Bogdan-Nicolae MALEA1
Abstract. This article develops an integrated conceptual framework for analyzing the complex interactions among quality management, organizational knowledge dynamics, and innovation typologies, contextualized within the specific environment of public order institutions. Characterized by a Weberian organizational construct—structurally governed by strict hierarchy, extensive proceduralizing, and the principle of absolute legality—these organizations exhibit an inherent systemic resistance to change and agile information flows. The paper theoretically demonstrates how the transition from traditional compliance control to Total Quality Management (TQM), and subsequently to the emerging Quality 4.0 paradigm, provides the critical infrastructure necessary for unlocking and channeling knowledge flows. Drawing upon the energetic model of knowledge and the SECI conversion matrix (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization), the study examines the mechanisms through which quality management functions as an efficient distribution channel capable of mitigating the operational and legal risks associated with both incremental and radical innovation. Finally, the article proposes a resolution to the dialectical tension between administrative structural rigidity and epistemic flexibility, offering a unified model for optimizing institutional performance.
Keywords: Quality 4.0, Incremental Innovation, Weberian Model, Knowledge Management, Epistemic Synergy.
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscieco.2026.3.33
1 National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independenței, București, România, ORCID No. 0009-0005-8682-1436, bogdan.nicolae.malea@gmail.com
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Economy, Law, Sociology, Volume 9 no 3, 2026