In many businesses today, focus on quality as a competitive tool is being replaced by a focus on innovation. This is not to say that quality is now irrelevant but rather that it is now seen by many as u22necessary but insufficientu22 in todayu27s business environment. Therefore, the task facing managers is how to achieve innovation performance in addition to quality performance. To answer this question, U.S. West Coast wood products manufacturers were surveyed about their quality management practices and performance with respect to both quality and innovation. Survey results were analyzed to identify two categories of high-performing firms: those achieving primarily quality outcomes and those achieving both quality and innovation outcomes. Executives from firms in each category were interviewed to provide detail on the management practices used by the companies. The interviews were examined to identify similarities and differences in practices between the two categories of firms.
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