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The purpose of this paper is to examine leadership styles and their impact on TQM focus within Indian firms.

The empirical data for this study were drawn from a survey of 111 firms in India to examine the validity and reliability of the independent constructs (leadership styles: transformational, servant, adaptive, rational and kinesthetic); and two dependent constructs (TQM focus: continuous improvement and innovation). The data were analyzed employing correlation and multiple regression analysis to identify the influence of leadership styles on TQM focus.

The results of the study revealed that six of the nine hypotheses have a significant and positive relationship with TQM focus; one hypothesis is partial while rest two hypotheses are not associated with TQM focus. It is also found that leadership styles are more inclined to continuous improvement and perceived as dominant TQM practices than innovation.

This study used only two major variables, continuous improvement and innovation, as the outcome of TQM focus, but the outcomes are not limited. TQM focus is also related to other variables such as customer focus, product quality, employee involvement, benchmarking, etc. Future research should be extended by using other variables as the outcome of TQM focus.

The results can be beneficial for the current organization’s leaders to achieve appropriate leadership styles for effective and TQM focus. Moreover, this paper also attempts to inspire researchers to include the TQM focus in studying the effect of the leaders on TQM focus while implementing it effectively in the organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a relationship between the leader’s management problem-solving styles (MPSS) and total quality management (TQM) focus.

The study is based on C.G. Jung’s (1923) four psychological functions or cognitive styles, which are involved in information gathering and evaluation by sensing, intuitive, thinking, and feeling. The combination of these psychological functions makes possible ways of results: sensing-thinking (ST), sensing-feeling (SF), intuitive-thinking (NT), and intuitive-feeling (NF) for management problem solving. The empirical data for this study were drawn from a survey of 111 firms in India. A one-way analysis of variance approach has been applied for analysis in this study.

The authors review the extant literature and present a conceptual framework to establish the relationship between different management problem-solving styles and TQM focus. The literature on TQM shows two distinct achievable results: continuous improvement and innovation. The findings of the study support all the hypotheses and the results show that leaders with ST and SF profile are comfortable with the continuous improvement while leaders with NT and NF profile focus on innovation in the organization.

The results of this study emphasize the importance of knowing the appropriate MPSS to TQM focus. The results will help leaders in continuous improvement and innovation to make proper decisions and smooth functions to achieve maximum performance.

This paper can be useful for the organizations to achieve more effective leadership in decision making and improve perception-information model as a leader’s cognitive style. Moreover, this paper also attempts to inspire researchers to include the cognitive styles in studying the effect of the leaders on TQM focus while implementing it effectively in the organizations.

Choosing the right TQM leader is critical to the successful implementation of TQM, since employees need to become excited about change rather than scared of it. This, according to a recent US survey, seems to be the main stumbling block to successful implementation.

Focuses on the importance within an organization of a philosophy for quality management. A clearly defined vision for the organization serves as a basis for identifying and selecting goals. Identifiable, attainable, and realistic goals are essential in leading, motivating and focusing human talents to move efficiently towards goals. There should exist a clearly stated philosophy with respect to total quality management and the organization’s pursuit of its goals. Furthermore, specific criteria and guidelines for developing and implementing TQM will add to efficiency in the TQM effort and enhance results. The philosophy and guidelines must be consistent with the goals which support the pursuit of the organization’s vision. A vision with respect to TQM is appropriate if it is consistent and supportive of the organization’s goals. Provides specific principles essential in developing a philosophy for quality management within an organization. Discusses basic criteria which should be used as a guide in identifying, planning, and executing actions aimed at improving and maintaining quality.

Laments the lack of attention paid to communication within a TQM programme, despite the fact that it is of vital importance. States that a good balance of high quality communication is critical and lists seven fundamental principles for achieving effective communication. Makes the point that different organizations have different needs and must determine which media to use and what messages to send out, dependent on their programme.

Culture is considered as one of the variables that influence the total quality management (TQM) adoption process. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between cultural dimensions and the strategy of the firms in TQM implementation. These relationships are the subject of prior research. Furthermore, the authors make a comparative analysis of cultural dimensions on strategic choices of the firms, i.e. innovators, prospectors and defenders in TQM implementation.

From the existing literature review on TQM practices and organizational culture, 14 cultural dimensions were employed with organizational strategy in this present study. By using survey data collection method, 111 Indian firms were selected. The authors considered three strategy parameters and six structural attributes to identify the strategy of the firms, namely innovators, prospectors and defenders identified using cluster analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between organizational culture and strategy was examined using one-way ANOVA approach.

The results of the study revealed that eleven of the fourteen hypotheses supported which relating the cultural dimensions to TQM implementation with the strategic orientation. With the help of significant related values of cultural dimensions to the particular strategic firms, it is also found that implementation of TQM is easy or not. Some of the organizations with a particular strategic orientation will be able to implement TQM easily and successfully but some organizations will have difficulty to implement it successfully.

The firms hold their importance with respect to the different strategic orientation toward the various aspects of organizational cultures and TQM approaches in its implementation. Managerially, due to increased business competitiveness and economic pressures, top management sees the way in adopting TQM practices to achieve a competitive advantage. Apparently, it is evident that matching of TQM practices for a different strategy of the firms with various cultural dimensions leads to the smooth functioning of the organization. This study helps to the current organizations in implementing TQM with their respective culture.

This research can be useful for three strategic firms, namely innovators, prospectors and defenders to achieve effective implementation of TQM practices with consideration and understanding of the advantage of each culture dimension. The framework of the current study represents the effectiveness in assessing the TQM practices in individual cultural dimensions and its significant role.

Based on an extensive review of literature on total quality management (TQM) in higher education, proposes a specific definition of “customer” and develops a comprehensive TQM model that comprises eight steps. The definition of “customer” and the TQM model developed can serve as a basic foundation for colleges and universities to follow when implementing TQM at their respective institutions. Recommends a list of things to do and problems to look for when implementing a TQM project.

The aim of this paper is to determine whether firms that have received quality awards (understood as an indicator of the implementation of quality systems) obtain higher profitability than those that have not.

The study was performed on a sample of Spanish firms that received TQM prizes at the national or regional level between 1997 and 2003 and a sample of control firms for drawing comparisons.

The work suggests that pioneer firms that applied this innovation are those that achieved profitability, especially when the model resembles in cases where the EFQM model.

The study may provide firms and institutions with some useful guidelines for the planning of future actions to promote the adoption of these management systems.

The paper analyses whether the results are influenced by factors such as the time when the award is achieved, the sector to which the firm belongs, or the nature of the award.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the meaning of TQM implementation in India and its impact on the Indian organizations' overall performance. This study also aims to prescribe a TQM model for Indian organizations in order to maximize the impact of TQM with predefined concentrated efforts.

A detailed questionnaire, based on current practices and unexplored areas identified by a literature survey, was designed and administered. The questionnaire consists of 11 “Contributing Variables” and nine “Contribution Variables”. The scores for these 20 variables were obtained from different organizations and put to factor analysis.

The result of factor analysis shows the existence of clusters of large correlation coefficients between subsets of these variables. This suggests that these variables could be measuring aspects of the same underlying dimensions. These underlying dimensions, or extracted factors, are four in number and are related to, respectively, efficiency, customer, people, and teambuilding. This shows that all the 20 TQM variables in India can be summarized into these four dimensions, which are taken as the four pillars of the suggested TQM model for Indian organizations. The proposed model is named TQMEF (TQM‐efficiency model).

This study is based on a single respondent from each organization, so it adds individuality to the scores. This can be avoided in future by having cross‐sectional data through more than one respondent from each organization. This will also help in avoiding error due to the tendency of respondents sometime to give over‐ambitious answers.

The paper identifies four pillars on which TQM implementations should yield positive results for Indian organizations, implying that these organizations can gain by concentrating efforts in these areas.

The paper identified the importance of safety and resources conservation as crucial factors. Hitherto, in most models, only the other three aspects of TQM were given importance. Efficiency has emerged as a key issue in the Indian context.

Although total quality management (TQM) has been applied successfully in various manufacturing and service enterprises, health‐care organizations have been slow to follow this lead. Recently, market and accreditation pressures have motivated hospitals to implement TQM philosophies and concepts. All hospital TQM applications seek ways to lower costs and improve care. Perhaps the most important patient care function in a hospital is the co‐ordination of accident and emergency (AE) and pathology operations. Explains how TQM can be used to co‐ordinate a hospital’s AE and pathology operations. Overviews these operations at a medium‐sized, regional hospital and describes how TQM was used to improve these operations. Presents the benefits and lessons learned from the TQM application and the implications for hospital management.