THE MODERATING EFFECT OF IMPORTANT INNOVATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUALITY RESULTS AND PRODUCTIVITY

Abstract

There are some empirical studies that have revealed that quality has a positive significant influence on productivity. However, very few considered including contingency variables to bring more insights on the nature of this relationship. This study therefore attempted to investigate further the impact of quality results on productivity by including important innovations as the moderating variable to bring more insights on the nature of this relationship by collecting sample data from management employees of Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority. The model fit, validity and reliability were verified by Principal Component Analysis, Factor Analysis and Regression Analysis with the help of the Jamovi software. The results of the study present a significant positive relationship between quality results and productivity. The results also reveal that important innovations moderate the association between quality results and productivity. This study presents a theoretical contribution to literature by being the first study to empirically test the relationship between quality results and productivity with important innovations as a moderating variable. The study recommends decision makers in the organizations to always ensure that, they encourage important innovations in their organizations while paying attention to quality results. It is also hoped that this study will be replicated to other sectors and that the future studies will include other contingency variables as either moderating or mediating variables to further bring more insights on this relationship.