The implementation of total quality management in Arab universities: A proposed model

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a model for the implementation of total quality management in higher educational institutions, Arab universities. This model exceeds the limitations in the implemented current models in various business organizations through implementing the systems approach and process entry in the design that includes inputs, processes, outputs, and goals. This study is a survey-based methodology in which the survey is designed based on the 7 famous models of implementing the total quality with an adaption within the framework of the total quality management concept. The final sample consists of 51 academic leaders at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University who hold various experiences in working with different Arab universities. The results of this study indicate that the proposed model obtained high relative importance that reached at the axis level a high degree ranged between 76.39%-80.78%, and at the overall level reached a percentage of 80.39%. This confirms the importance of the model in expressing the intellectual content of management of total quality as an integrated system of universities as open organizations to their external context. This study recommends that high leaders should believe in the importance of total quality management and encourage its application through the proposed model with its essential criteria and its sub-dimensions and spreading the culture of total quality management and customer service among workers.