| Although the deployment of knowledge management has become increasingly common in industry to enhance performance, there has been limited academic research conducted on how this emerging phenomenon relates to quality in the airline industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on performance and the perception of active employee engagement when adding the concept of knowledge management to the concept of quality improvement. The study was designed to explore differing outcomes for three teams consisting of front-line service employees who prepare aircraft for international travel: (a) a knowledge management/quality improvement team exposed to knowledge management and quality improvement concepts, (b) a quality improvement team exposed only to quality concepts, and (c) a control team that was not exposed to disciplined improvement concepts. The data for Research Question 1 were collected by a 54-item cleaning audit checklist that measured the impact on performance. The data for Research Question 2 were collected via an Employee Perceptions and Engagement Survey designed to measure the perception of active employee engagement. The research questions were analyzed using a trend analysis, Pareto analysis, an interview, a research journal, and ANOVA testing. The results did not reveal a significant difference among the teams. There was partial support for the idea that leveraging knowledge management with quality improvement yields positive results. It is recommended that further research in the active integration of knowledge management and quality improvement be conducted to provide managers with the opportunity to improve performance and achieve a more engaged workforce. |
