Upshot of Total Quality Management practices on sustainable operational performance in SMEs - A structural modelling approach

The study investigates the upshot of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices on sustainable operational performance using a sample of 249 Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) among manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu. The study identified that TQM practices impacted positively the sustainable operational performance of the enterprises and all the seven TQM indicators individually had a positive impact on sustainable operational performance. The TQM practices included for the study namely continuous improvement, employee training along with supplier quality management had a positive impact on sustainable operational performance. There was high positive correlation between the various TQM practices on sustainable operational performance. The impact of each of these TQM practice on sustainable operational performance was identified. The TQM practices explains around 94% of the variance in sustainable operational performance. As per the structural equation model, it was interestingly found that, in the new normal scenario, the SMEs focused on these TQM practices which in turn resulted in their sustainable operational performance.