Role of the human talent in total quality management–performance relationship: an investigation in the transport sector

Abstract

Recognising the importance of the human factor in all quality management systems and following the recent trends in the human resource management (HRM) literature that address the concept of talent, this study aims to investigate whether the adoption of the total quality management (TQM) philosophy inside service organisations leads to performance gains while taking into account the role of the human talent philosophies. A structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to maritime companies located in Greece and responses were collected mainly from the Quality and Safety managers. Finally, 199 usable responses were obtained. The data were analysed through structural equation modelling and multi group analysis. The findings confirm the positive association between TQM and performance and clearly indicate that the form of this relationship is influenced by the different perceptions with regard to the exclusive/inclusive nature of talent. This study adds to the limited empirical evidence on talent-related issues and constitutes one of the very first attempts to explore the critical role of the human talent – a very innovative concept in the HRM literature – in influencing the way quality management efforts ultimately yield positive performance outcomes.