The effect of TQM practices on operational performance: an empirical analysis of ISO 9001: 2008 certified manufacturing organizations in Ethiopia

The impact of total quality management on corporate sustainability in the manufacturing sector: corporate social responsibility as a mediator abstract

Purpose

This study aims at investigating the impact of total quality management (TQM) on corporate sustainability (CS) by mediating the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed research approach was adopted by conducting interviews and a survey. A survey was used as a quantitative tool for data collection from 67 respondents at different managerial levels. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for analysis.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that customer focus and human resource management (HRM) were the most effective practices. Structural analysis revealed that TQM had a significant impact on CSR and CS. Furthermore, CSR partially mediates the relationship between TQM and CS.

Research limitations/implications

The study has developed a conceptual framework to provide policymakers with guidelines on integrating TQM practices and CSR activities into their strategy.

Originality/value

This research bridges the gap between TQM and the three pillars of CS, especially in manufacturing enterprises in a developing country context. This research also supports the TQM advocate's argument that effective TQM deployment can dramatically improve organizational performance. Additionally, this study verifies the CS model based on the triple bottom line (TBL) theory and stakeholder theory by assessing the conceptual model's robustness using a mixed-method research methodology, which has never been done before from a Palestinian perspective.

Entrepreneurial coaching mediating relationship between TQM soft practices and firm performance: cases of certified Tunisian companies

Purpose

This paper aims to study implicitly the mediating role of entrepreneurial coaching between TQM soft practice and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was gathered from 160 Tunisian-certified companies. The direct and indirect effect between TQM soft practice, entrepreneurial coaching and firm performance are shown using the structural equation modeling. It was performed using SPSS 20 software and AMOS 20 software.

Findings

First, TQM practices have a positive effect on entrepreneurial coaching. Second, entrepreneurial coaching has a positive effect on firm performance. Third, TQM soft practices have a positive effect on firm performance. So, entrepreneurial coaching may implicitly mediate the relationship between TQM soft practice and firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

This paper helps the practitioner to understand how entrepreneurial coaching ensure TQM soft practice implementation and how entrepreneurial coaching affects firm performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper presents an innovative approach since it is among the first research study that treats the relationship between entrepreneurial support and TQM soft practice implementation and especially the relationship between entrepreneurial coaching and the success of the TQM soft practices implementation.

How to invest in total quality management practices for enhanced operational performance: findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA

Purpose

Consumer expectations of quality have grown in recent years, forcing organisations, both service and manufacturing, to adopt total quality management (TQM) principles to satisfy customer demands efficiently. However, previous studies on the performance impacts of total quality management practices have mainly focused on the financial performance of firms in the manufacturing sector. This study focusses on the research questions: (1) What is the effect of TQM practices on operational performance? and (2) How do TQM practices combine to influence the operational performance of healthcare facilities?

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 154 health facilities (i.e. private hospitals, pharmacies, maternity clinics, and diagnostic centres), the authors applied symmetric (PLS-SEM) and asymmetric (fsQCA) data analysis approaches to examine how TQM practices influence the operational performance of health facilities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Findings

The PLS-SEM results revealed that five out of the seven TQM practices investigated influenced operational performance. However, the fsQCA results identify five different complex combinations of TQM practices that lead to operational performance.

Research limitations/implications

Longitudinal studies can be conducted in the future to assess changes in the variables over time. A control variable, such as firm size, should be considered to assess the level of implementation of TQM practices based on firm size. A different performance measure, for instance, sustainability indicators or the balance score card, could be used to examine performance.

Practical implications

A proper and coordinated integration of the TQM practices is required for firms to be able to achieve operational performance. TQM practices vary in their sufficiency for operational outcomes; therefore, management needs to carefully consider their implementation as part of the organisation's strategy.

Originality/value

This research, by focussing on TQM practices from both symmetrical and asymmetrical perspectives, contributes to the understanding of the literature on TQM, thereby providing actionable insight on how to invest in the various TQM practices for improved operational performance.

Green creativity, TQM and business sustainability of large manufacturing firms in Malaysia

Purpose

This paper examines the effect of green creativity (GC) on the business sustainability (BS) of large manufacturing firms (LMFs) in Malaysia and investigates the mediating effect of total quality management (TQM) on this relationship.

Design/Methodology/Approach

A quantitative approach was adopted, using a sample of 206 LMFs; the formulated hypotheses were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings revealed a significant positive effect of GC on the TQM and BS of LMFs and a significant positive effect of TQM on their BS. TQM also has a full mediating effect on the relationship between GC and BS.

Research Limitations/Implications

One of the limitations of this study is its focus on Malaysian LMFs. It nevertheless contributes to the literature by extending knowledge concerning their TQM, GC and multi-faceted perspectives. This is largely ignored in literature and, as such, the study paves the way for additional research.

Practical Implications

The findings of this study may be used as guidelines for CEOs, particularly on the way TQM and GC can be developed for enhanced BS, in the context of South Asian countries.

Originality/Value

This study is the first to test the influence of GC on Malaysian LMFs’ BS and the first worldwide to investigate the mediating effect of TQM on their GC-BS relationship.

Influence of Organisational Culture on Total Quality Management Implementation in the Australian Construction Industry

This study explores the relationship between organisational culture and total quality management (TQM) implementation in Australia, with the purpose of identifying the particular culture that dominants the Australian construction industry, and distinguishing which cultures determine the successful implementation of TQM. Although the application of the competing values framework (CVF) for evaluating organisational culture (OC) in the construction industry has been studied by some scholars, research into OC and its impact on TQM procedures in connection to the CVF in project-based industries such as construction has received less attention. Thus, this research intends to determine the relationship between OC and TQM regarding the CVF in the Australian construction industry. The research methodology used the validated organisational culture assessment instrument (OCAI) CVF to frame OC, and TQM practices identified from the literature review. An online questionnaire was distributed through Qualtrics, whereby 42 valid responses representing various construction organisations in Australia were analysed through IBM SPSS Statistics 26 through endorsing k-means cluster analysis, and analysis of variance. The findings support that Australian construction organisations are dominated by the market and external focused cultures according to the CVF of organisational classification. Furthermore, the findings acknowledge that organisations that are dominated by hierarchical cultural characterises could provide an unfavourable environment for the successful implementation of TQM. Whilst an organisation that obtains a mix of cultures, specifically with the adhocracy and market cultures dominating could provide a favourable environment for the successful implementation of TQM.

Assessment of quality performance in the Egyptian manufacturing industry

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the quality performance of the Egyptian manufacturing industry based on Flynn's quality management practices framework.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature-based questionnaire was developed to collect the research data. The sample studied included 193 professionals from different manufacturing firms in Egypt. The research model utilized seven first-order constructs to measure infrastructure and core quality practices and the model was analyzed by structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of the study showed that infrastructure practices had a positive effect on core quality practices, which in turn, significantly influenced quality performance. The findings confirmed that Egyptian manufacturing firms have a good foundation of quality management practices enabling them to improve quality performance.

Practical implications

This study provides a foundation for Egyptian manufacturing firms to develop a practical plan for implementing total quality management (TQM). In addition, the results of this study will help managers and policy makers develop a thorough understanding of the current status of TQM initiatives, enablers and barriers in Egypt.

Originality/value

The study represents one of the few attempts to examine quality practices and quality performance in the manufacturing sector in Egypt. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study to examine these parameters in this context in Egypt.

Adoption of Ubiquitous CRM for Operational Sustainability of the Firms: Moderating Role of Technology Turbulence

Ubiquitous CRM (UCRM) enhances customer relationship management. It can sense customer needs and demands, to which firms can respond quickly. Therefore, UCRM helps to improve a firm’s agility. There is a growing interest among researchers and practitioners to understand how the adoption of UCRM impacts the sustainability of firms’ operations, but not many studies have investigated this issue. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine how firms’ absorptive capacity and dynamic capability could impact the adoption of UCRM to influence the operational sustainability of the firms and their performance. The study also investigates the moderating role of technology turbulence on the relationship between a firm’s operational sustainability and its performance. Using absorptive capacity theory and dynamic capability view theory and reviewing the existing literature, we developed a conceptual model. The model was then validated using a structural equation modeling technique considering 309 usable respondents from different firms that use UCRM for their operational activities. The study found that firms’ absorptive capacity and dynamic capability significantly and positively impact the adoption of UCRM, which in turn significantly and positively impacts firms’ operational sustainability and improves their performance. The study also shows that there is a significant moderating role of technology turbulence on the relationship between operational sustainability and firm performance.

Effect of total quality management practices on nonfinancial performance: an empirical analysis of automotive engineering industry in Ethiopia

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the total quality management (TQM) practices and identify their effect on the nonfinancial performance (NFP) in the automotive engineering industry in Ethiopia. Despite many studies investigating the relationship between TQM practices and NFP, rare research has been conducted on TQM in automotive industries, making this a hugely unexplored field.

Design/methodology/approach

The data underlying this study was collected using more than 500 self-administered questionnaire survey, distributed to the employees working under different departments and factories under one automotive engineering industry. Extensive data screening and refinement processes for discarding irrelevant items for the questionnaire (Likert five-point scale) were carried out. The data was employed to test the proposed theoretical model, established with the objective of assessing the effect of TQM practices on the NFP in the case industry. Empirical validated relations have been proofed for previously done researches that there were positive relations between the TQM practices and NFP. Different statistical tools applied include descriptive data analysis, correlation analysis, mean scale test, reliability analysis and factor analysis, and finally, two models were developed based on structural equation modeling by using SPSS and AMOS-26 software.

Findings

Results found in this study were quite surprising. Initially, there was a total of ten TQM factors. The six independent factors survived from factor analysis only two factors (employee involvement and innovation) were contributing to the NFP. The study was acted as a performance evaluation system to track the industry NFP. Although the study focused on the effect of TQM practices, for more results it is recommended to conduct a 360-degree further research study to reveal the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and challenges of the case industry performance.

Research limitations/implications

Every research has its own limitations. The way the analysis is conducted in this study ensures that the limitations do not compromise the validity of the results obtained. Control variables (industry type, size, age, process type and technology used) are not considered in the research which may affect the results obtained. The study included the automobile industry alone, so the obtained results cannot be generalized to other industries.

Practical implications

The positive relationship between the TQM practices and NFP measures indicates the importance of each of these practices in improving the industry. Researchers/managers/practitioners can use this developed model periodically to understand where the industry stands in the quality management journey. They can also analyze the effect of TQM practices on financial as well as operational performance measures. The research findings can also motivate the top management of the industry for better planning of goals, to arrange resources in time, in pursuit of improving quality, employee and industry performance.

Originality/value

The Ethiopian manufacturing industry is required to improve their manufacturing and service quality, in order to enhance their productivity and boost their competitiveness in an international market, which is the basis of this study. This study signifies one of the first attempts to empirically explore this linkage between TQM and performance in the Ethiopian automotive industry context.