Validating a new total quality management‐benchmarking measurement model in an international humanitarian setting

• Published date: 01 September 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21371
• Author: Ali B. Mahmoud,Mayssa Alatrash,Dieu Hack‐Polay,Nicholas Grigoriou,Leonora Fuxman
• Date: 01 September 2019

RESEARCH NOTE

Validating a new total quality management-

benchmarking measurement model in an

international humanitarian setting

Ali B. Mahmoud

1,2

| Mayssa Alatrash

3

| Leonora Fuxman

4

|

Dieu Hack-Polay

5

| Nicholas Grigoriou

6

1

Department for Management of Science

and Technology Development, Ton Duc

Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City,

Vietnam

2

Faculty of Business Administration, Ton

Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City,

Vietnam

3

Management School, University of

Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

4

Tobin College of Business, St. John's

University, New York, New York

5

People and Organisation, University of

Lincoln, Lincoln, UK

6

Faculty of Business and Economics,

Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria,

Australia

Correspondence

Ali B. Mahmoud, Ton Duc Thang

University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Email: ali.bassam.mahmoud@tdtu.edu.vn

Abstract

The research aims to empirically validate a multi-

dimensional measure of total quality management (TQM)

benchmarking within a humanitarian setting. This study is

the first to investigate the dimensionality of the TQM

benchmarks as used by international nongovernmental

organizations (INGOs). The proposed four-dimensional

construct for measuring quality lends itself to lean and

practical TQM framework for INGOs, allowing them a

greater awareness and an appetite for aligning their opera-

tions with TQM principles. Utilizing survey data collected

from participants working for United Nations agencies

in the Middle East, the methodology consisted of a set of

literature-backed quantitative procedures to test the validity

of the previously suggested theoretical TQM-measurement

model. An alternate model emerged and revealed that the

TQM-benchmarking measurement model is a four-factor

variate. The implications of the proposed model for

implementing lean management practices by INGOs are

discussed.

KEYWORDS

benchmarking, humanitarian sector, international nongovernmental

organization, measure, Middle East, total quality management,

validation

Received: 18 August 2018 Revised: 3 May 2019 Accepted: 9 May 2019

DOI: 10.1002/nml.21371

Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 2019;30:167–182. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nml © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 167

1|INTRODUCTION

A large body of the total quality management (TQM) scholarly work has focused on the private sec-

tor with numerous evidences linking TQM and organizational performance. While extant research

reveals that TQM is a vital methodology to improve corporate performance and sustainable competi-

tive advantage (e.g., Al-Dhaafri & Al-Swidi, 2016; Boateng-Okrah & Fening, 2012), most of the

research has focused on profit driven organizations. Less is known about how TQM is linked to per-

formance in the nonprofit sector, particularly within humanitarian organizations.

Pressured by donors and the mainstream media to optimize performance and improve account-

ability, humanitarian agencies started exploring the use of private sector proven management philos-

ophies. In this context, many international initiatives aiming at improving the quality of international

humanitarian assistance through focus on both donor and beneficiary satisfaction have emerged

(Campbell, DiGiuseppe, & Murdie, 2019).

Yet, there is no scholarly consensus on how to measure the quality of humanitarian assistance.

One recently proposed TQM-benchmarking model (Sweis et al., 2016) emerged as a conceptual

framework that was specifically developed to assist international nongovernment organizations

(INGOs) to carry out their interventions effectively and efficiently.

The TQM-benchmarking model (Sweis et al., 2016) offered a six-dimensional framework for

improving INGOs performance while satisfying donors and beneficiaries: (a) Leadership and man-

agement commitment; (b) beneficiary focus and participation; (c) artnership Quality Management for

Sustainability; (d) human resource focus; (e) process management, learning and continuous improve-

ment; and (f) use of quality information. While the model was derived from extensive literature

reviews of TQM practices in private sector as well as practical adoptions of TQM in humanitarian

relief settings based on two major INGOs located in Jordan, the research offered no validation or

evaluation for the proposed framework. The authors attempted to adapt each of the six identified

dimensions to the specifics of TQM implementations for INGOs while conforming to the principles

of TQM. Since this exercise has seldom been done (Paton, Foot, & Payne, 2000), our research repre-

sents a significant contribution to the field of international humanitarian assistance.

The objective of the research is to continue the previous efforts by focusing on providing empiri-

cal evidence to validate the TQM-benchmarking measurement model. Utilizing a survey instrument,

we evaluate the extent to which the UN agencies located in the Middle East employ the six dimen-

sions of the TQM-benchmarking model. In the process of validating the previously developed model,

an alternate more-streamlined model emerged and was tested using an exploratory factor analysis

(EFA) which revealed that the TQM-benchmarking measurement model is indeed a four-factor

variate.

2|LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES

2.1 |TQM implementation in humanitarian NGOs

While TQM has long been accepted as a prevalent management paradigm (Hackman & Wageman,

1995), little is known about its adoption or implementation from an international NGO perspective

(Baidoun, Salem, & Omran, 2018; Sweis et al., 2016). Indeed, most early applications of TQM were

in industrial firms, where the quality of goods or products is relatively easy to measure via quantita-

tive tools (Kearns, Krasman, & Meyer, 1994). As with other managerial thoughts and practices, qual-

ity management has made some effort to move from its unique home in for-profit businesses to the

168 MAHMOUD ET AL.