Keynote Speaker
Dr. Gilles Lambert, Professor of Management Sciences
EM Strasbourg Business School, Strasbourg University, FranceSpeech Title: The Extension of Quality Principles into Modern Management
Abstract: The preoccupation with quality in our production systems has a history stretching back almost a hundred years. This requirement has accompanied the rise of our industries in the global race for large-scale production. In this contribution, we propose to look back at these quality approaches, discussing the contributions and traces they have left in the management of our contemporary companies. In the face of numerous works extolling the benefits of ceremonial adoption of such approaches, few have attempted to evaluate them objectively (Zbaracki 1998; Mukherjee, 1998; Bénézech & ali. 2001; Boiral 2003; Lambert & Ouédraogo, 2008). This is no doubt due to the fact that the standards, reference systems or certifications that embody them are essentially organizational in nature. And nothing is more difficult to apprehend than a change in organization. This is particularly true as quality standards can be interpreted in very different ways by companies, sometimes as mere labels recognizing excellence, sometimes as genuine tools for change on which to build (Lambert & Ouédraogo 2010; Arab & Lambert, 2020). Here, we look back at this evolution and attempt to identify the principles at the very roots of these organizational change tools, which we believe are essential for modern management. Beyond the idea of highlighting best-practices and systematic process measurement, we show that the use of intuition and the role of organizational slacks, both vital in innovation dynamics, are at the heart of quality principles (Lambert ; 2023).
Keywords: Total Quality Management, ISO 9000, Organization Change, Management Skills
Biography: Gilles Lambert is a professor of management sciences at the Business School of Strasbourg University in France. His research work is in the field of corporate finance and focuses on real options, the performance of family businesses, and governance from a diversity perspective within the boards of directors of companies. In the field of organizational change, his work deals with the link between quality and learning, innovation management and creativity.