The effects of total qualitymanagement practices on

employees’work-relatedattitudesNoorliza Karia

School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, and

Muhammad Hasmi Abu Hassan AsaariSchool of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of total quality management (TQM)practices on employees’ work-related attitudes, such as job involvement, job satisfaction, careersatisfaction, and organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes and tests 16 hypotheses on the relationshipbetween TQM practices and work-related attitude.

Findings – The results indicate that training and education have a significant positive effect on jobinvolvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Empowerment and teamworksignificantly enhance job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizationalcommitment. Continuous improvement and problem prevention significantly enhance job satisfactionand organizational commitment. Customer focus does not contribute to job involvement, jobsatisfaction, career satisfaction, or organizational commitment.

Research limitations/implications – The study was unable to evaluate the wider dimensions ofTQM practices.

Practical implications – Managers should be aware that TQM practices have a positive effect onemployees’ work-related attitudes (such as job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, andorganizational commitment).

Originality/value – The paper focuses on TQM in practice, rather than on TQM in theory and/orTQM as organizational change.

Keywords Total quality management, Quality programmes, Employee attitudes, Malaysia

Paper type Research paper

IntroductionTotal quality management (TQM) is essentially a management philosophy, and it hasbecome the preferred approach for improving quality and productivity inorganizations. Various terminologies have been used to describe the general conceptof TQM. These include “total quality control”, “total quality leadership”, “total qualityimprovement program”, “continuous quality improvement”, and “total quality service”(Lemieux, 1996). However, whatever terminology is used, the three basic ingredients ofTQM are constant:

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at

www.emeraldinsight.com/0954-478X.htm

The authors would like to express sincere appreciation to anonymous reviewers, and also toMr Shahrier Pawanchik at the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, for hisinitial editing.

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The TQM MagazineVol. 18 No. 1, 2006pp. 30-43q Emerald Group Publishing Limited0954-478XDOI 10.1108/09544780610637677

(1) quality;

(2) customer satisfaction; and

(3) continuous improvement.

Luthans (1995) summarized TQM as being a participative system that empowers allemployees to take responsibility for improving quality within the organization.

The nature of TQM is reflected in the criteria used in the Malcolm Baldrige NationalQuality Award (MBNQA). In Malaysia, the same criteria are used for the IndustryExcellence Award (Quality Management Excellence Award – QMEA category) of theMinistry of International Trade and Industry, and for the Prime Minister’s QualityAward (PMQA) for the private-sector category (Ministry of International Trade andIndustry, 1998; National Productivity Centre, 1993). These criteria are:

. policy on quality management;

. quality control circle (QCC);

. training;

. quality audit;

. other quality improvement programs;

. top leadership involvement;

. management data and information;

. human resource management;

. customer satisfaction;

. handling customers’ complaints to increase productivity;

. support services and vendor programs; and

. quality and operational results.

TQM thus focuses not only on the quality of product, but also on the quality ofemployees. Indeed, most successful TQM implementations depend heavily on changesin employees’ attitudes and activities. The employees who are affected most directlyare those who are the agents of change in implementing TQM or other programs forcontinuous quality improvement. In theory, TQM processes produce positive effects onemployees by improving their satisfaction and commitment and by enhancing theirorganizational effectiveness. Indeed, many organizations that have adoptedquality-management practices have experienced an improvement in attitude,commitment, and effectiveness among employees. Butler (1996) found thatcompanies that used TQM practices achieved improvements in employeesatisfaction, attendance, turnover, safety, and health. When fully implemented, TQMbrings benefits to organization in terms of quality, productivity, and employeedevelopment (Lawler et al., 1995) through improved teamwork, creativity, innovation,training, communication, trust, and decision making.

The present study examines the impact of TQM practices on employees’work-related attitudes in the Malaysian setting. More specifically, it examinesemployees’ job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizationalcommitment as a result of TQM practices. The study addresses the following researchquestions:

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(1) Do TQM practices have an effect on employees’ work-related attitudes?

(2) If so, what is the exact nature of the effect of TQM practices on employees’work-related attitudes?

The study thus provides insights into the implementation of the TQM practices fromthe human resources perspective. It also provides ideas for improvement in theimplementation of TQM practices in Malaysian organizations and for the selection ofthe TQM practices that are best suited to these organizations.

TQM practicesThis study focuses on TQM in practice (that is, what an organization does todemonstrate its commitment to TQM) rather than TQM in theory or TQM asorganizational change. In this practical sense, Zeitz et al. (1997) viewed TQM practicesas being formal, programmatic, and behavioral. Ross (1993) defined them as a set ofpractical measures, such as continuous improvement, meeting customers’requirements, reducing rework, long-range thinking, increased employeeinvolvement and teamwork, process redesign, competitive benchmarking,team-based problem-solving, continuous monitoring of results, and closerrelationships with suppliers. Clinton et al. (1994) summarized the practical effect ofTQM principles as being:

. a focus on customers’ needs;

. a focus on problem prevention (rather than correction);

. continuous improvement (seeking to meet customers’ requirements on time, firsttime, every time);

. training employees in ways to improve quality; and

. applying the team approach to problem solving.

This involves the combined efforts of all members of the organization from seniormanagement to workers and clerks. TQM thus has a people-oriented approach andincorporates many aspects of organizational behavior (Luthans, 1995). Effective TQMenvironments allow all employees to participate in achieving an organization’s qualitygoals. All employees are held accountable for quality and are provided with tools andtraining to fulfil their responsibilities. TQM is based on the assumption that theemployees who are closest to the daily operating procedures are in the best position tounderstand and improve the quality of those procedures. It aims to create anenvironment in which positive relationships exist between managers and employeesand in which people feel motivated to do their best.

Work-related attitudesPersonality traits or dispositions are receiving increased attention as antecedents ofwork-related attitudes. Employees with positive affect are more likely to have positiveattitudes to themselves and others, and tend to have an overall sense of well-being,whereas those with negative affect tend to feel anxious and tense (Luthans, 1995).

Guimareas (1996) identified several indicators for work-related attitudes. Theseincluded task characteristics, job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, andorganizational commitment. The same author described job involvement in terms of an

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individual’s “ego involvement” with work – that is, the extent to which the individualidentifies psychologically with his or her job. Moreover, pleasurable or positiveemotional states result from positive appraisals of one’s job or career. In addition, asense of organizational commitment induces a sense of attachment or loyalty amongemployees towards the organization (Guimareas, 1996). Similarly, according to Landyet al. (1993), employee attitude reflects job satisfaction and the individual’scommitment to the organization.

Companies have used several indicators to measure the extent to which their focuson quality leads to improvement in employees’ satisfaction, attitude, and behavior.These indicators have included employee satisfaction, attendance, turnover, safety andhealth, and number of suggestions made to improve quality and reduce cost (Butler,1996).

Impact of TQMJob involvementAn important aspect of TQM is empowering employees to be more involved in theirjobs and to participate in TQM decision-making activities. TQM requires maximumparticipation of employees at all levels, and employees who have a greater variety oftasks and who deal with a greater variety of people at work feel more involved in theirjobs (Guimareas, 1996; Luthans, 1995; Kanungo, 1982). High levels of “jobinvolvement” enhance job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizationalcommitment (Igbaria et al., 1994).

TQM practices are an important aspect of successfully involving employees inprocesses that lead to improvement in company performance (Mohrman et al., 1996).The use of TQM practices can create a culture that encourages employees to worktogether across the company, improve personal responsibility, and enhance a sense ofaccomplishment in job tasks.

Job satisfactionThe term “job satisfaction” refers to a positive affective reaction by individuals to theirjobs. In a wider sense, “job satisfaction” refers to employees recognizing that they arecontributing to the overall achievement of organizational goals (Guimareas, 1996;Weiss et al., 1967). Forsyth (1995) has indicated that the important factors that areconductive to job satisfaction are mentally challenging work, equitable rewards,supportive working conditions, and helpful colleagues.

Because TQM aims to create an environment that elicits the best from employees, itcan be expected that TQM will lead to increased job satisfaction. Indeed, Bounds (1995)advocated the empowering of employees with increased authority and responsibility,thus allowing them to be innovative in implementing their own solutions to problems,and fostering a heightened recognition of the need for cooperation, communication, andteamwork.

Career satisfaction“Career satisfaction” refers to the overall affective reaction of individuals to theircareers (Greenhaus et al., 1990). TQM practices provide a conducive managerialenvironment that enhances employee motivation and the successful accomplishment ofgoals. They encourage employees to achieve their career goals by utilizing their skills

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and abilities to improve the quality of their work. Satisfied employees are more likelyto provide high levels of service to their customers (Butler, 1996; Kerr, 1996) and morelikely to remain with an organization, thus reducing staff turnover (Guimareas, 1996).

Organizational commitment“Organizational commitment” refers to the degree of attachment and loyalty felt byindividual employees to the organization (Guimareas, 1996; Luthans, 1995; Mowdayet al., 1979). The successful implementation of TQM increases the likelihood thatemployees will be motivated to perform well and remain with the company. Employeeswho are highly committed to their organizations contribute more effectively tocompany growth and success.

In summary, a review of the literature suggests that TQM practices enhance jobinvolvement, increase job and career satisfaction, and produce greater organizationalcommitment among employees.

MethodologyAs previously noted, the present study investigated the effect of TQM practices onemployees’ work-related attitudes, especially job involvement, job satisfaction, careersatisfaction, and organizational commitment.

The independent variable in the study was TQM practice. For the purposes of thestudy, four broad TQM practices were considered:

(1) “customer focus”;

(2) “training and education”;

(3) “empowerment and teamwork”; and

(4) “continuous improvement and problem prevention”.

Eighteen items were used to measure the extent of these TQM practices on a five-pointLikert-type scale. The questionnaire was modified from Powell (1995).

The dependent variable in the study was work-related attitudes. The indicators ofthese attitudes were:

. “job involvement”;

. “job satisfaction”;

. “career satisfaction”; and

. “organizational commitment” (Guimareas, 1996).

These variables were measured as follows:. “job involvement” consisted of five items measured on a five-point Likert-type

scale ranging from “very high” (5) to “very low” (1) (Kanungo, 1982);. “job satisfaction” consisted of ten items measured on a five-point Likert-type

scale ranging from “very satisfied” (5) to “very dissatisfied” (1) (Weiss et al.,1967);

. “career satisfaction” consisted of five items measured on a five-point Likert-typescale ranging from “strongly agree” (5) to “strongly disagree” (1) (Greenhauset al., 1990); and

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. “organizational commitment” consisted of ten items measured on a five-pointLikert-type scale ranging from “strongly agree” (5) to “strongly disagree” (1)(Mowday et al., 1979).

From 100 public and private organizations identified through the Yellow Pages ofTelekom Malaysia, five private-sector companies and five public-sector companies wererandomly selected. Each organization received 20 copies of a questionnaire on the subjectunder investigation. Of 200 questionnaires, 104 were completed and returned. Permissionwas sought from the management of the chosen organizations to distribute thequestionnaires to employees of various levels and functions within their organizations,andquestionnairesweredistributedtotherespondents throughanofficeroracoordinatorfrom either the quality assurance department or the administrative department.

A model was developed to provide a general framework for examining the effect ofTQM practices on work-related attitudes (see Figure 1).

Based on the theoretical framework, four major hypotheses and sixteen subsidiaryhypotheses were proposed:

H1. That TQM practices have a positive effect on “job involvement”.

H11. That “customer focus” has a positive effect on “job involvement”.

H12. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “job involvement”.

H13. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “jobinvolvement”.

H14. That “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positiveeffect on “job involvement”.

H2. That TQM practices have a positive effect on “job satisfaction”.

H21. That “customer focus” has a positive effect on “job satisfaction”.

H22. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “job satisfaction”.

H23. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “jobsatisfaction”.

H24. That “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positiveeffect on “job satisfaction”.

Figure 1.Theoretical framework

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H3. That TQM practices have a positive effect on “career satisfaction”.

H31. That “customer focus” has a positive effect on “career satisfaction”.

H32. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “career satisfaction”.

H33. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “careersatisfaction”.

H34. That “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positiveeffect on “career satisfaction”.

H4. That TQM practices have a positive effect on “organizational commitment”.

H41. That “customer focus” has a positive effect on “organizationalcommitment”.

H42. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “organizationalcommitment”.

H43. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “organizationalcommitment”.

H44. That “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positiveeffect on “organizational commitment”.

For the purpose of analyzing the data, Cronbach’s alpha was used as a reliabilitycoefficient. Correlational analysis was undertaken to determine the relationshipbetween dependent and independent variables. Simple regression was used to explainthe variance in each dependent variable. In addition, individual TQM practices wereregressed against “job involvement”, “job satisfaction”, “career satisfaction”, and“organizational commitment”. The regression equation (as obtained) was used toconfirm the significance of the independent variables.

ResultsAs previously noted, of 200 questionnaires distributed to the employees, 104responded, giving a response rate of 52 percent. There were equal numbers ofcompleted questionnaires received from private-sector and public-sector organizations.Slightly less than half (43.1 percent) of the respondents indicated that theirorganizations had obtained ISO 9000 certification. Slightly more than half (58.8percent) of the respondents indicated that their organizations had implemented TQMpractices for more than three years, whereas 41.2 percent indicated that theirorganizations had been practising TQM for less than three years.

A profile of the respondents is presented in Table I. There were almost equalnumbers of male and female respondents in the sample. The majority of therespondents (71.8 percent) were married. About two-thirds (66.7 percent) were highschool/diploma holders, and a third (33.3 percent) were degree/postgraduate holders.The majority (63 percent) were of managerial level. Most of the respondents (66.3percent) were in administration departments; other departments represented includedproduction, marketing, and engineering. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of respondentshad working experience of more than five years with their current organization, and84.1 percent of respondents had more than five years of total working experience.

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The reliability analysis is summarized in Table II. The Cronbach’s alphas for allvariables (dependent and independent) were above the minimum of 0.5 (indicating thatthese measures were reliable). The standard deviations for the independent variableswere quite high, indicating that the dispersion was widely spread (according to a

Variable Category Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 50 48.5Female 53 51.5

Marital status Single 29 28.2Married 74 71.8

Education High school/diploma 68 66.7Degree/postgraduate 34 33.3

Job level Non-managerial 34 37.0Managerial 58 63.0

Job function Administration 61 66.3Production 12 13.0Marketing 4 4.3Engineering 15 16.3

Age (years) Less than 25 4 4.025-29 20 20.230-34 16 16.235-39 24 24.240-45 28 28.3More than 45 7 7.1

Working experience with current organization(years)

Less than 536 35.6

5-9 15 14.910-15 11 10.9More than 15 39 38.6

Total working experience (years) Less than 5 16 15.85-9 17 16.810-15 19 18.8More than 15 19 48.5

Table I.Respondents’ profile

Variable Cronbach’s alpha Number of items

Customer focus 0.5743 4Training and education 0.7942 4Empowerment and teamwork 0.8758 5Continuous improvement and problem prevention 0.8178 5Job involvement 0.7837 5Job satisfaction 0.8741 10Career satisfaction 0.8991 5Organizational commitment 0.9478 9

Table II.Reliability analysis

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normal distribution). The response for the dependent variables was positive. Thestandard deviation was high, indicating that the distribution of dependent variableswas widely spread (see Table III).

The correlation coefficients between the four TQM practices and the four dependentvariables are shown in Table IV. They all achieved statistical significance at p , 0:05.The results indicate that the four practices were significantly positively correlated withthe dependent variables on work-related attitudes. In particular, the followingconclusions can be drawn:

. with respect to job involvement, “training and education” and “empowerment andteamwork” had a significant positive effect;

. with respect to job satisfaction, “training and education”, “empowerment andteamwork”, and “continuous improvement and problem prevention” all had asignificant positive effect;

. with respect to career satisfaction, only “empowerment and teamwork” had asignificant positive effect; and

. with respect to organizational commitment, “training and education”,“empowerment and teamwork”, and “continuous improvement and problemprevention” all had a significant positive effect.

Customerfocus

Training andeducation

Empowermentand teamwork

Continuous improvementand problem prevention

Job involvement 0.2369 0.2616 0.3503 0.2121p ¼ 0:015 p ¼ 0:007 p ¼ 0:000 p ¼ 0:031

Job satisfaction 0.3126 0.5350 0.2930p ¼ 0:001 p ¼ 0:000 p ¼ 0:0002

Career satisfaction 0.3799 0.2234p ¼ 0.000 p ¼ 0:023

Organizational 0.3178 0.4370 0.2954commitment p ¼ 0:000 p ¼ 0:000 p ¼ 0:0002

Notes: df ¼ 97; p , 0:1; r ¼ 0:2540

Table IV.Pearson correlationcoefficient

Label Mean SD Minimum Maximum N

Customer focus 3.97 0.73 1.67 5.00 104Training and education 3.63 0.75 2.00 5.00 104Empowerment and teamwork 3.34 0.79 1.00 5.00 104Continuous improvement and problem prevention 3.35 0.79 1.00 5.00 104Job involvement 4.12 0.60 2.60 5.00 104Job satisfaction 3.66 0.64 2.00 5.00 104Career satisfaction 3.87 0.73 1.40 5.00 104Organizational commitment 3.91 0.80 1.33 5.00 104

Table III.Data presentation

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In terms of the postulated hypotheses, the following received support:

H12. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “job involvement”.

H13. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “jobinvolvement”.

H22. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “job satisfaction”.

H23. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “jobsatisfaction”.

H24. That “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positiveeffect on “job satisfaction”.

H33. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “careersatisfaction”.

H42. That “training and education” has a positive effect on “career satisfaction”.

H43. That “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “organizationalcommitment”.

H44. That “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positiveeffect on “organizational commitment”.

The correlation coefficients between “empowerment and teamwork” and all fourdependent variables were quite large and all had a high level of statistical significanceat p ¼ 0:0000. Thus, “empowerment and teamwork” was the most significant TMQpractice for all dependent variables. To gain further insights into the relationshipbetween the four practices and the various dependent variables, multiple regressionswere conducted.

With respect to job involvement, the correlation of “training and education” and“empowerment and teamwork” with “job involvement” was 0.352. The F statistic(F ¼ 7:12) was significant at the 0.0013 level. The coefficient of determination, r 2, was12.4 percent. This indicated that the two practices (“training and education” and“empowerment and teamwork”) explained most of the variance in “job involvement”.Thus H12 (that “training and education” has a positive effect on “job involvement”)and H13 (that “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “jobinvolvement”) were verified. The greater the extent of these practices, the greater the“job involvement”. The most important practice in explaining variance with respect to“job involvement” was “empowerment and teamwork”, with the highest value in beta(0.322), significant at the 0.0013 level. The positive beta weight indicates thatenhancing “empowerment and teamwork” will be of assistance if the organizationwishes to enhance “job involvement”.

With respect to job satisfaction, the correlation of “training and education”,“empowerment and teamwork”, and “continuous improvement and problemprevention” with job satisfaction was 0.557. The F statistic (F ¼ 14:97) wassignificant at p ¼ 0:000. This indicated that the three practices (“training andeducation”, “empowerment and teamwork”, and “continuous improvement andproblem prevention”) explained most of the variance in “job satisfaction”. H22 (that“training and education” has a positive effect on “job satisfaction”), H23 (that

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“empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “job satisfaction”) and H24(that “continuous improvement and problem prevention” has a positive effect on “jobsatisfaction”) were therefore verified. The greater the extent of these three practices,the greater the “job satisfaction”. The most important practice in explaining thevariance in “job satisfaction” was “empowerment and teamwork”, with the highestbeta (0.706), significant at the p ¼ 0:000 level. It is concluded that increasing“empowerment and teamwork” will enhance “job satisfaction”.

With respect to career satisfaction, the correlation of “empowerment and teamwork”with “career satisfaction” was 0.38. The F statistic (F ¼ 17:20) was significant at thelevel of 0.0001. The coefficient of determination, r 2, was 14.4 percent, indicating that“empowerment and teamwork” explained most of the variance in “career satisfaction”.H33 (that “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effect on “career satisfaction”)was thus verified. The practice of “empowerment and teamwork” is thereforesignificant in enhancing “career satisfaction”.

With respect to organizational commitment, the correlation of “training andeducation”, “empowerment and teamwork”, and “continuous improvement andproblem prevention” with “organizational commitment” was 0.44. The F statistic(F ¼ 8:01) was significant at the p ¼ 0:001 level. The coefficient of determination, r 2,was 19.4 percent, indicating that the three practices explained most of the variance in“organizational commitment”. H42 (that “training and education” has a positive effecton “career satisfaction”), H43 (that “empowerment and teamwork” has a positive effecton “organizational commitment”), and H44 (that “continuous improvement andproblem prevention” has a positive effect on “organizational commitment”) wereverified. The three practices contribute to “organizational commitment”. The mostimportant practice in explaining the variance in “organizational commitment” was“empowerment and teamwork”, which had the highest beta (0.45), and was significantat the p ¼ 0:0021 level. Thus “empowerment and teamwork” enhance employees’commitment.

In summary:. “training and education” had a significant positive effect on “job involvement”,

“job satisfaction”, and “organizational commitment”;. “empowerment and teamwork” had a significant positive effect on “job

involvement”, “job satisfaction”, “career satisfaction”, and “organizationalcommitment”;

. “continuous improvement and problem prevention” had a significant positiveeffect on “job satisfaction and organizational commitment”; and

. “customer focus” did not contribute to “job involvement”, “job satisfaction”,“career satisfaction”, or “organizational commitment”.

DiscussionOn the basis of the correlation analysis, “training and education”, “empowerment andteamwork”, and “continuous improvement and prevention” have a significant positivecorrelation with “job involvement”, “job satisfaction”, “career satisfaction”, and“organizational commitment”. These aspects of “job-related” attitudes are thusenhanced as TQM practices increase. It is recommended that human resources

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departments should review and enhance the motivation, training, and retention of goodemployees, and that unions and employees should support the concept of TQM.

“Empowerment and teamwork” is the most important TQM practice in enhancingemployees’ “job satisfaction”, “organizational commitment”, “career satisfaction”, and“job involvement”. The greater the extent of “empowerment and teamwork”, thegreater the enhancement of these job-related attitudes. In this respect, the present studysupports the findings of Wilkinson (1998) and Osland (1997). To the extent that“teamwork” also involves senior management, it is important that senior managementbe highly committed to, and engaged in, TQM practices. In addition, managers musttrain employees with respect to “empowerment and teamwork”. Employees should feelfree to control and manage their own work areas. They should have influence overdecisions and have greater opportunity to show initiative in providing quality productsand/or services to their customers.

“Training and education” has a positive effect on “organizational commitment”,“job satisfaction”, and “job involvement”. Continuous training and education areessential in for continuous improvement in employees’ skills. The greater the extent ofongoing training and education in an organization, the greater the employees’“organizational commitment”, “job satisfaction”, and “job involvement”. Trainingdepartments must therefore provide continuous training and education in ensuringongoing improvement in these aspects of job-related attitudes.

“Continuous improvement and problem prevention”, which is an essential aspect ofTQM, is shown to have a positive effect on “job satisfaction” and “organizationalcommitment”. In contrast, the lack of a significant relationship between this essentialaspect of TQM and “job involvement” and “career satisfaction” suggests thatmanagement might not have demonstrated its commitment to these practices. Animportant recommendation of the study is that senior management should pay moreattention to TQM practices – specifically continuous improvement and problemprevention – and consistently examine how problems can be prevented and corrected.

“Customer focus” does not contribute to employees’ work-related attitudes. Thissuggests that management has failed to communicate its commitment to thisimportant practice. This might be due to the lack of an established support relationshipbetween employees and customers. An important recommendation emerging from thisstudy is that organizations should pay more attention to customer feedback andcomplaints as a priority.

ConclusionTQM practices were positively correlated with employees’ work-related attitudes, suchas job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizationalcommitment. TQM practices encourage employees’ participation, promoteempowerment, recognize that employees play an important role in achieving theorganizations’ objectives, and treat employees as primary resources. The present studyconfirms that this results in enhanced job-related attitudes.

In summary, the present study demonstrates that TQM practices enhance jobinvolvement, improve the level of job and career satisfaction, and encourage greaterorganizational commitment. The effect of TQM practices in these respects is of theutmost importance. Organizations should be committed to TQM practices and theirsuccessful implementation.

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Corresponding authorNoorliza Karia is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: noorliza@usm.my

TQM andemployeeattitudes

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