{"id":"https://openalex.org/W1972708960","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00190","title":"Too Much or Too Little Ambiguity: The Language of Total Quality Management","display_name":"Too Much or Too Little Ambiguity: The Language of Total Quality Management","publication_year":2000,"publication_date":"2000-06-01","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W1972708960","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00190","mag":"1972708960"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.1111/1467-6486.00190","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00190","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00190","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S151705444","display_name":"Journal of Management Studies","issn_l":"0022-2380","issn":["0022-2380","1467-6486"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"listed_in":["abdc-a-star","anvur-class-a","anvur-scientific","cwts-core","erih-plus","fnege-1","ft50","jufo-3","ki-jl-1","norway-2","poland-140","russia-white-list-1","vabb-shw"],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310320595","host_organization_name":"Wiley","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310320595"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Wiley"],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Journal of Management Studies","raw_type":"journal-article"},"volume":null,"type":"article","indexed_in":["crossref"],"open_access":{"is_oa":false,"oa_status":"closed","oa_url":null,"any_repository_has_fulltext":false},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5054660817","display_name":"Mihaela Kelemen","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-4082","observed_orcids":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-4082"]},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I56007636","display_name":"Keele University","ror":"https://ror.org/00340yn33","country_code":"GB","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I56007636"]}],"countries":["GB"],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"Mihaela Kelemen","raw_affiliation_strings":["Keele University","Keele Univ"],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"Keele University","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I56007636"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"Keele Univ","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I56007636"]}]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":1,"institutions_distinct_count":1,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5054660817"],"corresponding_institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I56007636"],"apc_list":{"value":4150,"currency":"USD","value_usd":4150},"apc_paid":null,"fwci":10.3215,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":114,"citation_normalized_percentile":{"value":0.97615708,"is_in_top_1_percent":false,"is_in_top_10_percent":true},"cited_by_percentile_year":{"min":89,"max":99},"biblio":{"volume":"37","issue":"4","first_page":"483","last_page":"498"},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10344","display_name":"Management and Organizational Studies","score":0.9672999978065491,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1407","display_name":"Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/14","display_name":"Business, Management and Accounting"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10344","display_name":"Management and Organizational Studies","score":0.9672999978065491,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1407","display_name":"Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/14","display_name":"Business, Management and Accounting"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10164","display_name":"Quality and Supply Management","score":0.015699999406933784,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1404","display_name":"Management Information Systems"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/14","display_name":"Business, Management and Accounting"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12905","display_name":"Management Systems and Quality Improvement","score":0.007499999832361937,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1408","display_name":"Strategy and Management"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/14","display_name":"Business, Management and Accounting"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/total-quality-management","display_name":"total quality management","score":0.9980000257492065},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/managerial-language","display_name":"managerial language","score":0.921999990940094},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/organizational-discourse","display_name":"organizational discourse","score":0.5879999995231628},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/ambiguity","display_name":"ambiguity","score":0.7049999833106995},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/metaphor","display_name":"metaphor","score":0.7689999938011169},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/semantic-language","display_name":"semantic language","score":0.41200000047683716},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/poetic-language","display_name":"poetic language","score":0.7889999747276306},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/employee-resistance","display_name":"employee resistance","score":0.7179999947547913},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/internalization","display_name":"internalization","score":0.5789999961853027},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/service-organizations","display_name":"service organizations","score":0.871999979019165},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/business-practices","display_name":"organizational practices","score":0.4259999990463257},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/employee-experience","display_name":"employee experience","score":0.3889999985694885}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780522230","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1140419","display_name":"Ambiguity","level":2,"score":0.8103273510932922},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777146004","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14949826","display_name":"CLARITY","level":2,"score":0.7674405574798584},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138897024","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q381001","display_name":"Total quality management","level":3,"score":0.6744335889816284},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780876879","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3054749","display_name":"Meaning (existential)","level":2,"score":0.6307226419448853},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2779530757","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1207505","display_name":"Quality (philosophy)","level":2,"score":0.5339651703834534},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777632292","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q315515","display_name":"Discretion","level":2,"score":0.5237783789634705},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C88548561","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q347599","display_name":"sort","level":2,"score":0.5054225921630859},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C98045186","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q205663","display_name":"Process (computing)","level":2,"score":0.4431341886520386},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C39549134","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133080","display_name":"Public relations","level":1,"score":0.4328882694244385},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778348673","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q739302","display_name":"Production (economics)","level":2,"score":0.4212002456188202},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.41181179881095886},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41895202","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8162","display_name":"Linguistics","level":1,"score":0.3637707233428955},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144024400","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21201","display_name":"Sociology","level":0,"score":0.35344064235687256},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C15744967","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9418","display_name":"Psychology","level":0,"score":0.3524255156517029},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C56739046","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q192060","display_name":"Knowledge management","level":1,"score":0.34465837478637695},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780378061","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25351891","display_name":"Service (business)","level":2,"score":0.31747812032699585},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144133560","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4830453","display_name":"Business","level":0,"score":0.3124810457229614},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.20847555994987488},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C17744445","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q36442","display_name":"Political science","level":0,"score":0.2023523449897766},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162853370","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q39809","display_name":"Marketing","level":1,"score":0.19982552528381348},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199539241","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7748","display_name":"Law","level":1,"score":0.08830031752586365},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111919701","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9135","display_name":"Operating system","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162324750","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8134","display_name":"Economics","level":0,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C55493867","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7094","display_name":"Biochemistry","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C139719470","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q39680","display_name":"Macroeconomics","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C23123220","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q816826","display_name":"Information retrieval","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138885662","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5891","display_name":"Philosophy","level":0,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C542102704","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q183257","display_name":"Psychotherapist","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199360897","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9143","display_name":"Programming language","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C185592680","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2329","display_name":"Chemistry","level":0,"score":0.0}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":2,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.1111/1467-6486.00190","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00190","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00190","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S151705444","display_name":"Journal of Management Studies","issn_l":"0022-2380","issn":["0022-2380","1467-6486"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"listed_in":["abdc-a-star","anvur-class-a","anvur-scientific","cwts-core","erih-plus","fnege-1","ft50","jufo-3","ki-jl-1","norway-2","poland-140","russia-white-list-1","vabb-shw"],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310320595","host_organization_name":"Wiley","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310320595"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Wiley"],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Journal of Management Studies","raw_type":"journal-article"},{"id":"pmh:oai:RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:37:y:2000:i:4:p:483-498","doi":null,"is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306401271","display_name":"RePEc: Research Papers in Economics","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I77793887","host_organization_name":"Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I77793887"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"article"}],"best_oa_location":null,"sustainable_development_goals":[],"study_designs":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":["https://openalex.org/W176495729","https://openalex.org/W2332437832","https://openalex.org/W2047208288","https://openalex.org/W1969824948","https://openalex.org/W2033464204","https://openalex.org/W60168479","https://openalex.org/W1999352596","https://openalex.org/W2051482169","https://openalex.org/W2073901259","https://openalex.org/W2095153967"],"abstract_inverted_index":{"The":[0,52,92],"paper":[1,36,93],"documents":[2],"the":[3,6,28,35,38,60,73,80,118,132,141,144,152,189],"working":[4],"of":[5,8,15,32,40,55,62,76,82,98,106,120,138,143,194],"language":[7,25,42,99,122,134,181],"total":[9,115],"quality":[10],"management":[11],"(TQM)":[12],"and":[13,30,43,49,64,70,108,162,191,196],"some":[14,104],"its":[16,44],"effects":[17,45],"in":[18,59,79,131,177,183],"four":[19],"UK":[20],"service":[21],"organizations.":[22],"By":[23],"making":[24],"central":[26],"to":[27,128,167,169,175],"\u2018production\u2019":[29],"\u2018consumption\u2019":[31],"TQM":[33,133,180],"practices,":[34],"explores":[37],"use":[39,54,61,75,81],"managerial":[41],"upon":[46],"organizational":[47],"practices":[48],"employees'":[50],"experiences.":[51],"semantic":[53],"language,":[56,77],"reflected":[57,78],"merely":[58],"labels":[63],"platitudes,":[65],"is":[66,173],"concerned":[67],"with":[68,160],"clarity":[69],"specificity":[71],"while":[72],"poetic":[74],"metaphors,":[83],"emphasizes":[84],"ambiguity":[85,161],"by":[86],"inviting":[87],"multiple":[88],"interpretations":[89],"from":[90,151,164],"below.":[91],"argues":[94],"that":[95,199],"both":[96],"uses":[97],"are":[100,157,188],"directed":[101],"towards":[102],"achieving":[103],"sort":[105],"meaning":[107],"order;":[109],"however,":[110],"managers":[111],"do":[112],"not":[113],"have":[114],"discretion":[116],"over":[117],"consequences":[119],"their":[121],"use.":[123],"While":[124],"they":[125],"may":[126],"seek":[127],"enrol":[129],"employees":[130,145],"(via":[135],"a":[136],"process":[137],"interest":[139],"translation),":[140],"responses":[142,156],"cannot":[146],"be":[147,202],"predicted":[148],"or":[149],"controlled":[150],"top.":[153],"Employees\u00c3\u0095":[154],"discursive":[155],"themselves":[158],"riddled":[159],"range":[163],"open":[165],"resistance":[166],"manipulation":[168],"internalization.":[170],"Indeed,":[171],"it":[172],"impossible":[174],"know":[176],"advance":[178],"how":[179],"works":[182],"practice":[184],"because":[185],"such":[186],"workings":[187],"complex":[190],"ambiguous":[192],"outcome":[193],"material":[195],"non\u2010material":[197],"relationships":[198],"can":[200],"never":[201],"accurately":[203],"predicted.":[204]},"counts_by_year":[{"year":2026,"cited_by_count":2},{"year":2025,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2024,"cited_by_count":6},{"year":2023,"cited_by_count":14},{"year":2021,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2020,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2019,"cited_by_count":4},{"year":2018,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2017,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2016,"cited_by_count":4},{"year":2015,"cited_by_count":11},{"year":2014,"cited_by_count":7},{"year":2013,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2012,"cited_by_count":5}],"updated_date":"2026-09-17T07:59:56.861425","created_date":"2016-06-24T00:00:00"}
