Quality management theory development via meta-analysis

Quality management (QM) research has frequently focused on investigating the QM system, while a collective consideration of the effects of individual QM practices on organizational performance and performance dimensions remains an under-investigated area of research. The current research provides insights for expanding quality management theory using evidence from a meta-analysis that examines the correlations presented in prior empirical studies. Specifically, this study investigates whether QM practices influence aggregate organizational performance and how individual QM practices influence different performance dimensions. Furthermore, this study investigates whether moderators exist among the relationships between QM and performance. This meta-analysis examined a sample of 28 empirical studies spanning a twenty-year period from 1995 to 2015. The results show that most individual QM practices have a positive impact on aggregate organizational performance and performance dimensions including financial performance, operational performance, customer service, and product quality. The results also reveal that moderators exist among relationships between most pairs of QM practices and performance. In particular, the results suggest a high level of importance is associated with management leadership and supplier quality management compared to other QM practices, as evidenced by their positive relationships with both aggregate organizational performance and the four performance dimensions. In addition, no moderating effects changed the relationships. This research contributes to the QM literature by providing a systematic understanding that addresses more complexity than previous research about the relationships between QM practices and organizational performance. This research also contributes to quality management theory development given the current state of information technology (IT). These findings suggest implications for managers interested in the effect of QM practices on performance.