Marek Bugdol

The article presents the status of quality in various management concepts (in outsourcing, supply chain management, TQM). It has been assumed that quality status defines the function and/or the significance of quality in the ORGANIZATION management concept. The carried out studies have demonstrated that the term of quality is most frequently defined in the TQM concept (even though also in this case there are definition disputes). In the remaining concepts of pro-quality management authors refer most often to definitions given by the TQM precursors. The authors describe the role of quality (various approaches) and the fundamental determinants of achieving quality in selected management concepts.

The objective of this paper is the identification of the main systemic and organizational barriers to the improvement of the quality of services provided by local government administration with special emphasis on the processes of administrative services provision. The article is based on the results of literature analysis as well as the results of audits conducted in local government offices (in the process system). The research indicates that there exist a number of barriers connected with the functioning of quality management systems. The most significant ones include the following: absence of identified customer requirements, neglect of quality requirements reviews, absence of proper supervision over external processes, limited awareness of the importance of preventive and corrective measures, misinterpretation of ISO standard criteria, performance of activities which do not create added value, mistaking quality audits for inspections. The main organizational barriers comprise the following: absence of the process approach and absence of knowledge of the so-called key processes, which is visible in the incorrect designing of organizational structures and an excessively developed bureaucratic document circulation system.

Background. Gender is an important element regarding women’s (and men’s) situation in organizations. Numerous research studies indicate that women have the required competences and yet they hold positions, in particular top managerial positions, definitely less frequently than men. These differences can be explained by the still existing phenomenon of the glass ceiling and discrimination against women. In addition, knowledge about effective methods of preventing discrimination against women and their importance for the functioning of the organization is little.

Research aims. The objective of this paper was to identify the dominant trends in research on women in organizational management. On the basis of the grouped results of the conducted literature review, the authors outlined new research directions which had previously been absent from, or attracted little attention in, the existing discourse.

Methodology. The main method applied by the authors was systematic literature review and the principles of research conducted in the fields of management and business (Creswell, 2013; Easterby‑Smith, Thorne & Jackson, 2015).

Key findings. The authors indicated various possibilities of conducting research on women in management. For example, studies on the glass ceiling effect do not explain differences between the conduct of organizations with a long‑term orientation and those pursuing short‑term objectives. As far as financial benefits are concerned, it is not clear what causes organizations whose management boards include women to achieve better financial results and how such results are influenced by the external context. With respect to preventing discrimination, an important task is to grasp the differences between the strength of prosocial behaviours and training/procedures. There are also many research directions that should be further developed, e.g. differences between women and men in the manifestation of counterproductive and citizenship behaviours.

JEL Codes: D21, M14