ASSESSING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WITHIN THE SMALL-MEDIUM SCALE INDUSTRY

Abstract

Total Quality Management (TQM) provides a good opportunity to produce quality products in today's competitive business environment. The study sought to assess TQM awareness level among SMEs, the TQM practices SMEs engage in, the challenges faced and ways to promote TQM among SMEs in Ghana. The study revealed that awareness of TQM among SMEs is very low. To conduct this study properly, a questionnaire was designed and administered to elicit from the respondents the appropriate responses. The responses were used to generate tables and charts and the standard deviations were calculated and used to analyze the results. Best's (2005) ranking model was adopted to rank the various outcomes. The research identified that most SMEs believed that TQM simply means satisfying the external customers (clients). The main quality improvement program among SMEs was found to be inspection and the most popular objective of such quality program was identified as customer satisfaction. From the research, the main measure of quality performance was profit margins. The mostly widely practiced dimension is supply chain management followed by management commitment. The major challenges facing SMEs in their quest to adopt TQM are lack of statistical quality control techniques, no developed standard procedures and difficulties in mapping processes. The ways to promote TQM among SMEs in Wa Municipal is through education and training, institutional support and expert assistance.