The impact of “soft” and “hard” TQM elements on quality management results

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between "soft" and "hard" TQM elements and quality management results. Design/methodology/approach -Empirical data were drawn from 370 Greek companies using the questionnaire method. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine constructs' reliability and validity, while the relationships between them were examined through Structural Equation Modelling. Findings -The study proved that quality improvement and the consolidation of the company's market position are influenced mainly by adopting "soft" TQM elements and secondarily "hard" TQM elements.Research limitations/implications -The fact that the study was based on quality managers' perceptions and the participation of companies from all sectors creates limitations, but also future research orientations. Practical implications -To achieve benefits and obtain a competitive advantage, which is of major importance for the sustainability of a company, quality design, control and improvement tools are not enough and the adoption of a TQM culture is primarily required. Originality/value -The study describes in a reliable and valid way a model which consists of "soft" and "hard" TQM elements and quality management results.

A study of the use of business improvement initiatives: the association with company size and level of national development

“…According to Fotopoulos and Psomas (2009), large organisations are likely to adopt improvement initiatives related to quality management as a matter of principle or routine because of the expected payback in terms of customer satisfaction and financial performance. While the study went further to suggest that all organisations, irrespective of size, should adopt improvement initiatives, it may not be possible for smaller organisations to use them to the same degree due to resource issues.…”

TQM Is Alive but Not as We Know It: The Use of a Novel TQM Model in a Private Healthcare Company

“…Selecting the right blend is important because various authors claim a balance of soft and hard factors produce a higher probability of success [31,32]. Fotopoulos and Psomas go further on this point by asserting successful quality improvement efforts are more influenced by soft factors than hard [33]. Accordingly, most of the following methods are expressive of soft factors, capable of advancing EALIM'sprinciples.…”

The Implementation of TQM in R & D Environments

“…As listed above, examples of applications of TQM practices are available within a series of industries: manufacturing (Fotopoulos and Psomas, 2009;Hassan et al, 2012), health care (Kaplan et al, 2010), service (Feng et al, 2008), etc.. Although continuous attention is given to TQM within different industrial sectors, it is only in the last decade that researchers have started to investigate this issue within a particular company's unit, that is the R&D (among others, Kumar and Boyle, 2001;Petroni et al, 2003;Prajogo and Hong, 2008 This is mainly due to the fact that, as some authors stressed, TQM and R&D are based on different and often contradictory pillars (Sharman, 1996).…”