The TQM Journal: Volume 36 Issue 3

Guest editorial: What does combining soft and hard TQM take to achieve organizational excellence?

Luca Gnan, Rocco Palumbo

Identifying critical success factors of total quality management via comprehensive assessment of soft and hard factors

Jih Kuang Chen

Effective total quality management (TQM) practices rely on the accurate classification of critical success factors (CSFs). The impact matrix cross-reference multiplication…

Leveraging the hard and soft elements of TQM: the interplay of benchmarking and improvement processes

Emilia Filippi, Loris Gaio, Marco Zamarian

This study aims to analyze how the interplay between hard and soft elements of total quality management (TQM) produces the conditions for sustaining success in the quest for…

Bridging the gap between TQM and HRM: mapping knowledge and identifying areas for future research

Giulia Flamini, Luca Pareschi, Marcello Martinez

Since the first definition of Total Quality Management (TQM) was established, its inseparable relationship with Human Resource Management (HRM) has been undeniable. However, many…

Re-conceptualising Total Quality Leadership: a framework development and future research agenda

Alexandros Psychogios

The aim of this paper is to theoretically explore the concept of leadership in a Total Quality Management (TQM) context by developing a new theoretical framework of understanding…

A conceptual framework of quality cost chain in strategic cost management

Tigor Tambunan

This study aims to discover a practical and effective way to apply the quality cost concept in Strategic Cost Management (SCM) framework. The interaction of preventive, appraisal…

Exploring the soft shades of sustainability: evidence from Italian companies

Sergio Barile, Roberto Vona, Silvia Cosimato, Francesca Iandolo, Mario Calabrese

Sustainability is increasingly at the forefront of the public debate in Europe and the world. However, despite this increased interest, research seems to have partially ignored…

The impact of Industry 4.0 technologies and the soft side of TQM on organisational performance: a multiple case study analysis on manufacturing organisations

Emanuele Gabriel Margherita, Alessio Maria Braccini

The purpose of this study is to explore how Industry 4.0 (I40) technologies support workers' engagement in soft total quality management (TQM) practices for organisational…

Value co-creation in the health-care ecosystem for sustained excellence: realization of patient-centered medicine through task shifting of nurses

Atsushi Katsuda, Yoshiyuki Naito, Toshihiko Ishihara

In Japan, health-care systems have long been supported by physicians' long working hours. To solve this problem, there is an urgent need to improve the working environment for…

Managing TQM's soft side: an explorative study of social care multiservice organizations

Nicola Capolupo, Zuzana Virglerová, Paola Adinolfi

This paper explores total quality management (TQM) soft domain efficacy in social care organizations to determine the extent to which an organization's project success may stem…

A balanced approach involving hard and soft factors for internalizing Lean Management and Six Sigma in hospitals

Relinde De Koeijer, Mathilde Strating, Jaap Paauwe, Robbert Huijsman

This study examines the theoretical and empirical relationships between LM&SS, human resource management (HRM), climate for LM&SS and outcomes (employee well-being and…

Not just numbers! Improving TTO performance by balancing the soft sides of the TQM

Valentina Cucino, Nicola Del Sarto, Giulio Ferrigno, Andrea Mario Cuore Piccaluga, Alberto Di Minin

This study investigates the role of “soft” factors of total quality management – in terms of empowerment and engagement of employees – in facilitating or hindering organizational…

Does the ferry sector need soft total quality management practices? Evidence from an Italian ferry company

Teresina Torre, Damiano Petrolo, Massimiliano Matteo Pellegrini, Daria Sarti

The study aims to deepen existing knowledge on the specific role of soft total quality management (TQM) practices in the ferry sector. Over the last decade, TQM practices have…

Innovative profiles of TQM in banking management. The relationship between employee training and risk mitigation

Mario Testa, Antonio D'Amato, Gurmeet Singh, Giuseppe Festa

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between employee training and bank risk to verify whether and to what extent an increase in employee training, as a soft component…