M. N. Qureshi

Analysis of interaction among the barriers to total quality management implementation using interpretive structural modeling approach

Purpose – Previous research showed that there are some barriers which hinder the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in organizations. But no study has been undertaken to understand the interaction among these barriers and to develop a hierarchy of TQM barriers model. There is an urgent need to analyze the behavior of these barriers so that TQM may be successfully implemented. This paper therefore, aims to understand the mutual interaction of these barriers and identify the “driving barriers” (i.e. which influence the other barriers) and the “dependent barriers” (i.e. which are influenced by others).Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) based approach has been utilized to understand the mutual influences among the barriers of TQM.Findings – In the present research work, 12 TQM barriers are identified through the literature review and expert opinion. The research shows that there exist two groups of barriers, one having high driving power and low dependency requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance (such as lack of top-management commitment, lack of coordination between departments) and the other having high dependence and low driving power and are resultant effects (such as high turnover at management level, lack of continuous improvement culture, employees’ resistance to change).Practical implications – The adoption of such an ISM-based model on TQM barriers in service organizations would help managers, decision makers, and practitioners of TQM in better understanding of these barriers and to focus on major barriers while implementing TQM in their organizations.Originality/value – Presentation of TQM barriers in the form of an ISM-based model and the categorization into driver and dependent clusters is a new effort in the area of TQM.

Total quality management and service quality: an exploratory study of quality management practices and barriers in service industry

During the last two decades, the level of total quality management (TQM) awareness has considerably increased in the service industries. With the ever-increasing customer demand, the global competition service industries are forced to re-think to improve their TQM practices and overcome the barriers during the implementation of TQM for maximum benefits. Further, the extent of the literature review reveals that no study has addressed these two issues collectively for service industries. In the light of these facts, the purpose of this study is to identify the TQM practices that are critical for the support of service quality in different types of service industries. It also aims to explore the barriers of TQM implementation so that managers of service industries can work upon them to achieve service quality and customer satisfaction. From the literature review, 17 major TQM practices were found critical for the industry performance. These were frequently used by different researchers in the service industries. Also, a total of 12 major barriers were identified from the literature which hinders the implementation of TQM successfully. The managerial implications, recommendations and scope for future study are presented in the end.

An interpretive structural modelling approach for modelling the practices of total quality management in service sector

Service sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world and is facing immense pressure to improve their quality of products and services to compete and achieve a leading position in the global market. The issues related to quality therefore, need to be addressed for better understanding the relationships among the quality practices which could enhance the organization’s performance. The purpose of this research study is to model the key total quality management (TQM) practices relationship by understanding the dynamics between them that will help service organizations to implement TQM successfully. The present paper utilizes the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology to understand the mutual relationships among the TQM practices and presents a hierarchy-based model of the practices. The research shows that there exists a group of practices of TQM having a high driving power and low dependence requiring attention and of strategic importance while another group consists of those practices which have high dependence and are the resultant actions. There also exists a group having high driving power and high dependence. They acts as linkage and influence some of the practices of TQM. The paper ends with a discussion on implications for research as well as practice.

Total Quality Management in Service Sector: A Literature Review

Over the last two decades, service organisations have embraced total quality management (TQM) as an effective management tool to improve their service quality. They have begun to show a keen interest in TQM by working on quality and related areas. TQM has become a major area of attention to practitioners, managers and researchers due to its strong impact on business performance, customer satisfaction and profitability. In the light of this, an attempt has been made to study and understand the theory and concept of TQM, its benefits as well as various facets of service components and its classification. This study also explores the literature on the implementation of TQM in selected service industries. The finding of this study provides a rich contribution towards TQM theory, its role in service sector, as well as presents the different components of services. This paper can help business managers and quality practitioners in better understanding TQM, service systems concept as well as TQM implementation in service sector. The scope for future study is presented at the end.

Impact of Total Quality Management and Service Quality in the Banking Sector

After the successful implementation of TQM in manufacturing it is now being extensively applied in service sectors including banks, to improve business performance. Keeping this in view, the purpose of this paper is to present a detailed overview of the role of service quality and Total Quality Management (TQM), and its critical dimensions in the banking sector. A detailed review of the literature on TQM and service quality concepts was carried out in context of the banking sector. The study further explored the experience of TQM implementation in banks adopting this approach. The findings indicate that to ensure successful implementation of TQM in the banks, there are certain critical dimensions which needs to be addressed, viz: management commitment and support towards TQM, motivating and training of employees, and monitoring of customers’ requirement through feedback. Beside this, it was also found that service quality is an important construct in banking sector and identifies four broad conceptual categories related to service quality. The finding will provide an understanding of the role of TQM and service quality in banking sector and it also provides useful direction for future research.

Survey on the usage of total quality management tools and techniques in Indian service industries: an empirical analysis

This study focuses on the state of usage of quality tools and techniques in Indian service industries. To achieve this objective, a comprehensive instrument was constructed and distributed to select Indian service companies. The usage of quality tools and techniques was surveyed and then analysed. The study sample consists of a group of 172 selected Indian service companies from various industries like healthcare, information and communication technology (ICT), banking, and hospitality. The survey findings revealed that usage of tools and techniques for quality improvement in Indian service companies is low and majority of the Indian service industries implement easiest and simple to use quality tools and techniques. The survey also showed some areas for further improvement like usage of advanced and complex quality tools such as 5-’S’, Pareto analysis, Kaizen activities, and business process reengineering (BPR) which are barely used. Further, some managerial implications and future scope of this study are also reported at the end.