KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT AS PROMOTERS OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT:

A CASE STUDY IN A COMPANY IN THE BRAZILIAN ELECTRICAL SECTOR

Abstract

Faced with the current competitive scenario, organizations seek strategies that allow control in executions and the generation of improvements in processes to meet market demands. And in this view, quality is considered an important instrument for competitive advantage, as this management aligned with the organization's strategies can provide essential elements for decision making. On the other hand, we can see the importance of people and the dynamics of knowledge they have to ensure the correct execution of processes. In this scenario, this study aims to analyze the relationship between Knowledge Management and Quality Management for the Continuous Improvement of processes in a company in the energy sector. Therefore, a quantitative descriptive research was carried out, in which a survey-type questionnaire was applied to 371 employees of the organization for data collection. The results showed that all 11 hypotheses were confirmed, showing that the aspects that underlie Knowledge Management and Quality Management are related to each other, both aimed at promoting Continuous Improvement in the context of the organization. As it is a case study, the research has limitations preventing the results from being generalized. The Perception of the respondents' view, in addition to the relationship between GC and QA as drivers of continuous improvement in processes, it was possible to perceive the degree of understanding of the impact of the processes performed in the organization that add value, regardless of being certified in Quality Management certifications or not.