Organizational structure for customer‐oriented TQM: an empirical investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the organizational structure that supports the implementation of customer‐oriented total quality management (TQM). Design/methodology/approach – Quality management has been developing through the interactive efforts of managers, academicians, and consultants. This paper surveys these groups of experts about the structure that supports the implementation of customer‐oriented TQM. A questionnaire including items related to TQM structure is developed. Respondents are asked to indicate to what extent the items support or impede the implementation of customer‐oriented TQM. Responses are analyzed to determine the dimensions of the instrument. Then, one‐sample t ‐tests are used to determine which of the resulting dimensions support this implementation. Finally, ANOVA is used to determine the impact of the jobs of the experts and their nationalities on their perceptions of the role of the structural dimensions. Findings – Factor analysis resulted in seven dimensions including process network, mechanistic structure, classic structure, formalization, risk aversion, organic structure, and complexity. Results show that the dimensions of process network and organic structure support the implementation of customer‐oriented TQM, while mechanistic structure risk aversion, and complexity impede it. Academicians valued the dimensions of process network and organic structure more than quality managers. Arabs and Far Easterners looked at mechanistic structure more positively than Australians, Western Europeans, and Americans. This difference may be explained by differences in national cultures. Originality/value – The fit between strategy and organizational structure is essential for the success of any strategy. Many authors attributed the failures of TQM initiatives to the presence of organizational structures that are incompatible with TQM. This paper identified the structural dimensions that support customer‐oriented TQM and those that impede it. This result has important implications for managers who are planning to successfully implement a customer‐oriented TQM. This paper also has important research implications on the relationship between national culture and the structure of a customer‐oriented TQM.