Critical Success Factors of Total Quality Management on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises: a Systematic Literature Review
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The objective of the study are;
- To investigate the influence of TQM practices on the competitive situation of SMEs in Nigeria.
- To ascertain the relationship between total quality management and small and medium scale enterprises
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Concept of Total Quality Management (TQM)
TQM origins can be traced back to 1949 when the Unions of Japanese Scientists and Engineers formed a committee of scholars, engineers and government officials devoted to improving Japanese productivity, and enhancing their post-war quality of life and “American firms began to take serious notice of TQM around 1980” (Powell, 1995; Brun, 2011). Some of the first seeds of quality management were planted as the principles of scientific management swept through U.S. industry. Businesses clearly separated the processes of planning and carrying out the plan, and union opposition arose as workers were deprived of a voice in the conditions and functions of their work. The Hawthorne experiments in the late 1920s showed how worker productivity could be impacted by participation. TQM is described as a corporate culture that is characterized by increased customer satisfaction through continuous improvement, involving all employees in the organization (Anvari, Ismail and Hojjati, 2011; Kalra and Pant, 2013). Again Hellsten and Klefsjo (2000) define TQM as a management system in continuous change, which consists of values, techniques and tools where the overall goal of the system is increased customer satisfaction with a reduced amount of resources. TQM is a philosophy aimed at achieving business excellence through the use of integrated systems and the application of tools and techniques, as well as the management of soft aspects such as human motivation in work (Yang, 2005; Zadry and Yusof, 2007). Berry (1991), on the other hand, defines the TQM process as a total corporate focus on meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations and significantly reducing costs resulting from poor quality by adopting a new management system and corporate culture. Using a three-word definition, Lakhe and Mohanty (1994) further define TQM as:
i Total: Every person is involved (its customers and suppliers).
i Quality: Customer requirements are met exactly.
i Management: Senior executives are fully committed.
The term TQM was initially coined in 1985 by Naval Air Systems Command to describe its Japanese-style management approach to quality improvement (Bemowski, 1992). Since the 1970s simple inspection activities have been replaced or supplemented by quality control, quality assurance, and many companies began to work towards TQM (Vuppalapati, Ahire and Gupta, 1995). In the 2000s TQM became a philosophy of a broad and systemic approach to managing organizational quality such as the ISO 9000 series, and quality award program such as the Deming Prize and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award which specify principles and processes that comprise TQM (Temtime, 2003).
Chapter Three
Research methodology
Research Design
The research design adopted in this research work is the survey research design which involves the usage of self-designed questionnaire in the collection of data. Under the survey research design, primary data of this study will be collected from selected SMEs in Uyo in order to determine the critical success factors of total quality management on small and medium scale enterprises. The design was chosen because it enables the researcher to collect data without manipulation of any variables of interest in the study. The design also provides opportunity for equal chance of participation in the study for respondents.
Population of Study
The population of study is the census of all items or a subject that possess the characteristics or that have the knowledge of the phenomenon that is being studied (Asiaka, 1991). It also means the aggregate people from which the sample is to be drawn.
Population is sometimes referred to as the universe. The population of this research study will be Seventy-five (75) staffs of selected SMEs in Uyo
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is about the analysis and presentation of data collected from the field through questionnaire. The analysis of the data with particular question immediately followed by the presentation of findings.
As mentioned in chapter three, 50 questionnaires were administered and 50 were retrieved and necessary analysis was carried out on them and presented as follows:
Contribution to the knowledge
The knowledge of critical success factors of TQM practices and their associated implementation barriers is very crucial (Kumar et al., 2014). The authors investigated key CSFs for the application SMEs. Findings suggested management involvement, linking Sigma to customers, and linking Sigma to the business strategy as the main factors. In carrying out a comparative study of Sigma implementation the in manufacturing SMEs. In Kumar and Antony (2008), the researchers found that lack of knowledge and limited resource availability are the major reasons for not implementing TQM practices. Similar findings exist in the literatures (Ihua, 2009). A comparative study of failure-factors between the United Kingdom and Nigeria was done in Kumar et al.(2014), summarizing the most important factors to failure among SMEs, that is, lack of managerial expertise, poor management, low staff training, low technical competencies, quality failures, and shortage of resources.
Recommendation
Therefore, the SMEs should have its own way and strategy in the implementation of total quality management. In addition, the important contribution of this study is to identify the critical success factors of TQM approach. SME owner-managers should invest substantial resources in adapting and implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) in their operations so that success and viable performance outcome can be achieved. SME owner-managers should select and use the most convenient tool of Total Quality Management.
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