Hard Total Quality Management Research Articles

Re-examining the quality management and firm performance relationships: meta-analytical investigation on moderating effects of national culture differences

PurposeIn the last 3 decades, organization-wide programs and practices based on the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy have become central to continuous improvement (CI) strategy in both public and private enterprises. However, there is paradoxical evidence of TQM-firm performance linkage in non-Japanese contexts. This study presents a meta-analysis of empirical research on TQM-firm performance linkage and investigates the moderating influence of national cultural (NC) values on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachMeta-analytical procedures are adopted to analyse 364 effects accumulated from 135 independent samples across 31 nations, for 30,015 firm observations. Additionally, weighted least square (WLS) meta-regression is used to test the moderation effects of four NC dimensions based on the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) model.FindingsThe meta-analysis results reveal that the strengths of the association varied across five soft and hard TQM dimensions and three firm performance dimensions Meta-regression indicate that the effectiveness of the TQM program is high in cultures which reward collectivist behaviours, equity of power distribution and avoidance of ambiguity in rules/structures.Originality/valueThe study contributes to international operational management theory on cultural influences on the effectiveness of operations strategies and decisions.

Impact of organizational citizenship behavior on corporate sustainability through the mediation of TQM: focus on the textile industry in Bangladesh

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), total quality management (TQM), and corporate sustainability (CS). Specifically, the authors propose that TQM mediates the relationship between OCB and CS. The authors intend to demonstrate that TQM practice may be able to balance the interests of all stakeholders and hence improve the performance of all three CS elements, namely economic, social and environmental.Design/methodology/approachThe authors designed a survey questionnaire. The authors then collected data from managers that were in charge of quality control in 216 companies. Hypotheses were developed and regression and path analyses were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsOCB has a positive effect on both TQM and CS. TQM also is positively related to CS. Further, TQM mediates the relationship between OCB and CS. Further analyses show that the full mediation only applies to economic aspects of CS but not social and environmental.Practical implicationsCompanies that aim to achieve overall CS performance should not only encourage OCB in an organization, but also pay attention to TQM. Moreover, when deciding on hard and soft TQM, the priority should be given to hard TQM.Originality/valueThe authors investigate the relationship between OCB, TQM and CS in detail. The authors treat TQM in two elements of soft TQM and hard TQM while treating CS performance in three elements of economic, social and environmental performances. The authors further examine how both hard and soft TQM impacts CS performance differently.

The impact of Industry 4.0 technologies and the soft side of TQM on organisational performance: a multiple case study analysis on manufacturing organisations

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how Industry 4.0 (I40) technologies support workers' engagement in soft total quality management (TQM) practices for organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multiple case study of six Italian manufacturing organisations that operate with I40 production and implement TQM practices. The authors concentrated on the relationship between I40 technologies and soft TQM aspects.FindingsI40 technologies provide two forms of engagement with workers. Workers can act as machine supervisors and expert assembly operators. Organisations use five soft TQM practices to involve and develop workers for TQM that vary according to automation levels. The five soft TQM practices are top management design around workers, incremental trials with I40 technologies, worker empowerment, I40 sociotechnical collaboration and individual feedback systems.Originality/valueIn the literature that focusses primarily on how I40 technologies support the hard side of TQM by creating a data-driven and automated quality management system, the authors illustrate how the workforce can be engaged in I40 with five soft TQM practices to improve organisational performance. Thus, the authors complement the theory of hard and soft TQM aspects for I40 production systems.

Mediating effect of organisational learning and moderating role of organisational culture on the relationship between total quality management and innovation among manufacturing companies in Nigeria

The study examines the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices on innovation, with a mediating effect of the moderating role of organisational learning and organisational culture among Nigeria's manufacturing companies. Similarly, the study applied a survey instrument tof 459 manufacturing companies in Lagos, Ogun, and Osun states, Nigeria. The Partial Least Squares (PLS3) path modelling approach was applied to test the conceptual model. The result shows that soft and hard TQM practices are positively and significantly associated with innovation among Nigeria's manufacturing companies. Similarly, organisational learning mediated the relationship between soft and hard TQM practices and organisational innovation. Finally, the results indicate that organisational culture has a negative and insignificant moderating effect on the relationship between soft quality management practices and innovation. However, the findings reported a positive and significant moderating relationship between hard TQM practices and manufacturing companies innovation in Nigeria. The study concludes that soft and hard TQM practices are essential determinants of innovation based on the findings. The study's major contribution is to understand better the mediating effect of organisational learning and the moderating role of organisational culture in the relationship between TQM practices and innovation, which have not been jointly investigated before.

Impact of total quality management on industry 4.0 readiness and practices: does firm size matter?

ABSTRACT Digitalization transforms the business environment, and organizations face challenges to make progress. The initial step to support organizations is to evaluate their readiness, resources, and capabilities for improvement. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the purpose of this study is to empirically analyze the effect of digitalization of Total Quality Management (TQM) or Quality 4.0 on industry 4.0 (I4.0) readiness and actual practices of I4.0 with firm size as a moderator. Based on data from 228 respondents, the study model was empirically validated in Malaysian small-medium enterprises. The results revealed that soft TQM (top management commitment (TMC) and human resource management (HR) and hard TQM practices; process management (PM) and quality information & analysis (QIA)) are positively associated with I4.0 readiness that further improves the actual practices of I4.0. Contrary to our expectations, education and training have no significant effect on I4.0 readiness. The results also show the mediating role of I4.0 readiness between TMC and QIA with the actual practice of I4.0. Furthermore, firm size significantly moderated the proposed relationships. The established framework helps managers to anticipate their management decisions’ effects on those results affecting I4.0.

Soft and Hard Total Quality Management Practices Promote Industry 4.0 Readiness: A SEM-Neural Network Approach

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is a technological development in the manufacturing industry that has revolutionized Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. There has been scant empirical research on the multidimensional perspective of TQM. Thus, this study aims to empirically examine the effect of the multidimensional view of TQM (soft and hard) on I4.0 readiness in small and medium-sized (SMEs) manufacturing firms. Based on the sociotechnical systems (STS) theory, a framework has been developed and validated empirically through an online survey of 209 Malaysian SMEs manufacturing firms. Unlike the existing TQM studies that used structural equation modeling (SEM), a two-stage analysis was performed in this study. First, the SEM approach was used to determine which variable significantly affects I4.0 readiness. Second, the artificial neural network (ANN) technique was adopted to rank the relative influence of significant predictors obtained from SEM. The results show that the soft and hard TQM practices have supported the I4.0 readiness. Moreover, the results highlight that hard TQM practices have mediating role between soft TQM practices and I4.0 readiness. The ANN results affirmed that customer focus is considered an important TQM factor for I4.0 managerial readiness, advanced manufacturing technology for operational readiness and top management commitment for technology readiness. In a nutshell, the SEM-ANN approach uniquely contributes to the TQM and I4.0 literature. Finally, the findings can help managers to prioritize firms’ soft and hard quality practices that promote I4.0 implementation, especially in emerging economies.

Enhancing customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction and company reputation with total quality management: combining traditional and new views

PurposeThis study investigates the effect of total quality management (TQM) on customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction and company reputation.Design/methodology/approachThe study results rely on a structured survey conducted among an extensive sample of Finnish SMEs. In addition to the examination of the relationship between TQM and company performance in terms of customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction and company reputation, the study takes a view on the possible effects of the industry, the company size and the certified quality system.FindingsThe results reveal that two TQM dimensions, namely Customer Focus and Product Management, were related to companies' customer satisfaction, whereas four TQM dimensions, namely Management/leadership, Customer Focus, Personnel Management and Risk Management, were related to personnel satisfaction. None of the TQM dimensions were related to company reputation. The control variables – the industry, the company size and the certified quality system – were not found to affect customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction or company reputation.Originality/valueMost previous studies have been based on traditional TQM classification and have not shown the effects of the latest TQM-related dimensions. Compared to previous studies, this work integrates risk management, digitization, system deployment efficiency and stakeholder management into TQM, which has not been implemented in any previous study. The roles of hard and soft TQM factors have been carefully considered in this study; thus, the study does not place too much emphasis on either direction but provides a balanced picture of the performance of the management systems studied. Although there are studies on the effects of TQM on personnel satisfaction, customer satisfaction and reputation, they are based on a much narrower definition of TQM than that in this study. The business environment is constantly changing, but only a few studies have been conducted to extend the TQM approach. This has led to duplication of studies, and the effects of performance-relevant procedures have not been extensively studied in the past as part of TQM. Therefore, the concept of this study brings significant added value to TQM research and returns the TQM concept to the overall level while considering the requirements of the ISO 9001: 2015 and EFQM 2019 quality standards. The study also considers the effects of ISO 9001 certification and EFQM requirements.

The influence of soft and hard TQM on quality performance and patient satisfaction in health care: investigating direct and indirect effects

PurposeThe present study conceptualizes total quality management (TQM) in terms of soft and hard aspects and examines their effects on quality performance and patient satisfaction. The indirect effects of soft and hard TQM on patient satisfaction through quality performance are also investigated.Design/methodology/approachA multi-item questionnaire was prepared to gather primary data from a sample of 312 medical employees in private hospitals in Jordan. The measurement model was evaluated for validity and reliability and determined to be acceptable. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe results revealed that soft TQM has a strong positive effect on quality performance and patient satisfaction. Hard TQM was found to positively affect quality performance but to a lesser extent compared to soft TQM. The effect of hard TQM on patient satisfaction, meanwhile, was not significant. Quality performance positively mediated the relationship between TQM – both soft and hard – and patient satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to conceptualize TQM in terms of soft and hard aspects in a health care context. It offers valuable insights for managers of private hospitals looking to enhance quality performance and patient satisfaction. The results reveal that soft TQM is the primary driver of quality performance and patient satisfaction in the health care context, which is in stark contrast to the manufacturing sector.

Delving into the soft side of TQM: an analysis of the implications of employee involvement on management practices

PurposeSoft total quality management (STQM) is a requisite for the successful implementation of hard total quality management interventions. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the implications of adopting soft total quality management practices. Inter alia, little is known about the consequences of employee involvement in addressing organizational and management challenges. To fill this gap, the article investigates the effects of employees' involvement on their commitment to organizational excellence.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data were collected from the European Company Survey (ECS). A large sample of 15,958 European companies was involved in the analysis. A parallel mediation model was devised to investigate the effects of employee involvement on commitment to organizational excellence. Training and motivation were contemplated as mediating variables to investigate the indirect implications of employee involvement on commitment to organizational excellence.FindingsEmployee involvement contributed marginally towards establishing an increased individual commitment to organizational excellence. Training and motivation played a relevant and statistically significant mediating role, boosting the implications of involvement on commitment to organizational excellence.Practical implicationsEmployee involvement is critical for establishing an organizational climate conducive to organizational excellence. However, its implications should be contextualized in light of the mediating role of training and motivation. On the one hand, training is expected to increase employees' participation in the enhancement of organizational excellence. On the other hand, motivation fosters employee engagement in the improvement of organizational dynamics.Originality/valueThe article investigates the implications of employee involvement on commitment to organizational excellence in a large sample of European companies, emphasizing that soft TQM interventions should be implemented according to a systemic perspective in order to pave the way for a viable commitment to organizational excellence.

Mapping the implications and competencies for Industry 4.0 to hard and soft total quality management

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to map the implications and competencies for Industry 4.0 to the hard and soft aspects of total quality management (TQM).Design/methodology/approachThe author/s collected data from purposively drawn samples of early-career engineering professionals (ECEPs) using a cross-sectional survey. A total of 20 ECEPs from three small-class cohorts (2014, 2016 and 2018) participated in the survey. The author/s analyzed data using the Kruskal–Wallis test and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test to establish the effect of cohort and gender on the implications and competencies for Industry 4.0. The author/s then mapped the top- and bottom-ranked implications and competencies onto the hard and soft aspects of TQM using a matrix.FindingsBased on the cohort, significant differences p < 0.05 existed in the interests and competencies for Industry 4.0. In congruence, the 2014 cohort had the highest number of “unique” top- and bottom-ranked competencies and implications spanning the hard and soft TQM. Based on gender, nonsignificant differences p < 0.05 existed in the interests and competencies for Industry 4.0. The male and female ECEPs' “common” top-ranked implications appeared under the hard and soft TQM. All their “common” top-ranked competencies appeared under the hard TQM, while all their “common” bottom-ranked competencies appeared under the soft TQM.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size, context/discipline and perceptual data are limitations.Practical implicationsOptimizing an existing TQM framework/matrix to design Industry 4.0 TQM, advanced as TQM 4.0.Originality/valuePerspectives of early-career professionals for TQM 4.0 implementation.

Can TQM Act as Stimulus to Elevate Firms’ Innovation Performance?: An Empirical Evidence From the Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan

The current research empirically investigated whether total quality management (TQM) as a multidimensional construct (organic and mechanistic) has a better explanatory power toward innovation performance dimensions with the mediating effect of business innovation capability (BIC) and moderating effect of business innovation culture. After an in-depth examination of the literature, a holistic TQM–BIC–innovation performance framework is being developed based on theoretical knowledge as well as empirical justification. This would help scholars and practitioners to comprehend ways through which quality and innovation are integrated. To this end, structural equation modeling–partial least squares (SEM-PLS) is used for analyzing the data. It has been found that both soft and hard TQM trigger innovation performance and firm BIC mediates this relationship. Lastly, the role of business innovation culture in enhancing firm’s radical innovation performance was empirically established. Thus, developing BIC and business innovation culture in a TQM-based firm could trigger innovating performance.

The Role of Hard TQM on the Relationship between Soft TQM and FinancialPerformance of Hotels and Travel Agents in Egypt

Inthelast60years,TotalQualityManagement(TQM)hasbeen under review (theoretically) and under examination (empirically) from several scholars all over the world. Although TQM practices in the manufacturing industry are well studied, fewer attempts have been conducted to examine itsconnotations and effects in the service industry, and particularly in the tourism sector. Two main categories of TQM practices were explored: Soft TQM (STQM)activities/practicesand Hard TQM (HTQM) activities/practices. It is arguable that both TQM practices enhance financial performance, but these relationshipshave not been completely tested in the tourism sector. The main aim of this paper is toassess the impact of STQMon financial performance through the mediating role of HTQM practices. The data were collected from surveying 380 general managers working in hotels and travel agentsin Egypt. A total of 285 valid questionnaires were attained with a response rate reached 75%. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results indicate that STQMimproves financial performance, and HTQMhasa direct influence on financial performance.The results show that 14 out of 15 proposed hypotheses were supported. Therefore, it is important that hotels and travel agents allocate their resources to implement both STQMand HTQM practices to exploit the effectiveness and efficiency of the entireTQM system. Finally, generalconclusions and limitations are outlined.

Measuring the impact of soft and hard total quality management factors on customer behavior based on the role of innovation and continuous improvement

PurposeTotal quality management (TQM) is a part of the total quality assurance perspective. This system, which is considered as a type of managerial philosophy, employs all organizational levels to constantly ameliorate the quality of goods and service. The purpose of this paper is to measure the effect of hard and soft TQM factors on the behavior of customers based on the role of innovation and continuous improvement.Design/methodology/approachThe research model was extracted from TQM variables in hard and soft parts, customer behavior, innovation and continuous improvement by reviewing the literature and research background. Based on this, a questionnaire was prepared and then, distributed among the statistical population including 374 project managers, quality assurance managers as well as quality control managers by using simple random sampling. All sub-criteria of questionnaire were determined using Delphi technique, to test the research model. Having gathered the questionnaire, the hypotheses were analyzed by using structural equation modeling and AMOS software.FindingsAccording to the statistical analyses, TQM has a significant effect on customer behavior through continuous improvement of the quality and innovation. Also, regarding the obtained results, the highest effect was related to the effect of hard TQM factors on customer behavior through innovation as 0.62. Furtheremore, TQM soft factors such as human resource management have significant effect on customer behavior through quality improvement and innovation. Moreover, TQM hard factors are effective on customer behavior through quality improvement and innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThe questionnaire was designed and distributed in order to evaluate the hypotheses in this study. One of the primary rationales behind utilizing this method instead of other methods such as interview was high geographical distribution of organizations. Using other moderator variables such as knowledge management, customer knowledge management and customer emotions can be conducted in the future in this area.Practical implicationsChanging the organizational relationships from task orientation to the process orientation, and controlling the organizational performance by measuring process innovations and improvements, while paying attention to the customer satisfaction system are suggested in this paper. These implications should be implemented in construction projects by department of project management office. Furtheremore, providing different communication for receiving the opinions of the customer and imposing them in the product and service, paying attention to the response system and customer complaint, implementation of this process in the organization, and having a process approach for presenting and developing services are the main subjects in this regard.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies on this subject, a structural equation model is used for assessing unobservable latent constructs and their related interrelationship in measuring the impact of TQM factors. Focusing on customer behavior which is a broader domain than customer satisfation through continuous improvement of the quality and innovation is another value of this research.

S. Belous-Sergeeva, O. Mashtakova, Research of "hard" and "soft" approaches of Total quality management.

Recently, quality improvement and management systems have developed rapidly. In recent decades, simple inspection activities have been replaced or supplemented by quality control and quality assurance standards. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of total quality management (TQM) and total productive maintenance (TPM). TQM provides organizations with a range of tools to ensure sustainable development and competitive advantage, with the path to successful continuous improvement focused on the use of strategy, data and effective communication to instill quality discipline in the culture and processes of the organization. The work has a review character. In this paper, the influence of soft and hard TQM practices on production performance is investigated. There is considered the development of Total Quality Management as a system, which covers all functions and departments, all employees and which aims to consistently meet customer needs. The factors relating to the soft and hard approaches are identified. The characteristic and features of each factor related to the corresponding approaches are given. The interrelation of factors of soft and hard approaches, and also influence of factors of hard approach on soft factors of TQM is investigated. The prospects of regulation of the enterprise and quality management system using various factors of soft approach are presented.

APPLICATION OF MCDM APPROACH TO EVALUATE THE CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Although many studies have focused on significant role of total quality management (TQM) in literature, little attention has been paid to using the fuzzy multiple criteria decision making (FMCDM) for analysis TQM factors especially in the context of hospitality. The purpose of this study is to identify, prioritize and evaluate the TQM critical success factors (CSFs) in hospitality industry by integrating the theory of fuzzy sets, quantitative and qualitative approaches. Primary criteria to evaluate TQM CSFs are achieved by the literature survey, and the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) has been used by experts for evaluating of soft and hard TQM CSFs. In the following step, we employed the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to find the weights of criteria. The results of this study indicated that, internal and external cooperation had the first rank among other CSFs in hospitality industry. In addition, the second and third rank in soft aspect includes customer focus and leadership respectively. The findings of this study shown guidance to practitioners and managers of quality to implement of TQM in their organizations, effectively by using the suggested set of identified TQM CSFs.

Investigating the impact of hard total quality management practices on operational performance in manufacturing organizations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of hard total quality management (TQM) practices on operational performance dimensions in manufacturing organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe study was designed in the Jordanian manufacturing sector. Organizations that are familiar with hard TQM practices specifically that had already implemented ISO 9001 certificate were randomly surveyed through structured questionnaire, yielded a sample of 40 responding organizations. Principal component factor analysis was used to analyze hard TQM practices implementation and organizations operational performance dimensions. As a result, specific hard TQM practices and operational performance dimensions were extracted. The hard TQM practices that significantly influence operational performance dimensions were tested using simple and multiple linear regression analysis.FindingsThe research findings showed that hard TQM practices in manufacturing sector include; continuous improvement, statistical process control (SPC), process management and quality tools and techniques. Meanwhile, operational performance dimensions include; quality and inventory management performance. Also, the findings showed that continuous improvement and SPC practices play a major role in obtaining the desired results of operational performance.Research limitations/implicationsThree limitations can be identified in this research, using subjective measures of TQM practices and operational performance, low response rate and using a sample of organizations from various industries. This paper can help Jordanian manufacturing organizations to foster proper practices and make the right decisions related to operational performance.Originality/valueThis study describes a reliable hard TQM model that can be used by manufacturing organizations to improve their operational performance. Also, the results of this study contribute to prior literature and recommend some best practices for manufacturing organizations.

Role of internal and external organizational factors in TQM implementation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for the development of total quality management (TQM) model for service organizations considering both internal and external environmental factors.Design/methodology/approachThrough an extensive literature search, it is found that despite a large body of knowledge on TQM, there is hardly any research undertaken on the model of service quality including all external and internal factors that can affect the impact of soft and hard TQM factors on organizations performance. So, a systematic literature review has been conducted to extract the relevant journal articles for the study purpose.FindingsThe conceptual model fills this yawning gap and presents a framework of integrated relationships based on several constituent models. These are soft TQM factors, hard TQM factors and organizational performance. Moreover, quality improvement, market benefits, R&D performance and quality performance are used as mediators while industry rivalry and entry barriers are used as moderators between soft and hard TQM and organizational performance. The seven propositions, derived from these elements, highlight the dynamic relationship between above mentioned constructs.Research limitations/implicationsOne major limitation is the testing of this model. It has not been tested in any environment or organization to assess its validity. Future research can be done to test the developed hypotheses. Besides three journals, other journals can also be focused in future to get detailed insight into different factors. Impact of IT on organizational processes toward TQM can also be studied in future. More rigorous statistical tests can also be applied to generate more findings with an extension of review time period and selection of more journals.Practical implicationsThe model developed in this study can be applied in any service organization with slight modifications to enhance the service quality of organizations by integrating both internal and external aspects for quality improvement. By adopting this framework, organizations can increase their production quality.Originality/valueThis proposed framework will help organizations to effectively implement TQM in their organizations considering internal and external organizational factors.

Linking soft and hard total quality management practices: evidence from Jordan

The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between the two aspects of total quality management (TQM), soft TQM practices and hard TQM practices in manufacturing organisations. A research project was carried out in Jordanian manufacturing organisations using questionnaire survey. The relationships between the practices were examined through Pearson correlation and simple linear regression analyses. The results showed that the relationship between soft and hard TQM practices is significant. Customer focus has a significant relationship with statistical process control (SPC), while education and training have two significant relationships (SPC and continuous improvement). Top management leadership has three significant relationships (SPC, continuous improvement and product design). Finally, supplier relationship has significant relationships with all hard practices except process management practice. Hence, managers of manufacturing companies should realise the important role of hard practices in implementing soft TQM practices successfully.

Linking soft and hard total quality management practices: evidence from Jordan

The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between the two aspects of total quality management (TQM), soft TQM practices and hard TQM practices in manufacturing organisations. A research project was carried out in Jordanian manufacturing organisations using questionnaire survey. The relationships between the practices were examined through Pearson correlation and simple linear regression analyses. The results showed that the relationship between soft and hard TQM practices is significant. Customer focus has a significant relationship with statistical process control (SPC), while education and training have two significant relationships (SPC and continuous improvement). Top management leadership has three significant relationships (SPC, continuous improvement and product design). Finally, supplier relationship has significant relationships with all hard practices except process management practice. Hence, managers of manufacturing companies should realise the important role of hard practices in implementing soft TQM practices successfully.

The impact of soft TQM and hard TQM on innovation performance: the moderating effect of organisational culture

Literature increasingly recognises the importance of organisational culture when implementing operations management practices. This paper examines the relationships among quality, innovation, and organisational culture under a moderation model. The research model is constructed based on well-established theories of competing values framework (CVF) and total quality management (TQM). A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 106 ISO 9000-certified manufacturers where data were collected from senior managers with sufficient knowledge. Partial least square analysis indicates that: 1) innovation is influenced mainly by adopting soft (organisational) TQM elements and secondarily hard (process) TQM elements; 2) innovation organisational culture has a stronger moderating influence on process-related TQM than on organisational TQM, although its interactions are mostly insignificant. Therefore, practitioners are advised to emphasise the organisational aspect of TQM rather than process-related practices when assessing the innovation performance of an organisation. The findings recommend firms to have a balanced view on cultures in organisations.