The impact of supply chain quality leadership on supply chain quality integration and quality performance
ISSN: 1359-8546
Article publication date: 27 April 2022
Issue publication date: 28 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
As quality issues become more prominent in supply chain (SC) management, understanding the factors driving SC quality integration (SCIQ) and quality performance has become increasingly important, shifting the focus of quality management to firms in SCs. This study aims to examine the role of SC quality leadership (SCQL) in facilitating SCIQ and its direct and indirect relationship with quality performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data on 400 Chinese manufacturing firms were collected using survey questionnaires. The hypothesised relationships between SCQL, SCIQ and quality performance were tested using structural equation modeling in AMOS 22.0.
Findings
Empirical results show that SCQL has a positive and significant effect on quality performance and all three dimensions of SCIQ: supplier quality integration, internal quality integration and customer quality integration. The results also show that SCIQ mediates the relationship between SCQL and quality performance.
Practical implications
Executives should develop SCQL to improve SCIQ in their SCs and ultimately improve quality performance. In particular, nurturing SQI can potentially lead to unique capabilities, relative to competitors. They should be aware of their important role in integrating and coordinating between functional units within the firm and between SC members.
Originality/value
This study enriches the SCM literature by identifying SCQL as a new and significant antecedent of SCIQ in manufacturing firms. It contributes to the SC leadership literature by conceptualizing both the quality and social responsibility aspects of SC leadership, conceptualizing SCQL at the firm level and positioning SCIQ as a mediator between SCQL and quality performance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Humanities and Social Science Research Foundation of the Ministry of Education, China (Project No: 17YJA630061) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 72091313) for this research.
Citation
Luo, L., Liu, X., Zhao, X. and Flynn, B.B. (2023), "The impact of supply chain quality leadership on supply chain quality integration and quality performance", Supply Chain Management, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 508-521. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-05-2021-0235
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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