Identifying and ranking critical success factors for implementation of total quality management in the Indian manufacturing industry using TOPSIS

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review critical success factors (CSFs) of total quality management (TQM), and to rank these in the Indian manufacturing industry.Design/methodology/approach – To rank the CSFs, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used. The data were collected using questionnaires as the research instrument.Findings – Process management, top management leadership and customer focus are the top three factors for implementation of TQM in the manufacturing industry in India. Quality citizenship is a relatively low‐ranked factor.Practical limitations/implications – The findings will be useful in successful implementation of TQM in developing countries like India. Further research may be carried out into the CSFs in different national contexts.Originality/value – The paper is the first to make use of TOPSIS approach to rank the CSFs of TQM.