A research note on the article of “Quality framework in education through application of interpretive structural modeling”

Purpose This paper is a research note on “Quality framework in education through application of Interpretive Structural Modeling” (Sahney, S., Banwet, D.K. and Karunes, S. (2010), Quality framework in education through the application of Interpretive Structural Modeling: an administrative staff perspective in the Indian context, The TQM Journal, 22(1)). Sahney et al. applied Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to prioritize, sequence and categorize elements critical to quality management in education; however, it seems that the final reachability matrix, and consequently the results, may not be true as some transitivity was not incorporated. So, the purpose of this paper is to apply a method to develop a transitive and compatible reachability matrix. Design/methodology/approach A counter-example was used to show that the final reachability matrix was incorrect, and then, based on Warfield’s studies, a transitive and compatible reachability matrix was developed directly. Findings As high priority should be placed on tackling the design characteristics which have a high driving power and thus possessing the capability to influence other elements, the correct analysis of ISM and its consequences is important to the priorities. The results from this study differed from the results of the Sahney et al. to a large extent. According to their analysis, all attributes were in the linkage area which has high driving power and high dependence. However, the authors reached different values for the relative importance and the interdependencies among the elements resulting in three different clusters. Originality/value This note clarifies and corrects the way the ISM methodology can be applied.