportunities.

The roles of those charged with carrying the flag of quality in the two countries have only previously received limited research coverage. This paper, based upon empirical research in Britain and Australia, identifies issues which require the attention of senior management to ensure future competitiveness for their organisations.

Inevitably the adoption of any new technology brings about change but e‐commerce is significantly different in that it completely shifts global business into a fast‐paced electronic environment. The old notions of management are totally ineffective and a new style, focused on “leadership”, is required – but what style of leadership? The findings of an audit on leadership styles indicate that organisations that have successfully integrated e‐commerce have exhibited a unique approach. Using a change management matrix, which determines the impact of change versus leadership style within an organisation, 182 Australian managers were audited and positioned within this matrix. It was found that within the most successful organisations, leaders had a distinctive style that facilitated the appropriate change and established a conducive e‐commerce environment.

Traditionally, resistance has been cast as adversarial ‐ the enemy of change that must be defeated if change is to be successful. While it is apparent that classical management theory viewed resistance in such a manner, recent literature contains much evidence that suggests resistance may indeed be useful and is not to be simply discounted. Present day suggestions and prescriptions for managing resistance have evidently disregarded this research and left little room for utility in resistance. This paper argues that the difficulty of organisational change is often exacerbated by the mismanagement of resistance derived from a simple set of assumptions that misunderstand resistance’s essential nature. It is suggested that management may greatly benefit from techniques that carefully manage resistance to change by looking for ways of utilising it rather than overcoming it.

The purpose of this research is to explore the incidence of innovative approaches to quality in both Australia and Britain, the reasons behind their implementation, the ways in which they were undertaken and the success factors and the pitfalls encountered along the way.

A structured postal questionnaire was sent to 1,000 quality managers in both Australia and Britain. A response was received from 129 Australian and 175 British companies, who reported on why they did or did not introduce a new quality initiative within the past five years.

A comparative analysis shows trends, similarities and differences, and future directions of quality in both countries. The paper concludes by identifying important lessons for senior management needing to make changes in this important aspect of any business. A high proportion of organisations in both countries are actively undertaking new quality initiatives. The impetus to change and the barriers to successful implementation were common to both countries. The type of initiative differed between the two countries, with a preponderance of ISO 9000 in Australia amongst a much wider choice of approaches than in Britain. There is a low take‐up of Six Sigma in both countries, particularly in Australia.

The paper offers a recent insight into quality approaches undertaken in both countries and identifies important lessons for senior management.

This paper seeks to explore the relationship between knowledge management and quality management with a particular focus on the role of quality culture. The paper also aims to address the assumption that as knowledge management reaches its maturity, in terms of acceptance as an important part of doing business in the modern world, quality will again become the mantra of successful companies.

A total of 1,000 quality managers from Australian organisations were surveyed for their perspectives on current and future knowledge management and quality management approaches. The questionnaire utilised both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The questionnaire was broken into three sections: respondent profile, current knowledge management and quality management practices, and future predictions for both knowledge management and quality management.

The key finding of the paper was that organisations would have to embrace a quality culture as a fundamental component of implementing knowledge management in order to compete successfully in such a dynamic business environment. The responses from this survey assist in identifying the relationship between knowledge and quality management, and the importance and future of both knowledge and quality management.

This paper is based upon the assumption that quality is in fact, resurging. It has identified quality culture as the significant link between knowledge management and quality management that leads to successful competitive advantage. Organisations are urged to recognise knowledge management as a vehicle for success not a stand‐alone process. It is the first time that such a survey has been designed, and the first time a paper has produced an explanation to the current situation.

The successful businesses of the future are being created today by individuals and teams in tune with fast‐moving technologies, new markets and changing lifestyles. New disciplines have sprung up, new professions are born and new skills are in demand. There is a need to blend the new skills with those of the older professions. Many business decisions involve forecasting. In recent years its scope has expanded well beyond technical aspects. Addresses a broader set of managerial concerns through down‐to‐earth descriptions of forecasting, its advantages and limitations, and its role in the managerial decision‐making process. Uses a case study to demonstrate the application of a forecasting method.

The recent spate of acquisitions, redundancies and CEO casualties ensure that change is an inevitability for many organizations. However, nearly two‐thirds of major change programs prove unsuccessful, and, according to Fortune 500 executives, the primary reason for this is not a lack of skill or resources, but resistance …