Quality 4.0 Key Dimensions and Implementation Profiles in Organizations of Excellence: A Cluster Analysis

Abstract

Quality has undergone various transformations and developments in recent decades due to technological, organizational, and social advances. Industry 4.0 currently involves the integration of new technologies, digitalization, and the massive use of data in manufacturing processes. This represents a paradigm shift in quality management. However, the meaning and fundamentals of quality 4.0 (Q4.0) are still debated in the literature. In this article, the main objective is to identify the key dimensions and implementation profiles of Q4.0 in Spanish industrial and service organizations with excellence recognition systems. Different multivariate analysis techniques, such as cluster analysis, contingency tables, and one-factor analysis of variance, are used as a methodology. The results identify three profiles of organizations (advanced, in-development, and early stage) that apply the nine critical dimensions of Q4.0 identified with varying intensity. In addition, customer engagement, human resource management for Q4.0, and data for decision support are the dimensions that most help differentiate these organizations. Finally, differences were found in the degree of Q4.0 implementation according to size, sector, and the degree of excellence achieved by the organization.