An exploration of quality management practices in the manufacturing industry of Ethiopia

Abstract

Purpose Total quality management (TQM) has long been viewed as a strategy to attain business excellence. However, it is relatively a new concept in the context of emerging economies. Particularly, this is far beyond the reality in the context of African countries, in general. The purpose of this paper is to study the current state of TQM implementation in the manufacturing industry of Ethiopia (MIE). The study also focuses on several comparisons, between large and medium companies, and ISO and non-ISO companies with regard to the adoption of TQM practices. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on top- and middle-level managers from sample companies. Data were collected using a structured survey questionnaire. After testing scale reliability and validity, descriptive and factor analysis were used for the data analysis. Findings The findings, in general, indicated that Ethiopian manufacturers have implemented TQM at a moderate level (grand mean value of 2.86 on 0–5 scale). It is revealed that ISO companies are significantly adopted TQM practices than non-ISO companies, whereas no difference was found between large and medium companies. Originality/value Given the importance of understanding TQM and paucity of research on the topic in Ethiopia, the study provides practical insights and groundwork that can guide practitioners to understand the drivers of TQM in the region. Particularly, the study is useful to plan corrective actions on practices that are likely to obstruct TQM implementation in the MIE. Moreover, the study adds to the empirical literature that may yield important insights on TQM for under-researched emerging economies, particularly for the eastern part of Africa, where nations share similar cross-cultural norms, economic, social and ethnic settings.

Have the Reports of TQM’s Death Been Greatly Exaggerated? A Re-Examination of the Concept’s Historical Popularity Trajectory

“…However, the popularity trajectory of TQM is likely to diverge as the concept is diffused and translated in different local settings, and the so-called "national reception patterns" (Benders et al 2000) of TQM may vary. The findings of this paper indicate that while TQM is on the decline in the West, it is on the rise in emerging and developing countries (Addis 2019;Dahlgaard-Park 2015;Isaksson et al 2016). A cross-country study of the diffusion of TQM could shed more light on how the trajectory of the concept varies across time and space.…”

“…A survey carried out in Norway showed that most respondents had not adopted and implemented TQM to a large extent and had a long way to go (Sun 1999). In a recent study from Ethiopia, Addis (2019) notes that TQM is a relatively new concept, but finds that it is now used at a moderate level.…”

Insights into the reasons behind the limited implementation of ISO 9001 certification: empirical evidence from Yemen

“…Developing and least-developed countries have faced issues with lower levels of quality control and improvement practices due to limited success in meeting international quality standards, which have hindered the penetration of businesses into regional and global markets (Aamer, 2018; Addis, 2019; Al-Awlaqi et al , 2018; Babatunde and Sui Pheng, 2015; Ochieng et al , 2015; Valmohammadi and Kalantari, 2015; Willar et al , 2015). One of the crucial factors in quality improvement is the establishment of a quality management system (QMS) to organize and standardize quality and improvement, let alone increase the credibility of organizations in order to be able to penetrate international markets (Bounabri et al , 2018; Murphy and Leonard, 2016; Zeng et al , 2015).…”

“…While ISO 9001 standard certification is reaching saturation in some countries and regions (Simon and Kafel, 2018), other developing and least developed countries are still struggling with the implementation of ISO 9001. There are minimal attempts to address the understanding relevance of factors for ISO 9001 implementation in developing and least developed countries (Addis, 2019; Ochieng et al , 2015). In this sense, the study at hand focuses on the literature gap of the relevance of factors for ISO 9001 implementation in different countries in line with previous research (Allur et al , 2014; Almeida et al , 2018; Downey et al , 2015; Heras-Saizarbitoria and Boiral, 2015; Huo et al , 2014).…”

Line Balancing and Layout Model for Productivity Improvement in Leather Footwear Industry

“…Despite the above mentioned indigenous resource potentials, the leather industry of Ethiopia is yet to utilize its resources to appreciable extent (Addis 2019). It significantly lags behind many countries that are less abundantly endowed with their indigenous resources (Netsanet 2014).…”