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This paper empirically determines the extent to which the criteria of total quality management (TQM) are achieved in ISO 9001 certified small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). These criteria represent the attributes of TQM and as such one can equate these to the benefits of TQM that are achieved through ISO in SME. In addition, weaknesses are highlighted to which scarce resources could be parsimoniously allocated.

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology is used to determine the percent weightings of four categories of performance criteria that were identified via a review of quality management literature. These criteria constitute four stages of TQM implementation including top management commitment (TMC), gap analysis (GA), systems deployment (SD) and continual improvement (CI). A process model together with an AHP framework using these categories of criteria is proposed. An empirical analysis of the criteria of each stage using the AHP methodology and the expert opinion of the top management of four SME operating in T&T are used to evaluate the percent weightings of the criteria that are synonymous with TQM implementation

The findings of this study suggest that the SMEs were focused on SD and CI, but were least able to effectively determine their strategic direction. In addition, the potential benefits that could be derived from TQM criteria were lacking in the areas of TMC and GA. Having compliance requirements that deal directly with these areas would help SMEs align their quality management practices with quality culture and strategic process changes towards TQM.

Owing to the ethnographic nature of the study, it was possible to obtain data from only four SMEs.

SMEs in T&T may apply the findings of the empirical research to the design, implementation and CI of their quality management systems (QMSs).

This paper makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in the field of quality management in a region where such work is limited. It also adds value by empirically measuring TQM implementation by determining the extent to which its criteria are implemented in ISO 9001 certified SMEs.

This paper describes the development of a scale for measuring top management commitment towards continual quality performance improvement in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). A set of self‐assessment questions of the ISO 9004: 2000 Standard was used to assess the adoption status of quality management practices. This paper investigates the inter‐item reliability and the content validity of the Quality Management Principles Scale (QMPS) in an integrated improvement process in SMEs. An empirical study was conducted to acquire senior management views on the use of the QMPS in manufacturing sectors in Trinidad and Tobago. Based on 328 responses from 110 SMEs, statistical software packages were used to analyse the empirical data and determine the reliability and validity of the QMPS. The paper contributes to develop a self‐assessment scale that can be used to measure top management commitment. It is anticipated that the findings would provide practical insights for evaluating the levels of maturity on performance improvement in SMEs.

This paper presents the main findings of an empirical study that investigates the effects of the “soft” and “hard” criteria of total quality management (TQM) in four ISO 9001 certified small and medium‐sized enterprises (SME) in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).

The study adopted an ethnographic research approach, and used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the extent to which these criteria were implemented at the point of ISO 9001 certification. By complementing the literature review, a hierarchy framework of TQM implementation via ISO 9001 was developed. The framework comprised three levels of criteria, sub‐criteria and elements which determine the effectiveness of TQM implementation in SME. Inputs from 16 evaluators including senior executives and representatives from the studied companies were invited. The combined opinions from evaluators were used to identify and prioritize these criteria and components.

The results showed that the “soft” criteria were implemented less than the “hard” criteria in SME. The AHP findings supplement the body of knowledge existing in compliance requirements of ISO 9001 and provide insights on how SME perceive the importance of “soft” versus “hard” criteria in TQM implementation. These findings highlight the need to align SMEs' prevailing quality culture with top management and considers it as one of the focal compliance requirements for future revisions of the ISO 9001:2000 Standard.

Because of the ethnographic nature of the study, it was possible to obtain data from only four SME.

SME in T&T may apply the findings of the empirical research to design, implement and continually improve their quality management system

This paper makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in the field of quality management in a region where such work is limited. It adds value by empirically measures TQM implementation by determining the extent to which its criteria is implemented in ISO 9001 certified SME.

The entrepreneurial vision, strategic goals, organizational capabilities and processes, alone, will not be adequate to attain business success, unless there is a quality management philosophy in the company (Al-Dhaafri, Al-Swidi, & Yusoff, 2016). Successful entrepreneurial endeavours essentially rest on action, assertiveness, persistence and know-how of leadership (Azyan, Pulakanam, & Pons, 2017) who comprehend the application of quality management methods as a long-term ‘quality journey’. The appropriate implementation of a quality management system (QMS) or total quality management (TQM) system results in enhanced organizational performance (Sahoo & Yadav, 2017).

A wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have nowadays been aware of the indisputable importance of quality and have reaped the benefits of TQM, having in mind that TQM is not just a method or a tool but a whole business philosophy. TQM is a systematic approach that focuses on continuous improvement of the organizational processes with the participation and contribution of all the stakeholders, so as to manage and enhance quality, productivity and customer satisfaction. It is the best way for the enterprise's growth and domination in the contemporary national and international competitive marketplace (Kriemadis, Thomopoulou, & Sioutou, 2017). According to several studies, by embracing the TQM philosophy, SMEs can compete in the global competitive environment (Womack & Roos, 1990; as cited in Karani & Bichanga, 2012; Sainis & Kriemadis, 2019; Pashiardis & Kriemadis, 1999).

The present study aims to develop a generic TQM model for SMEs in order to improve their competitiveness, productivity and quality as well as to enhance their entrepreneurial orientation.

Many researchers and practitioners have acknowledged the need to investigate the relationships amongst various criteria of implementing total quality management (TQM) in small and medium‐sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs). There is a need to have practical research methodologies that take cognisance of the peculiarities of SMMEs and impact on their quality management practices in developing countries. This paper presents the theoretical foundation of a proposed Generative Research Methodology and configures the specification of a TQM implementation framework in SMMEs. The methodology combines rigorous research approaches, builds theory based on the dynamics of the environment and the firms’ characteristics and incorporates various TQM criteria into the design of the framework. It synchronises inductive and deductive research methods in three phases and uses various means to acquire empirical evidence and examine the dependent and independent variables of TQM implementation. It is anticipated that the methodology could help SMMEs to develop, analyse and evaluate the framework for attaining quality performance goals.

This paper empirically determines the extent to which ISO 9001 certified small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) were able to attain the eight quality management princples on which the ISO 9004:2000 Standard is based. It employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process approach in determining the percent weightings of the principles and the self‐assessment questions which form part of the ISO 9004:2000 Standards. Of particular interest is a weakness of these enterprises in formulating policies addressing the needs and expectations of shareholders and the society in terms of the community and the public affected by the organisations or its products. This paper makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in the field of quality management in Trinidad and Tobago where such work is limited. It adds value by empirically measuring TQM implementation through determining the extent to which its criteria are implemented in ISO 9001 certified SMEs.

This paper aims to rank the emphasis placed on critical factors and quality management principles that determine the success of total quality management (TQM) as it applies to quality management system implementation in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

This paper is a synthesis of the literature on TQM implementation in SMEs operating in a developing environment and identifies critical factors. These factors are prioritised according to the frequency in which they appeared by number of articles. The compliance requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard is mapped to one or a combination of quality management principles (QMPs) on which the standard is based. These principles are grouped as soft and hard and ranked in terms of the number of compliance requirements they represent.

The paper identifies critical factors of TQM implementation for SMEs operating in a developing economy. Although exploratory in nature, evidence shows that, while researchers have placed more emphasis on the “soft” factors, the compliance requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard stress more on the “hard” factors.

The paper shows that the possibility of enriching the theories and practices of TQM implementation and extending the knowledge and applications of “soft” and “hard” factors need to be explored. Contrasting the eight QMPs of ISO 9001:2000 with the evaluation criteria of quality excellence awards needs to be addressed.

This paper reviews the relative importance of “soft” and “hard” factors, and relates the QMPs and compliance requirements of ISO 9001:2000 to TQM implementation in SMEs. It identifies strengths and weaknesses of the standard, and provides a source of information for top management of SMEs interested in implementing a quality management system.

The findings in this paper link the compliance requirements of ISO 9001:2000 to QMPs, and point to areas that tend to be least addressed by the ISO 9001:2000 standard. The paper also advocates a holistic approach to safeguard proper TQM implementation and continual improvement of people, product and processes in SMEs.

Although many adherents openly praise the importance of quality management practices (QMP) in organisations, others have identified significant costs and implementation obstacles. Some recent studies showed that QMP have failed due to the ignorance of quality cultures. How to improve the success rate of QMP in organisations has become a critical issue both in the academy and in practice. This paper discusses the common enablers of and cultural impacts on QMP. It explores the dimensions of national versus organisational culture, and identifies the main features of four quality culture models as advocated in the literature in relation to facilitating QMP in organisations. It was found that flat structures, decentralised functions, empowerment, flexibility, innovation, limited rules and regulations and teamwork favor the QMP implementation. For facilitating culture changes for QMP, values associated with low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance and collectivism would have to be nurtured. Further research is needed to incorporate the findings and develop a practical quality culture approach for real applications in industry.

The present study analyzes the research articles linking quality management practices (QMP) and quality of work life (QWL). The investigation leads toward the formulation of the hypothesis and developing a conceptual framework of QMP and QWL.

The study uses a systematic literature review to explore the relationship between QMP and QWL using the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Eric, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Google Scholar database and identifies critical factors of QMP and QWL using Pareto analysis. Further study proposes a conceptual framework of articles linking QMP and QWL.

A thorough review of the literature identifies three different categories of research articles: “factor identification” articles, “QMP implementation” articles, “scale development” articles, and “influence of QMP on various organizational and employees-related factors” articles. Many studies have attempted to study the relationship and influence of QMP on employee-related factors but not by considering them holistically, thus, underlining the significant gap in the QMP and HRM literature.

To review the literature on QMP and QWL, only a handful of databases were reviewed. Further, the proposed conceptual model is based on the QMP and QWL/HRM literature review, and it is not empirically validated. Further research can be considered to test and validate the proposed conceptual framework empirically.

This study highlights a gap in the existing research studies and an incomplete consideration of employees' aspects of QWL. Researchers and organizations are advised to adopt a broader view while assessing QMP implementation's influence on employees.

This study uses a systematic literature review and Pareto analysis to find the critical factors of QMP and QWL, thus providing a new research avenue for researchers, quality experts and human resource managers to consider all the aspects of employees, that is, QWL of employees, to understand the influence of QMP on employees to achieve firm success.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contributions of ISO 9000 initiatives towards improving manufacturing performance in the Indian manufacturing industry.

In this study, 96 manufacturing organizations have been extensively surveyed, to ascertain contributions made by ISO 9000 initiatives in the Indian manufacturing industries towards realizing manufacturing performance improvements. The correlations between various ISO 9000 implementation issues and manufacturing performance improvements have been evaluated and validated by employing various statistical tools.

The research focuses on the significant contributions of ISO 9000 implementation success factors like top management contributions, continuous improvement practices and ISO 9000 implementation initiatives, towards affecting improvements in manufacturing performance in the Indian industry. The inter‐relationships between various ISO 9000 implementation success factors with the manufacturing performance improvement parameters have been evaluated, to efficiently manage the ISO 9000 implementation program to realize organizational objectives of growth and sustainability.

The study establishes that focused ISO 9000 implementation over a reasonable time period can strategically contribute towards realization of significant manufacturing performance enhancements.

The study stresses the need for improving the coordination between manufacturing function and other organizational quality improvement initiatives in the organizations, to establish manufacturing as a competitive strategy for meeting the challenges of highly competitive environments.

The findings suggest that effective ISO 9000 initiatives can significantly contribute towards realization of strategic manufacturing performance improvements for competing in the highly dynamic global marketplace. These interrelationships can be used to understand the effect of various ISO 9000 success factors towards realization of organization objectives of growth and sustainability.

The study highlights the strong potential of ISO 9000 implementation initiatives in affecting organizational performance improvements. The achievements of Indian manufacturing organizations through proactive ISO 9000 initiatives have been evaluated and critical ISO 9000 success factors identified for enhancing the effectiveness of ISO 9000 implementation programs in the Indian context.