Total quality management and operational competitiveness at pz cussons East Africa limited

Abstract

The globalization trend being witnessed has made organizations to come up with strategies on how to achieve their objectives effectively, efficiently and by so doing the adoption of different operational philosophies has been embraced as one of the strategies. The aim of the research is to determine the critical factors of total quality management and to measure their effect on operational performance at PZ Cussons E. A Limited. The research adopted a descriptive research design. Data was collected using a selfadministered questionnaire that was distributed to 25 senior and middle level managers at the firm that were selected randomly. It was found that if TQM is implemented well, it produces a variety of benefits such as meeting the customers‟ needs which is key in manufacturing, improved internal communication and better problem solving. Generally, the five TQM philosophies that were being researched on had a positive correlation to the operational performance of the firm. Since, the data in the research was collected from top managers of the organizations on the basis of their subjective evaluations; objective performance indicates the findings might have elements of subjectivity considering that they will be involved in implementation of the TQM philosophy in the firm. The research implication is that the firm‟s senior management must consider their internal strategic management processes, training and involve other staff, and their own role in championing total quality approaches to managing organisational performance.