The mediating effect of human resource on successful total quality management implementation: An empirical study on SMEs in manufacturing sectors
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the mediating effect of human resource (HR) between independent variables (i.e. leadership and quality culture (QC)) and successful total quality management (TQM) implementation for firm performance as dependent variable.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors have used exploratory factor analysis output as input for mediation statistics. The mediating regression analysis has been performed using exploratory factor analysis based on four steps technique proposed by Baron and Keene in the year 1986 to test the theoretical model.
Findings
The mediation statistics output suggests that HR is a complete mediation between independent variables (i.e. leadership) and successful TQM implementation for firm performance and QC is having direct impact on firm performance without any mediation effect of HR.
Research limitations/implications
Mediation regression has its own limitations. Satisfying four steps does not, however, conclusively establish that mediation has occurred and also there persists a measurement problem. The cross-ectional data is one of the present limitation of our present study. While this study was able to provide additional insight into leadership and QC of TQM and its relationship with firm performance, it also revealed areas that would benefit from further research.
Originality/value
This study provides an insight into leadership together with right QC mediates with HR practices to help successful TQM implementation for firm performance on the basis of survey conducted among Indian manufacturing sector is unique contribution.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the anonymous referees of the journal for their extremely useful suggestions to improve the quality of the paper. The authors are also very grateful to Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Emerald editorial team members for their support.
Citation
Dubey, R., Singh, T. and Ali, S.S. (2015), "The mediating effect of human resource on successful total quality management implementation: An empirical study on SMEs in manufacturing sectors", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 22 No. 7, pp. 1463-1480. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-08-2013-0083
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited