14-23

• Calvo-Mora Schmidt, Arturo
• Picón Berjoyo, Araceli
• Ruiz Moreno, Carolina
• Cauzo Bottala, Lourdes

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, firstly, the existence of soft and hard TQM factors in the EFQM excellence model and, secondly, their impact on key business results .The EFQM model has been used as a framework model as it is the TQM implementation referent that is most widespread and accepted in the specialized literature. The methodology used is factorial analysis to determine the existence of the soft and hard TQM factors in the EFQM model and regression analysis to establish the impact of the factors identified on the business’ key results. A sample of 116 firms have been subjected to complete assessment processes (self-assessment and external assessment) according to the EFQM model. The article suggests that (1) the factorial analysis groups together the EFQM's five facilitating agents' criteria in three factors: soft factors, the strategic management of partnership and resources and processes management; (2) the regression techniques point out the influence of the hard factors (the strategic management of partnership and resources, and processes management) on the key business results and it is noted that the influence of the soft factors on the results is produced through the mediation of the hard factors of TQM.

• Economics and Business
• Computer and information sciences

• Business management
• Statistics

TQM, soft factors, hard factors, EFQM, key results, performance

Περιέχει σχήμα, πίνακες και βιβλιογραφία

1. [1] Abdullah, M.M.B., Uli, J. & Tarí, J.J., Theinfluence of soft factors on quality improvementand performance, The TQM Journal, Vol.20,No.5, 2008, pp. 436-452.[2] Aiken, L.S. & West, S.G., Multiple Regression:Testing and Interpreting Interactions, NewburyPark, CA: Sage, 1991.[3] Al-Tahat, M.D. & Daradkeh, T.A., Investigatingthe influence of TQM elements on the overallperformance of Jordanian Municipalities casestudy: Greater irbid municipality GIM,Proceedings of the 4th International Conferenceon Manufacturing Engineering, Quality andProduction Systems (MEQAPS’11), Barcelona,September 15-17, 2011, pp. 91-96.[4] Alonso-Almeida, M.M. & Fuentes-Frías, V.G.,International quality awards and excellencequality models around the world. Amultidimensional analysis, Quality & Quantity,Vol.46, 2012, pp. 599-626.[5] Barclay, D., Higgins, C. & Thompson, R., ThePartial Least Squares (PLS) approach to causalmodelling: Personal computer adoption and useas an illustration, Technology Studies, SpecialIssue on Research Methodology, Vol.2, No.2,1995, pp. 285-309.[6] Black, S.A. & Porter, L.J., An empirical modelfor total quality management, Total QualityManagement, Vol.6, No.2, 1995, pp. 149-164.[7] Black, S.A. & Porter, L.J., Identification of theCritical Factors of TQM. Decision Sciences,Vol.27, No.1, 1996, pp. 1-21.[8] Bou-Llusar, J.C., Escrig, A.B., Roca, V. &Beltrán, I., To what extent do enablers explainresults in the EFQM Excellence Model? Anempirical study, International Journal of Qualityand Reliability Management, Vol.22, No.4,2005, pp. 337-353.[9] Bou-Llusar, J.C., Escrig-Tena, A.B., Roca-Puig,V. & Beltrán-Martín, I., An empiricalassessment of the EFQM Excellence Model:Evaluation as a TQM framework relative to theMBNQA Model, Journal of OperationsManagement, Vol.27, 2009, pp. 1-22.[10] Calvo-Mora, A., Leal, A. & Roldán, J.L.,Relationships between the EFQM Model criteria:a Study in Spanish Universities, Total QualityManagement, Vol.16, No.6, 2005, pp. 741-770.[11] Cecolin, F. & Sigma, Q., System of Integrationfor a Global Management Addressed to TotalQuality, Proceedings of the InternationalConference on Manufacturing Engineering,Quality and Production Systems, Vol.2,Romania, September 24-26, 2009, pp. 302-305.[12] Chin, W.W., PLS-Graph, Version 3.0. Universityof Houston, TX, 2003.[13] Chin, W.W., How to write up and report PLSanalyses. In Esposito Vinzi, V., Chin, W.W.,Henseler, J., Wang, H. (Eds.), Handbook ofPartial Least Squares: Concepts, Methods andApplications. Springer-Verlag, 2010. Berlin, pp.655-690.[14] Claver, E., Tarí, J.J., & Molina, J.F., 2003.Critical Factors and Results of QualityManagement: An Empirical Study, Total QualityManagement, 14, Vol.1, pp. 91-118.[15] Comrey, A.L., A First Course in FactorAnalysis, New York. Academic Press, 1973.[16] Criado, F. & Calvo-Mora, A., Excellenceprofiles in Spanish firms with qualitymanagement systems, Total QualityManagement & Business Excellence, Vol.20,No.6, 2009, pp. 655-679.[17] Curkovic, S., Vickery, S. & Dröge, C., Qualityrelatedaction programs: Their impact on qualityperformance and firm performance, DecisionSciences, Vol.31, No.4, fall, 2000, pp. 885-905.[18] Ehrlich, C., The EFQM model and workmotivation, Total Quality Management &Business Excellence, Vol.17, No.2, 2006, pp.131-140.[19] Eskildsen, J.K. & Dahlgaard, J.J., A causalmodel for employee satisfaction, Total QualityManagement, Vol.11, 2000, pp. 1081-1094.[20] European Foundation for Quality Management,Modelo EFQM de Excelencia, EuropeanFoundation for Quality Management, Brussels,2003.[21] Gadenne, D. & Sharma, B., An investigation ofthe hard and soft quality management factors ofAustralian SMEs and their association with firmperformance, International Journal of Quality &Reliability Management, Vol.26, No.9, 2009, pp.865-880.[22] Gefen, D., Straub, D.W. & Boudreau, M.C.,Structural equation modeling and regression:Guidelines for research practice,Communications of the Association forInformation Systems, Vol.7, No.7, 2000, pp. 1–78.[23] Ghobadian, A. & Woo, H.S., Characteristic,benefits and shortcomings of four major qualityawards, International Journal of Operations &Production Management, Vol.13, 1996, pp. 1044.[24] Gómez, J. G., Costa, M. M. & Lorente, A. R. M.,A critical evaluation of the EFQM model.International Journal of Quality and ReliabilityManagement, Vol.28, No.5, 2011, pp. 484-502.[25] Hair, J., Anderson, R., Tatham, R. & Black, W.,Multivariant Analysis, Ed. Prentice-Hall. Madrid,2000.[26] Ho, D. C. K., Duffy, V. G. & Shih, H. M., Totalquality management: An empirical test formediation effect, International Journal ofProduction Research, Vol.39, No.3, 2001, pp.529-548.[27] Huarng, F. & Chen, Y.T., Relationships of TQMphilosophy, methods and performance: A surveyin Taiwan, Industrial Management & DataSystems, Vol.102, No.3/4, 2002, pp. 226-234.[28] Irefin, I.A., Abdul-Azeez, I.A. & Hammed, G.O.,A study of the effect of total quality management(TQM) Practices on organizational performancein Nigeria, Interdisciplinary Journal ofContemporary Research in Business, Vol.3,No.7, 2001, pp. 466-484.[29] Jung, J.Y. & Wang, Y.J., Relationship betweentotal quality management (TQM) and continuousimprovement of international projectmanagement (CIIPM), Technovation, Vol.26,2006, pp. 716–722.[30] Kim, D.Y., Kumar, V. & Murphy, S.A.,European Foundation for Quality ManagementBusiness Excellence Model: An integrativereview and research agenda, InternationalJournal of Quality & Reliability Management,Vol.27, No.6, 2010, pp. 684-701.[31] Kralj, D. & Markic, M., EnvironmentalExcellence in Global Marketing, Proceedings ofthe 2nd WSEAS International Conference OnManagement, Marketing and Finances(MMF'08), Harvard, Massachusetts, USA,March 24-26, 2008.[32] Leva, M., Ionica, A. & Edelhauser, E., Softwarefor Quality Evaluation Based on EFQMExcellence Model, Proceedings of the AppliedComputing Conference, Romania, October, 2123,2010, pp. 609-614.[33] Lewis, W.G., Pun, K.F. & Lalla, T.R.M.,Empirical investigation of the hard and softcriteria of TQM in ISO 9001 certified small andmedium sized enterprises, International Journalof Quality & Reliability Management, Vol.23,No.8, 2006, pp. 964-985.[34] MacKenzie, S.B. & Lutz, R.J., An empiricalexamination of the structural antecedents ofattitude toward the ad in an advertising pretestingcontext, Journal of Marketing, Vol.53, 1989, pp.48-65.[35] Nunnally, J. C., Psychometric Theory, NewYork. Ed. McGraw-Hill, 1967.[36] Prajogo, D.I. & McDermott, C.M., Therelationship between total quality managementpractices and organizational culture,International Journal of Operations &Production Management, Vol.25, No.11, 2005,pp.1101-1122.[37] Rahman, S. & Bullock, P., Soft TQM, hardTQM, and organisational performancerelationships: an empirical investigation, Omega,Vol.33, 2005, pp. 73-83.[38] Reinartz, W., Haenlein, M. & Henseler, J., Anempirical comparison of the efficacy ofcovariance-based and variance-based SEM,International Journal of Research in Marketing,Vol.26, 2009, pp. 332-344.[39] Reiner, G., Analysis of critical factors ofcompany success based on the EFQM ExcellenceModel, Proceedings of the 7th World Congressfor Total Quality Management, Italy, 2002, pp.361-366.[40] Roldán, J.L. & Sánchez-Franco, M.J., Variancebasedstructural equation modeling: Guidelinesfor using Partial Least Squares in informationsystems research, In M. Mora, et al. (Eds.)Research Methodologies, Innovations andPhilosophies in Software Systems Engineeringand Information Systems. Hershey, PA: IGIGlobal, 2012, pp. 193-221.[41] Samson, D. & Terziovski, M., The relationshipbetween TQM practices & operationalperformances, Journal of OperationManagement, Vol.17, 1999, pp. 393-409.[42] Sila, I., The influence of contextual variables onTQM practice and TQM-organizationalperformance relationships, The Business Review,Vol.4, No.1, 2005, pp. 204–209.[43] Yousefie, S., Mohammadi, M. & Monfared, J.H.,Selection effective management tools on settingEuropean Foundation for Quality Management(EFQM) model by a quality function deployment(QFD) approach, Expert Systems withApplications, Vol.38, 2011, pp. 9633-9647.[44] Zairi, M. & Alsughayir, A.A., The adoption ofexcellence models through cultural and socialadaptations: An empirical study of criticalsuccess factors and a proposed model, TotalQuality Management & Business Excellence,Vol.22, No.6, 2011, pp. 641-654.