Supplier quality management and performance: the effect of supply chain oriented culture

Abstract

Drawing from contingency theory, we investigate the impact of Supplier Quality Management (SQM) activities on internal quality performance and examine the role of Supply Chain Oriented (SCO) culture in the relationship between SQM and internal quality performance. A survey-based research was designed to collect data from 518 UK manufacturing firms. The results indicate that organisations with strong SCO culture are more conducive to increased levels of trust, commitment, cooperative norms, organisational compatibility and managerial support. As such, effective supplier development and integration activities appear to bring about a higher level of internal quality performance. The results also support the moderating effect of SCO culture on the relationship between supplier quality management and internal quality performance. The study highlights the importance of SCO culture – if organisations want to optimise internal quality and organisational performance in a sustainable manner through effective buyer-supplier relationships. This study contributes to the literature by analysing SQM and internal quality performance relationships through the lens of contingency theory and presents empirical evidence in support of the context dependency nature of SQM and its impact on performance. In this respect, a contextual variable theorised as ‘SCO culture’ is conceptualised to understand the SQM – performance relationship.

Keywords:

• Supply chain management
• quality management
• supply chain oriented culture
• supplier involvement
• supplier integration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hamid Salimian

Hamid Salimian is a Senior lecturer in Purchasing and Operations Management at Brighton Business School, University of Brighton in the UK. He was awarded his PhD in Management from the Kent Business School, University of Kent. He has worked as a business consultant in various manufacturing and consulting companies. Dr. Salimian successfully achieved the PGCHE from the University of Kent in 2012. This certificate along with his extensive teaching experience awarded him the status of fellow from Higher Education Academy. He has published several peer reviewed articles in the area of supply chain and strategy management.

Mona Rashidirad

Mona Rashidirad is a lecturer in Strategy and Marketing at Sussex Business School, University of Sussex in UK. She holds her PhD in Management from University of Kent, Canterbury, UK. Dr. Rashidirad is a fellow in Higher Education Academy (HEA) following her completion of Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), awarded by the University of Kent in 2012. Dr. Rashidirad has been an active researcher since 2010, which has resulted in publishing several peer reviewed journal papers, a number of book chapters and several Conference presentations. She is also a reviewer and editorial board member of several peer reviewed journals.

Ebrahim Soltani

Ebrahim Soltani (PhD – University of Strathclyde, UK) is a professor of Quality Management at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prior to his appointment, he was a professor of Operations Management at the University of Kent Business School, UK. Ebrahim’s recent research focuses on global supply chain and how the nature of upstream and downstream supply chain relationships influence the level of product quality.