Satisfying Customers Using Total Quality Management: The Mediating Role of Control Systems

The premise of this paper is that Total Quality Management (TQM) must be adopted as a way of life for employees and not just as a slogan per se, so that the intended goal of implementing TQM can be fully realised. In order to internalise the philosophy of TQM into each organisational member, control systems play an important role. Control systems, among others, are implemented as systems for aligning the intended objectives of TQM and the individual objectives of each employee. The findings of this study supported the contingency theory that suggested the control systems being practised should be aligned with the strategy pursued to achieve the intended objectives. This paper extends the current existing knowledge by investigating the mediating role of control systems in explaining the relationship between TQM and customer satisfaction.