Testing the dimensionality of the quality management construct

Ibrahim A Elshaer,Marcjanna M Augustyn

doi:10.1080/14783363.2014.993964

Ibrahim A Elshaer, Marcjanna M Augustyn

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2014.993964

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Abstract

Numerous empirical studies have conceptualised quality management (QM) as either a multidimensional or unidimensional construct. While few prior studies tested some aspects of the assumed dimensional structure of the construct, no study has been found to have tested the construct's dimensionality using alternative factor analysis models. To gain a better insight into dimensional properties of the QM construct, this paper tests its dimensionality using three confirmatory factor analysis models (oblique factor model, higher-order factor model, and one-factor model) on a subset of data collected in a larger study that investigated the effects of QM on competitive advantage using a sample of 288 hotel managers in Egypt. The results of the three tests indicate that the QM construct is multidimensional. While this study contributes to advancing the QM theory and practice, further studies are needed to investigate the dimensional properties of the construct in greater depth. The results of this study may therefore stimulate research in this area and encourage the much needed debate on the dimensionality of the QM construct.

Highlights

Testing the dimensionality of the quality management construct as part of construct validation process is an important prerequisite for measuring the effects of the latent construct on another construct (John & Benet-Martinez, 2014).Given the insufficient evidence on the dimensionality of the quality management construct and the limitations of the techniques that have been employed to test the construct’s dimensionality, this paper tests the dimensionality of the quality management construct using three confirmatory factor analysis models on a subset of data collected in a larger study that investigated the effects of quality management on competitive advantage using a sample of 288 hotel managers in Egypt
Given the insufficient evidence on the dimensionality of the quality management construct and the limitations of the techniques that have been employed to test the construct’s dimensionality, this paper tested the dimensionality of the quality management construct using, for the first time in a single study, three confirmatory factor analysis models
Since by employing various confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models in a single study a researcher may gain a better insight into dimensional properties of a construct (Rubio et al, 2001), the results of this study provide stronger evidence that quality management is a multidimensional rather than a unidimensional construct

Summary

Introduction

Numerous studies have attempted to investigate the direct and indirect effects of quality management on various aspects of organizational performance, including product quality (Ahire & O’Shaughnessy, 1998; Banerji, Gundersen, & Behara, 2005), customer satisfaction (Choi & Eboch, 1998; Terziovski, 2006), employee well-being (Liu & Liu, 2012), innovation (Delić, Radlovački, Kamberović, Maksimović, & Pečujlija, 2014; Kim, Kumar, & Kumar, 2012; Prajogo & Sohal, 2003), mass customization capability (Kristal, Huangm, & Schroeder, 2010), competitive advantage (Flynn, Schroeder, & Sakakibara, 1995; Powell, 1995), profitability (Barker & Emery, 2006; Kaynak 2003), return on assets (Sharma, 2006), productivity (Banerji et al, 2005, Terziovski, 2006), market share (Douglas & Judge 2001; Fening, Pesakovic, & Amaria, 2008), sales growth (Kaynak, 2003; Su, Li, Zhang, Liu, & Dang, 2008), and management perceptions of firm performance (Herzallah, GutiérrezGutiérrez, & Rosas, 2014; Samson & Terziovski, 1999). Based on an extensive review of empirical studies that investigated the relationships between quality management and performance, Ebrahimi and Sadeghi (2013) identified seven key dimensions of quality management (human resource management, customer focus and satisfaction, top management commitment and leadership, process management, supplier quality management, quality information and analysis, and strategic quality planning) and concluded that an integrated approach to implementing all quality management practices should be adopted These findings raise questions about the properties of the dimensional structure of quality management and whether quality management might be a unidimensional construct in line with what some scholars implicitly assumed in their studies but did not test empirically prior to investigating the effects of quality management on other variables The application of the three CFA models in the current study is reported through the following stages: model specification and identification, model estimation, and model evaluation (Schumacker & Lomax, 2010)

Testing the dimensionality of QM using three CFA models

Findings

Conclusion