Quality Management in Higher Education: Review and Perspectives

Abstract

This paper is a review which presents a summary of 52 studies from 2006 to 2016 in Quality Management (QM) within Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). The aim of this paper is to submit evidence regarding the level of QM in HEIs, particularly in developing countries, and also to enhance the research in the field of QM. The findings reveal that from 2013 onward there is an increased interest in the items of QM mainly in Arabic countries. Moreover, the findings include Critical Success Factors (CSFs), obstacles and benefits that confirm and supplement previous literature. The type (private or public) and age of university, transformational leadership, integration, respect of a person, character, constructive conflict, creative tension, enthusiasm, awareness and orientation of employees and faculty and resource allocation are CSFs that this study reveals. Also, infrastructure limitations focused on human and financial capital, limited involvement of stakeholders and measurement of a complex range of performance indicators are barriers which enrich the analysis. Moreover, the extra benefits of QM practices are that QM is appropriate to the purpose of HEIs, meets the expectations and the new roles of HEIs, and lastly, the implementation of QM practices can solve problems and propose solutions.