Total quality management (TQM) practices in Turkish manufacturing organizations

Abstract

Total quality management (TQM) is one of the most popular modern management concepts. It refers to a quality emphasis that encompasses the entire organization, from supplier to customer. In this paper, the TQM practices in the Turkish manufacturing industry are analyzed, based on a survey conducted among 100 large companies. This paper presents results of a survey of Turkish manufacturing companies. The key finding from the research is that a growing number of companies in Turkey are willing to implement TQM to generate competitive advantage. It was also found that important factors for a successful implementation process are upper management support, employee involvement and commitment, customer focus, quality education and training, teamwork, and use of statistical techniques.