An empirical study on measurement of performance through TQM in Pakistani aviation manufacturing industry

Purpose – Pakistani aviation industry is at the initial stage of its evolution and is undergoing transformation to a high-tech developed industry. However, the processes and practices in this industry are quite primitive and lack performance-measuring techniques for decision makers. The available literature in the total quality management (TQM) suggests a set of standardized factors for evaluating the performance of any organization. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a research with a view to judge the applicability of these TQM factors for measuring the performance of any aviation manufacturing organization in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – This research is focussed on performance evaluation of aviation manufacturing industry of Pakistan through TQM. Eight well-established dimensions of TQM frequently used by renowned researchers were used for an evaluation of the Pakistani Aviation Manufacturing Industry (PAMI), namely top management support, quality information availability, quality information usage, employee training, employee involvement, product/process design, supplier quality and customer orientation. An additional dimension of factual approach to decision making was also used based on the outcome of the pilot survey. Both qualitative and quantitative survey techniques were used for gathering the data for subsequent empirical analysis. Findings – The authors found that the suggested model of measuring organizational performance in PAMI was in general agreement with the TQM model of renowned researchers and can be useful tool for evaluation of quality profile of PAMI organizations. Research limitations/implications – During qualitative interviews with the top management, it was found that some of the PAM organizations did not have the complete data and information about their customers and markets, as well as company's human resource effectiveness, and supplier's performance. Although some of them had started maintaining it recently, but comprehensive longitudinal data were not available, which is quite useful for taking correct decisions. Practical implications – The outcome of this research is expected to contribute in the shape of a TQM measuring tool for decision makers in order to evaluate the performance of any aviation manufacturing organization of Pakistan. This model is, however, required to be empirically tested for its applicability in other regions as well for its generalization. Originality/value – This paper deals with the cross-sectional analysis study of the manufacturing organizations of the Pakistani aviation industry for application of TQM practices. It is an original work undertaken by the authors of this paper where various models have been studied and most commonly used dimensions have been utilized for testing the Pakistani aviation industry.