Soft TQM, agility, and knowledge management deliver organizational performance: A study of Malaysian manufacturing organizations in the electrical and electronics sector

Abstract

AbstractThe research aims to determine how organizational performance is increased when soft TQM, agility, and knowledge management are aligned. It employs a model constructed from a literature review, and an empirical study conducted amongst electrical and electronics manufacturers in Malaysia. Soft TQM was found to have no significant direct relationship with organizational performance, but had a strong relationship when mediated by knowledge management. This relationship was further strengthened by the mediation of both agility and knowledge management. The empirical findings validate recent conceptual models of enablers of organizational performance, as well as contributing to the body of knowledge concerning the knowledge‐based view of the firm, and the view of the firm as an epistemic community. In addition, the study identifies factors that should be considered when implementing soft TQM, agile practices, and knowledge management in an organization.