Exploring Challenges to and Opportunities for Applying Total Quality Management Philosophy in Saudi Arabian Public Universities to Develop a Quality-Oriented Culture.

Exploring Challenges to and Opportunities for Applying Total Quality Management Philosophy in Saudi Arabian Public Universities to Develop a Quality-Oriented Culture.

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Exploring Challenges to and Opportunities for Applying Total Quality Management Philosophy in Saudi Arabian Public Universities to Develop a Quality-Oriented Culture.

This is a review of the literature aimed at looking at the challenges, applying the total quality management philosophy in Saudi Arabian universities. There has been a misunderstanding of the philosophy of comprehensive quality management in the universities. This is one of the reviews that aims at changing the culture. Exploring the challenges and identifying opportunities for high adoption of the CSFs of Total Quality Management and conducting prediction on how the integration of these CSFs can strategically lead to changes and develop a quality-oriented culture concerning public universities in Saudi Arabia. The application of Total Quality Management can encounter challenges that are associated with the culture that existed before. The cultures of the organizations that are implementing it. ( Mohammed et al. 2016), researched the execution of TQM in several Saudi universities due to insufficient studies on Total Quality Management execution in Saudi Arabia. There is other research on the various universities with various implementation and enactment of TQM. Therefore, the introduction of TQM philosophy means that a cultural change to develop a quality culture. These universities that intend to adopt or already implement it need to create a proper understanding of TQM philosophy to accommodate its values, enabling them to nurture the high-quality culture in their setting.  By conducting the current study and seeking to find out in-depth the problems to and opportunities for taking the TQM philosophy, better recommendations could be assumed that will enable quality departments at the public universities to manage the higher implementation of this philosophy, overcoming cultural problems to develop and sustain a quality-oriented culture in the public universities context. This study attempts to make up for the lack of research on quality improvement in HIEs in the Saudi Arabian context, as indicated in the literature.

 

There is a need to fill up the existing gap in our knowledge about adopting TQM philosophy in government-sponsored public universities. In some years back, TQM concentrated on how to master this theory as a tool for quality measurement. However,  it is time now for public universities to move forward and seek a higher adoption of TQM philosophy to strategically run cultural changes and nurture a  quality culture in their environment. This study will also offer quality deanship departments at public universities valuable recommendations highlighting the challenges to and summing up opportunities for higher implementation of TQM philosophy to develop and maintain quality culture. According to (Asif et al., 2013), Total quality management (TQM) is a management

the philosophy that its aim is at improving customer satisfaction and organizational performance.

Research question

How strategically is the implementation of TQM critical for Saudi Arabian public universities to develop and maintain a quality-oriented culture?

Research methodology

This is a qualitative case study. The researcher adopted the interpretivism approach when analyzing the data of the study. The qualitative methodology allowed me to gather insights from participants using qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and observations to provide answers to interview questions based on the experiences and gain the perspectives from the participants’ views. The study is exploratory and emphasizes the acquisition of insights to enable the development of quality culture by promoting a higher-level integration of the CSFs of TQM philosophy. We adopted Yin (2014) approach to case study research. The current study was confined to three public universities in the higher education sector in Saudi Arabia.  Participants were selected from the three quality deanships at three selected public universities, including quality deans, vice deans, quality consultants, and staff.  Using the qualitative methodology, the researcher was able to make use of data collection sources that yield robust and in-depth data regarding the phenomena.  Data analysis transcribes recorded interviews, coding data, categorizing, and themes generation after different patterns were identified across the coded data. The researcher used a thematic approach for analyzing the views and lived experiences of the study participants.  During the study, NVivo software (version 12 for Mac ) conducts data organizing and coding.

 

 

Some of the most relevant sources in this chapter include articles and books’ chapters reviewed to provide a holistic view of the currently existing literature related to Total Quality Management philosophy in the higher education sector with an association with quality culture developments. Therefore, studies in TQM in the higher education sector were thoroughly examined and reported here in this chapter. Relevant books and most current articles, including peer reviews, have been used to analyze previous scholarly work on TQM  integration and implementation organization, focusing on the higher education sector. This is to locate relevant information and journal articles related to the research topic, research questions, and the theory that informed the current research study. The primary objective here was to generate pertinent information, perspectives, explore in-depth concepts of TQM and its philosophical element in university sectors, and highlight the literature gap concerning its adoption in Saudi Arabian universities.

Attention has been paid to select the essential sources to ensure that articles and books included adequately cover the relevant information, which is of high quality, including peer-reviewed ones. The studies used in this chapter were collected across different disciplines, including but not restricted to business, higher education management, quality management and leadership, organizational leadership, and quality management studies. Qualitative and quantitative studies, empirical and review papers as well as case study research are also included. The main focus was to review the most recent research studies in TQM philosophy in organizations and focus on its implementation for quality change and development in the higher education context. However, regarding selecting the most recent studies, there have been a few prominent classic studies that were exceptional and have also been included to acknowledge the scholarly contributions by these quality gurus to the advancement of the TQM philosophy. Insights from those quality management gurus concerning TQM philosophy are still crucial nowadays for researchers interested in exploring this philosophy in different organizations and contexts. According to( Gorantiwar 2013), the principles and practices of TQM proposed by the quality gurus do provide the author with insights. Their insights offer an excellent foundation for conducting this study. They do share some common points, such as its management’s responsibility. (Zairi 2013) analyses contributions made by gurus. Therefore, in this chapter, insights from those classic studies will be highlighted for the reader to provide more details about how each of those quality scholars had contributed to the development of TQM philosophy.

 

The process of looking for the literature involved the use of specific terms which included Total Quality Management and quality culture in universities, Total Quality Management and constructing quality in the higher education sector, Total Quality Management and Organisational Culture, Total Quality Management or Quality Management and quality improvement in higher education, Total Quality Management and Cultural Change in Organizations. This allows for searching the literature using these keywords to keep reviewing the existing work on the topic to focus on the studies associated with the TQM and the development of the quality culture in organizations with more concentration on the university’s contexts. It is essential to note that, in this research, the studies selected were published in the English language. Therefore, any research that was published in another language was not included here. The sources used in this chapter were articles and book chapters published in developed and developing countries.

 

In this study, the significance of the cultural elements using various theories has also been highlighted, with more details about Hofstede’s theory integrated into the current study conceptual framework. The context of the higher education sector and quality issues, the influence of the Saudi government’s Vision 2030, and the New Universities Law (NUL) on quality improvement in the sector are explained in this chapter. For organizing the source materials and keep a bibliography of the selected studies for this chapter, I have been using the EndNote X9 software for the very start of witting this thesis. The university’s library provided primary resources in many scholarly research and journal databases related to previous research studies on the topic. I used relevant books and articles from different databases to obtain pertinent materials through the university library.

TQM originated in the early 1920s by applying statistical theory to the quality control of products and services. This concept gradually came into prominence in both Japan and America during the 1940s, with the primary focus being on enhancing and maintaining its quality. (Weckenmann et al., 2015), states the history of total quality management. However, the TQM concept gradually shifted its focus to handling every quality issue that an organization faces in its operations. According to (Chiarini 2011), it seems that in Japan, TQM still has its own identity, strictly linked to  2008; other Eastern

countries also recognize that there is a successful Japanese TQM style. Senior management should

act an aggressive and autocratic style of leadership, and employees become motivated. It is found to strike an effective balance in the behavioral sciences, economic theories, qualitative and non-qualitative data analysis, and process analyses (Chai 2012). Scholars such as Deming, Feigenbaum, Crosby, Juran, and Ishikawa were pioneers of TQM and its subsequent development (Zairi 2013); they stressed how the quality of products or services could be improved through effective quality control and zero defects production. More insights about these scholars’ contributions to the development of the TQM philosophy are covered in this chapter’s subsequent section.

 

 

 

According to (Kwon 2014), businesses fall due to inconsistency of quality management. Since quality management is essential in managerial approaches for improving the processes, it is essential to understand the value and various facilities that can be used for its implementation. Quality management is not limited to the improvement of products or processes but also channeled for enhancing customer satisfaction and reshaping new identities for organization perspectives.

According to (Khan 2011), there has been a change in technology use in operations. The change in the global business environment and the increase in influences of operational market forces are the primary factors responsible for accepting TQM. Fonseca (2015) stated that rising customer expectations and changes in technologies have resulted in businesses wanting a completely new quality management approach. In this regard, TQM is the most suitable option for enhancing traditional quality control systems. Due to external factors such as a large amount of competition, the need for practical approaches is significant for businesses. So enterprises continuously search for practical, innovative methods like Total Quality Management (TQM), as has been the case over the last few decades. It can be stated that TQM is presumed to be an effective tool for promoting growth and competitive efficiency.  Elaborate on this

Its significance needs to be narrowed to higher education sectors through the values that this theory has.

Notes might be helpful for this part enhancement.

Despite the plethora of writing on the subject, the diligent reader can identify two overarching “concepts and practices” of TQM (Mohammad et al., 2011). These are; the primacy

Educational institutes must embrace total quality management (TQM) principles if they seek to remain competitive and survive and succeed in the long run.

Adopting the TQM is a complicated process (Mukhopadhyay 2020) as it is built on philosophy, principles, procedures, and practices that are needed to satisfy customers and achieve productivity and business performance in the industry.

The word quality has been derived from the Latin word “quails,” which means what kind. The term has a wide variety of meanings and connotations to different people. The term is used both in absolute and relative terms, and the confusion over the definition of quality management in the service sector like education becomes more magnified with the introduction of subjective and intangible elements that characterize any service. The importance of “quality” and “quality management” can in no case be undermined.

Deming.

From 1950, scholars like Deming, Juran, Crosby, Feigenbaum, and Ishikawa taught for more than 40 years quality ideas without using the adjective “total.” They are praised for laying down the principles and practices underlying the concept. It was defined as “value” (Milosan 2011); in 1961, Feigenbaum coined the word “total quality control.” The term “TQM” appeared in the 1980s when it was suggested to replace the word “control” with “management” as it was believed that quality was not something to be controlled but to be managed. Its implementation and success in Japan, the USA, and Europe and created several associations and foundations of quality management across the world in the 1970s and 1980s. The importance and value of quality management were popularized under several names like kaizen, TQM, benchmarking, business excellence, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, etc., with a single point agenda of “total customer satisfaction.”

According to (Sikander 2020), quality education is determined by the way all people think. The theoretical framework is found to rest on the concept that quality is the outcome of the total effort given in accomplishing the tasks compared to the total costs incurred for the same (Chan 2014).

The idea in the Deming cycle is to achieve a standard enhancement of the entire workforce. The fundamental concept of his quality model is to ensure that the quality of the product improves through a more skilled workforce because its efficiency dictates the business’s goals and success.

2.3.2 Juran

The TQM theory proposed by Juran is highly significant as it has resulted in the emergence of the “quality trilogy” concept. It encompasses three primary processes associated with planning, improving, and controlling the quality aspects of an organizational product or service development (Zairi 2013). The theory stated that it is essential for an organization to make its workforce aware of both the need to improve quality and the opportunities available. According to Anastasiadou (2015), training and assistance must be provided to the employees to ensure high-quality goods and products are produced.

Importance of training and education of employees. Juran believed that the root cause of severe quality dysfunctions is resistance to change.

It is essential to understand the interrelations between these concepts. Quality planning is the foundation on which the other two principles are based. The quality planning process is linked to two other functions as the planning phase identifies the need for improvement, areas that need significant attention, and the sectors requiring better commitment from company management.  In the quality improvement portion, the focus shifts from the formation of control to channeling the performance and striving for perfection. Quality improvement functions are introduced in the processes, and again planning stage begins for the concepts that require further enhancement.

2.3.3 Crosby

Crosby’s Theory of Quality Management has defined quality as complying with a set of basic requirements in an organization. On quality improvement, this theory stated that an organization could deliver the best quality service by preventing the occurrence of an error in any stage of product or service development. According to Ngambi and Nkemkiafu (2015), Crosby has identified the general quality performance standard as manufacturing and developing products and services that depict zero. It has also stated quality to be a price of nonconformity. This, along with the fourteen steps highlighted by Crosby in the context of quality improvement, seems to be highly significant. It requires both the dedication and commitment of the senior organizational management and all other individuals associated with quality improvement processes. It also looks forward to developing suitable metrics for each quality improvement process identified through effective deployment of a zero defects policy. It also ensures that the supervisors and employees assigned to quality improvement are well aware of strategies to produce high success standards.

Crosby’s theories are concerned with the quality’s absoluteness, which is the essential element of improvement. Crosby’s absolute quality management is segmented into four elements, wherein the first element focuses on defining the quality and conformance of the requirements. In this element, the defining terms of basic quality standards are identified according to which the necessary quality control actions are formed, which leads to the next step of a system of quality prevention. The overall goal of absolute quality management is reflected in the third element since the aim shifts from reducing the error rate to managing a zero-defect policy. In the final absolute element, the measurement of quality is done in terms of non-conformance price. This reflects the ideology of the entity, which should be quality-driven and not focused on price.

 

2.3.4 V. Feigenbaum Kaoru

Feigenbaum developed the concept associated with total quality control by the three steps of daily organizational courses of action. The primary principles are the deployment of effective leadership style and organizational culture committed primarily to quality requirements and adoption. It accounts for replacing the traditional quality management processes with new ones that can deliver increased customer satisfaction in the future. Furthermore, the theory states that it is essential to consider quality considerations at every operational activity stage. It ensures that quality considerations are restricted to manufacturing activities and encompass other operational areas as well. The total quality control identified by Feigenbaum primarily focuses on a high degree of workforce coordination along with effective deployment of knowledge sets and machinery required for accomplishing the desired goals.

2.3.5 Ishikawa

Ishikawa also warns strongly against the trap of mistaking tools and methods for quality management.

Ishikawa also warns strongly against the trap of mistaking tools and methods for quality management:

Ishikawa’s TQM theory has perceived quality and improvement from a human point of view (Jaafreh 2013). Quality improvement tools have been identified. One of the worthiest quality improvement techniques is the Pareto Analysis tool which possesses immense capability in dealing with significant problems in an operational process. The theory has mentioned how cause and effect diagrams can identify the root cause behind a problematic situation. Personal behaviors of workers are generally transmitted through training and can cause a defect in the system.

Analysis indicated that various TQM scholars’ concepts had created different methods; however, the ultimate focus is a quality enhancement and ensuring that quality is the primary aim of businesses and to eliminate risk procedures. As various analyses have been analyzed for the current study, it is noted that the concept of TQM is a system that shapes organizations and goes beyond simply meeting a set of quality standards and accreditations.

A holistic perception has emerged and is based on ideas working in various industries for quality control. Each study has presented various essential information in the form of ideas or challenges, and the same is utilized in developing a constructed idea for the study.

 

The research uses much detail in understanding TQM as a philosophy strategically adopted to reshape new identities in the higher education sector to enhance quality in Saudi Arabia.

 

 

 

 

 

References.

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