The role of total quality management (TQM) practices on improving organisational and supply chain performance in organisations

Organisations in South Africa ever more than before need Total Quality Management (TQM) in terms of organisational culture in providing outstanding products and services to their customers. Although TQM has been proposed to improve organisational performance it is perceived that some organisations have not accomplished much over the years. Accomplishing TQM is challenging and depends on (i) Leadership, (ii) Employee Involvement, (iii) Customer Focus, (iv) Strategic Planning, (v) Supplier Relations, (vi) Process Management and (vii) Information Analysis based on the organisational performance measures in terms of (i) Quality Improvement, (ii) Product / Service Quality, (iii) Customer Satisfaction, (iv) Employee Satisfaction and (v) Supplier Performance. Moreover to maintain performance Total Quality Management (TQM) and supply chain systems thinking from end-to-end should be synchronised. To achieve this is most of the time complex and involves business strategy and technology focusing on TQM and supply chain systems, within a structured business system. This paper debates, by means of research conducted, that what generally is understood as “total systems thinking” as a basic “concept” towards Total quality management and supply chain capability is much broader than what is normally accepted in industry. The “concept” includes every process and sub-processes. Each of these factors have its own set of defined objectives, involving workflow, cut across departmental boundaries and require the input of resources from several departments within an organisation. Current research in both manufacturing and service industries in South Africa revealed that TQM and supply chain strategy have an influence on organisational performance measures and plays an important role in the performance and success of an organisation. The results of this study has a methodological significance and provided valuable information in the development of a measurement framework assisting identifying gaps between what is prioritised versus occurrence in terms of TQM and supply chain strategy. Furthermore, the results obtained from the study suggest a range of possible solutions which may assist organizations to obtain the desired TQM and supply chain performance level.