The effect of TQM implementation on firm performance in the Tunisian context

Total quality management (TQM) is an integrated management system designed to make the best use of an organisation's resources in order to increase the quality of a firm's products/services, to satisfy customer needs and improve the efficiency of the production processes. Advocates of TQM have suggested that there should be a positive relationship between implementing TQM practices and performance measures. Recent research (Sila, 2007; Santos‐Vijande and Alvarez‐Gonzalez, 2007) on TQM has examined the relationships between the TQM practices and various levels of organisational performance. This study examines the direct and indirect effects of these practices on operating and financial performance. The model is tested using structural equations, making a survey of quality managers in 66 Tunisian firms. The causal analysis results show no significant and direct, but a significant indirect relationship between the use of TQM and improvement in financial performance. Similarly, the TQM implementation has a positive and significant impact on operating performance.