The effects of total quality management practices on employees' work‐related attitudes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices on employees' work‐related attitudes, such as job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes and tests 16 hypotheses on the relationship between TQM practices and work‐related attitude. Findings – The results indicate that training and education have a significant positive effect on job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Empowerment and teamwork significantly enhance job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Continuous improvement and problem prevention significantly enhance job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Customer focus does not contribute to job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, or organizational commitment. Research limitations/implications – The study was unable to evaluate the wider dimensions of TQM practices. Practical implications – Managers should be aware that TQM practices have a positive effect on employees' work‐related attitudes (such as job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizational commitment). Originality/value – The paper focuses on TQM in practice, rather than on TQM in theory and/or TQM as organizational change.