The Impact of Employees' Characteristics on Total Quality Service Implementation: An Empirical Study

Abstract

The Indian service sector has started implementing total quality management (TQM) programs in their organizations in order to improve quality and overcome competition in the global market. Much research has been conducted in developed economies to analyze the issues faced by the service sector during the implementation of quality improvement programs. But not enough studies have been conducted to address the problems faced by service organizations in developing economies. This study attempts to close this gap. Service providers are interested in learning about issues that will crop up while implementing TQM in their organizations, mainly from the employees' perspective. Hence, this study investigates the employee-oriented issues during total quality service (TQM in service organizations) implementation in the automobile service industry of a developing economy (India).

• analysis
• developing economy
• total quality service

Additional information

Notes on contributors

R. Saravanan

R. Saravanan obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from the National Institute of Technology (formerly R.E.C.), Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. He specialized in manufacturing technology in his post graduation. Currently, he is a doctoral research scholar in the Industrial Engineering Department, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He has been doing research work in the area of total quality management implementation in the automobile service sector. He has six years of industrial experience and five years of teaching and research experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].

K. S. P. Rao

K. S. P. Rao is a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, Anna University, Chennai. Prior to that Rao worked as Dy. Chief Industrial Engineer at the Fertilizer Corporation of India, Ramagundam. He has 17 years of experience in the fertilizer industry with specialization in industrial engineering and information systems. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, a master's degree in industrial engineering, and a doctorate from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.