Extant Scholarship in the Quality Profession: A Brief Review

Abstract

This work presents a review of causal comparative quality related research over time. With an in-depth review of research databases, the author concludes that quality related research are few and far between compared to researches in other field like physic and chemistry to mention a few. It is noted that high-quality scholarship in the field of quality systems and management which is about working to gain a deeper understanding within the discipline and not just a repeat of concepts from the teachings of the quality gurus are hard to come by. This work reveals that opportunities for scholarly work in the quality discipline are immense. The work concludes by noting that the increasing use of quality gurus’ philosophies for research-based evaluation, thesis and dissertation by quality professionals across the globe is a testament to the fact that the interest in scholarship in quality is not declining. The burden is on the professionals in quality management fields to ensure continual scholarship in the profession as a way to ensure they are counted as equivalent to professionals from other traditional disciplines.