Critical success factors for TQM implementation among manufacturing SMEs

Svetoslav Georgiev

58 citations0/0 files storedBenchmarking An International Journal

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Quality and Supply Management Quality and Management Systems Management Systems and Quality Improvement

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address a perennial question regarding the importance of soft total quality management (TQM) as part of the TQM implementation process – a topic that has been significantly understudied. Specifically, the authors address previous calls in the literature for stressing the soft aspects of TQM and for drawing a critical success factor (CSF) list that is formulated on the basis of empirical research instead of theory. Design/methodology/approach This is a comparative qualitative case study of three manufacturing SMEs combining empirical data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a large variety of stakeholders – from top managers to shop-floor workers, site visits and observations. Findings The study identifies 12 soft CSFs, and while most of these factors have been well-documented in the literature (e.g. top management involvement and leadership), the authors show evidence for the existence of other soft constructs that have not been considered or have been given little importance previously (i.e. middle management involvement and support, reward and recognition, CSR focus). Research limitations/implications The study fills two major gaps in the (T)QM literature. First, it enriches the understanding of TQM implementation among Japanese SMEs. Second, it addresses the importance of soft TQM as part of the TQM implementation process. Practical implications This paper provides company owners and managers with valuable knowledge that may assist their organisations in the pursuit of business excellence including higher product quality and employee satisfaction. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first (international) study to investigate TQM implementation within the context of Japanese SMEs.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 58 citations exist upstream.

References

2004Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research 2002Case research in operations management 1995Total quality management as competitive advantage: A review and empirical study 1989An Instrument for Measuring the Critical Factors of Quality Management 1996Development and Validation of TQM Implementation Constructs 1994MANAGEMENT THEORY AND TOTAL QUALITY: IMPROVING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE THROUGH THEORY DEVELOPMENT 1999The relationship between total quality management practices and operational performance 1996Identification of the Critical Factors of TQM*

Cited by

2020The effect of total quality management-enabling factors on corporate social responsibility and business performance: evidence from Vietnamese coffee firms 2022Influence of Organisational Culture on Total Quality Management Implementation in the Australian Construction Industry 2022Roadmap for the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in ISO 9001-certified construction companies: Evidence from Turkey 2021Delving into the soft side of TQM: an analysis of the implications of employee involvement on management practices

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.