Effects of total quality management in local authorities

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the main total quality management (TQM) factors adopted and the respective results achieved by local authorities – municipalities. Determining the degree to which TQM influences the respective results is also an aim of the present study. Design/methodology/approach A research study was designed to be carried out in Greek local authorities – municipalities, 125 of which were approached through interviews with chief executive officers (CEOs) based on a structured questionnaire. The TQM practices and results identified in the literature were used as measured variables of the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were applied for the purpose of the study. Findings The TQM philosophy is not highly adopted by the Greek local authorities participating in the present study. Moreover, the Greek local authorities do not seem to derive significant TQM benefits. Finally, adopting TQM strongly and positively influences, first, operational and quality performance of the local authorities; second, citizen satisfaction and society results; and third, employee satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Subjective data were collected from the CEOs of a small sample of local authorities operating in a European Union country, under circumstances of financial crisis. Based on these limitations, future research studies are recommended. Practical implications Areas for improvement are identified for a local authority to develop a robust TQM model, approach business excellence and derive significant benefits. Originality/value This is the first research study in the field of TQM to be conducted at city-level administration in Greece.

Dirección estratégica urbana, city marketing, gestión de calidad total y desarrollo económico local. Enfoque metodológico

“…La GCT implica la adopción por los gobiernos locales de un sistema de gestión global que construye una personalidad corporativa única y dinámica, basada en el compromiso de los empleados hacia la entrega de un valor constante a todos los grupos de interés, mediante la mejora continua del conjunto de procesos organizativos (Psomas et al, 2017).…”

“…Podemos, por tanto, establecer que la distribución de las ciudades en base a su adopción de la GCT y de la DEU es muy similar, demostrando la vinculación entre ambas y respondiendo a la tercera pregunta de investigación. Así, como se muestra conceptualmente, la DEU y la GCT están basadas en una profunda reflexión estratégica en las organizaciones y en la toma de decisiones coherentes que buscan la satisfacción de los diversos grupos de interés de manera continua (Psomas et al, 2017), y la generación de resultados competitivos. En los casos estudiados, se demuestra que la adopción del modelo EFQM ha generado mecanismos, conocimiento y experiencia suficientes como para sustentar el desarrollo de la DEU.…”

“…Además, y aunque el grado de definición de procesos no sea igual, en todas las ciudades diseñan y gestionan sus productos y servicios buscando la optimización de las experiencias para sus grupos de interés. De hecho, la adopción de la GCT genera ciertas rutinas y pautas de actuación en la organización (Dahlgaard-Park et al, 2018), y el mayor grado de la definición y estructuración de estas pautas conlleva un incremento de la eficiencia organizativa de forma constante y permite la obtención de mejores resultados a largo plazo (Psomas et al, 2017).…”

Evaluation of Tax Incomes of Municipalities in Conditions of the Slovak and Czech Republics

“…Reforms of public sector which is realized in individual countries have a goal a better performing public sector (Wynen, 2014). Public administration provides social justice and influences citizen's quality of life, and it is considered as a major factor of a country's economic development and growth (Psomas and Vouzas and Bouranta and Tasion, 2016). The process of managing of public institutions, i.e.…”

Critical Success Factors of Total Quality Management and Their Impact on Performance in the Indonesian Public Service Sector

“…Research has shown that quality schemes in the public sector have been found to improve facility management, reducing cost, staff motivation, moral and satisfaction [3], citizen satisfaction and overall organizational performance [4]. Although there is considerable research material and knowledge concerning the adoption of TQM in manufacturing environment, relatively few TQM studies in the service sector, and more specifically in the public service sector [7]. Some literature has noted that there is still no approriate framework for applying TQM especially in the public sector [5], [6].…”