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Research Article
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Abstract
This research is an attempt to find a logical relationship between total quality management (TQM),
innovation and customer satisfaction through reviewing several other researches. It identifies different
practices in service industry which possibly influence different dimensions of innovation and how
these enhance customer satisfaction. In order to increase customer satisfaction, organizations can
implement TQM practices and strive after innovation. This study highlights seven TQM practices such
as management leadership, employee involvement, employee empowerment, information/analysis,
training/education, customer focus and continuous empowerment. In addition, the three dimensions of
innovation which are product, process and administrative innovations have been well elaborated to
enhance proper understanding of how firms can achieve customer’s satisfaction by means of total
quality management and innovative ideas and actions.
INTRODUCTION
Customer satisfaction is a key factor in management. It is one of the significant perspectives in performance (Kaplan
and Norton 2001). Customer satisfaction is a key part in organizational productivity (Bernhardt et al., (1994; Eklof and
Westlund, (1998) Naumann et al., (2001) believes that customer satisfaction should always be considered in any
organizational planning. Agus (2004) adds that customer satisfaction is in direct relationship with applying TQM. As
Ingram and Chung (1997) indicated, there is a relationship between implementing TQM practices and improving
customer satisfaction in health care system. In addition, TQM can be an element in boosting the competitive factor in
Thailand hospitals (Pongpirul et al., 2006).
As Aghazadeh (2002) clarifies, practical use of TQM is al., (2009) enlisted some significant elements affecting
definitely significant in business. There are lots of other usage of TQM practices on the system. These are
researches in the area of customer satisfaction in service leadership, team working, training, organizational
and manufacturing industries. Al-Saggaf (1997) showed learning, communication and process management.
that applying TQM practices can increase customer
satisfaction in Saudi Arabia’s electrical industries. Also,
Kanji et al., (1999) revealed that TQM can improve TQM PRACTICES
customer satisfaction in UK universities. The present
research tries to identify the best TQM practices through Masters of quality management helped to formulate acts
investigating several other researches on TQM, customer of TQM. Their major frameworks are the underlying
satisfaction and innovation perspective. premise of real investigations of TQM practices in written
The excessive request for quality and innovation is works (Anderson et al., 1995; Flynn, et al., 1994; Kaynak,
getting more and more important for service providing 2003; Powell, 1995; Saraph et al., 1989). In addition,
industries (Juneja et al., 2011; Karani and Bichanga those frameworks affected the awards and certificates on
2012). This helps to remain competitive in their field of business excellence (e.g. MBNQA and EFQM). Sarpah et
duty and has given rise to many researchers’ motivation al., (1989) tried to create TQM practice through
to work more on the relationship between innovation and experimental researches based on quality masters
TQM practices. This current review of literature provides frameworks. They collected data from review of literature
a new perspective into the relationship between TQM and in a comparing manner and with the help of 20
innovation. organizations, developed 8 TQM (Table 1). They used
other studies in order to outline managers’ participation.
Flynn et al., (1995) conducted an important research on
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT TQM practices improving eight measurable TQM
practices for assembling plant level. Their TQM practices
Ahire et al., (1996) described TQM as a process of are practically in some manner identical to those
continual methods for the sustenance of customer discussed by Saraph et al., (1989). Focus was more on
satisfaction. Other researchers have described it as the employees and their awareness in manufacturing
procedures and methods applicable in order to increase plans using experimental data while Saraph et al., (1989)
product or services in terms of quality and efficiency. emphasized more on literary works.
(Steingard and Fitzgibbons; 1993) Lately, the most prominent and generally utilized TQM
Several companies have applied TQM practices in practices are dependent upon the criteria of the Malcolm
order to increase their chances of competition, benefits Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) which grew in
and innovation. The positive effects of using TQM 1987 by The National Institute of Standards and
methods can be seen in their performance outcome Technology (NIST, 2012). The grant's criteria were
(Abdullah et al., 2009; Crosby, 1979; Deming, 1993; predominantly advanced to measure the level of QM
Hoang, et al., 2010; Zakuan et al., 2008). Some other provision degree in both assembling and administration
researchers have analyzed the literature in order to find associations. The MBNQA criteria utilized seven
out other elements which can have effect on TQM. strategies that any association can use to evaluate
It was discovered that an accretion between TQM quality provision and execution as shown in Table 1.
systems and daily business systems, management In the early days of TQM, researches were more
devotion, human resource entanglement in daily business focused on manufacturing industries and productions
process and high management knowledge of TQM are rather than services. Although with increasing rate of
the most influential factors of using TQM. (Soltani et al., service industry, the need for TQM became very
2008) necessary in service firms (Juneja, et al., 2011). Writers
Lewis et al., (2006) investigated eight different factors further hold that standards formed from the diverse
considered as critical factors for TQM implementation. definitions by masters of TQM are dependent upon
Data related to 12 countries were collected and 12 quality definition: quality is greatness; quality is worth;
different factors were figured out as critical factors. They quality is conformance to details; and quality is gathering
include quality data and reporting, customer satisfaction, or surpassing clients' desires.
human resource utilization, management of process There are reasons to think products are different from
control, training and education, management services in terms of TQM application perspective. The
commitment, continuous improvement, leadership, fundamental distinctions are that service sector is elusive
strategic quality planning, performance measurement, and depends progressively on clients’ assessment. The
customer focus and contact with suppliers and impalpability of service sector makes estimation issue
professional associates. while reliance on client assessment makes lead firms to
Through analyzing the circumstance surrounding some be client led (Juneja et al., 2011). Other studies claim that
well-known TQM awards and certifications, Abdullah et TQM practices are different for service firms compared to
Golmohammadi et al..Topcls. J.B.M.I. 1(2)63
Saraph et al. (1989) Flynn et al. (1995) MBNQ (2007) Bon and Esam (2012)
Top management support, Leadership, Management leadership,
Management leadership,
customer relationship, supplier Employee Involvement,
supplier’s quality management, Customer and market
relationship, workforce Employee empowerment,
employee relations, training, focus, workforce focus,
management, work attitudes, Information and analysis,
role of the quality department, strategic planning,
process flow management,
process management, quality process management, Training and education,
statistical and reporting control
data and reporting, design and information and analysis, customer focus
and feedback, product design
measurement control business performance
control process Continuous, empowerment
are made by adding new factors to the service or product. knowledge based services and knowledge based
They may alter or enhance customer satisfaction. services export. Another research holds that managers
and staff characteristics are the most crucial factors
affecting innovation (Gambatese and Hallowell, 2011).
Technological and administrative Innovation Others have reported that the better an organization can
handle the educational confrontations, the more
Implementation of new technologies into processes or innovative they can be (Hausman, 2005). There is no
products is technological innovation (Damanpour, 1988). global tie between TQM and literature which only reveals
This can guaranty a long term success in competitive a mixed relationship (Bon and Mustafa, 2012). This
advantages in the market (Grover et al., 2007). mixture comes from the variety of TQM methods and its
Managerial improvement alludes to the usage of new different aspects as well as different definitions of
plans enhancing organizational methodologies, innovation.
schedules, structures or frameworks (Elenkov et al., According to Hoang et al., (2006), practicing TQM can
2005). Authoritative development is connected with inner positively affect innovation level as well as the quantity of
methods supporting the conveyance of an administration service and products made in both products and services
or item. firms. They conducted their research based on data
collected from Vietnam. Martinez-Costa and Martinez-
Lorente (2008) found out that there is a link between
Product and Process Innovation innovation and TQM. They gathered and analyzed the
data from 451 manufacturing and service firms in Spain.
Technological innovation consists of two dimensions: They found a positive relationship between innovation
product innovation and procedure innovation. If there is a and TQM practices. They stated that firms need to use
boost in quality of a product or service, or an innovation and practice TQM not just for enhancing execution
in creating a new product, it is called product innovation through stressing in empowering and moving the
(Burgelman et al., 2009). Process innovation implies creativity cult. Santos-Vijande and Alvarez-Gonzalez
innovative procedures created to enhance effectiveness (2007) dissected information from 93 manufacturing and
of production (Tarafdar and Gordon, 2007). service organizations in Spain as well. Their results
showed that TQM has notable impact on managerial
innovation.
INNOVATION AND TQM These discoveries likewise indicated that the
connection between TQM and specialized development
Several studies have tried to measure organizational is subjected to the firm creativity and company's
creativity and innovation level. Some have developed innovation cult. On the other hand they believed that
models to measure innovation levels that are applicable TQM-innovation relationship is subject to market
in high enterprises in Taiwan (Liu et al., 2010). These disorder. Sadikoglu and Zehir (2010) conducted an
measurements are in the form of questionnaires inquiring experiment on 373 companies which are ISO
about different high and middle managers of about 150 (9001:2001) certified companies in Turkey. They found a
different technological industries. Their model has some firm connection between innovation and employee
similarities with Hage (1999), some of which include the performance asserting that a company’s competitive
percentage of benefits created through innovations, advantage is affected by employee innovation, which is
giving ranks to new products, services or procedures, affected by managerial positive attitude towards
frequency of new ideas, range of human resources and employee empowerment. This leads to increase in
other related factors (Gambatese and Hallowell, 2011). employee’s satisfaction as a chain reaction. Leavengood
In measuring innovation based on firm’s performance, and Anderson’s (2011) researched on companies in USA
Voss (1992) counts on financial enhancement gained in search of a Link between TQM and innovation and
through competition, resource utilization, procedure showed that the level of creativity is relatively low in
flexibility, service quality scale, creativity effectiveness, quality orientated firms. They argued that innovation
usage speed and cost implementation. Kanerva and oriented companies are more customer protective, while
Hollanders (2009) discussed another measurement quality oriented companies are more reactive into
model based on European Innovation Scoreboard (IES) customer needs leading them into dangerous margins.
to specifically measure service creativity. Their As a general conclusion, different factors can affect the
measurement model is made of business research and relationship between TQM and innovation. First, they are
development (R&D) costs, non R&D creativity costs, pretty much different from each other. Some researchers
companies’ internal creativity, external innovative (Prajogo and Sohal, 2001) found a negative impact of
participation, company renovation, resource innovation some practices, while others found no obvious tie (Singh
creators, average creative portions where it has reduced and Smith, 2004). However, the greater part of outcomes
labor force costs, newly introduced products to market, demonstrated a backing of the positive capacity of TQM
Golmohammadi et al..Topcls. J.B.M.I. 1(2)65
TQM practices
Innovation
Management leadership,
Employee Involvement, Product Innovation
Employee Customer
Process Innovation
empowerment,
Information and Administrative Satisfaction
analysis,
Innovation
Training and education,
Customer focus
Continuous,
empowerment
on advancement. Also, no such study explored the effect empowerment. In addition, the three dimensions of
of TQM on enhancement in administrative firms or innovation which are product, process and administrative
industries. All the studies accompanied the ordinary TQM innovations have been well elaborated to enhance proper
approaches that interfaced practices of TQM with understanding of how firms can achieve customer’s
assembling firms and industries. satisfaction by means of total quality management and
innovative ideas and actions.