Employee perceptions of HRM and TQM, and the effects on satisfaction and intention to leave

Abstract

There is a growing interest in theory and in practice with regard to the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and total quality management (TQM), as well as the relationship between these two perspectives and business performance. Empirical research suggests significant effects of HRM/TQM on the performances of an organisation. The majority of research in this area is focused on the effects of HRM/TQM at the organisational level. Research on the perceptions of individual employees might obtain new insights for further discussion on the effectiveness of HRM/TQM in an organisation. The authors had the opportunity to analyse a relatively large database with recent data of individual employee perceptions from a knowledge‐intensive organisation in The Netherlands. This analysis gives new insight into concepts such as “co‐operation”, “information”, “leadership”, “salary”, “work conditions”, and “goal setting” in relation to employee satisfaction and the intention to leave the organisation.