The Influence of Employee Involvement in Total Quality Management on Employee Performance

Abstract

This research aims to find out methods to improve employees’ involvement in quality management practice, identify the role of individual accountability in improving employees’ quality work performance and improve the effectiveness and practicability of Total Quality Management (TQM). From the perspective of individual employees, this research utilized qualitative analysis to decompose employee involvement and accountability into different factors and reveals the influence of employee involvement on quality work performance from different dimensions. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) From the perspective of TQM practice, according to the degree of involvement, high involvement was needed, manifested in three aspects, i.e., involvement in decision-making, information sharing, and team cooperation; (2) PDCA cycle is the basic method of the TQM system. Employee involvement accountability was corresponding to these management stages. Accountability could be illustrated from four dimensions: quick response, reasonable explanation, sense of responsibility, and initiative. (3) In the process of participating in quality management, employees’ accountability (attitude factor) and quality management involvement (behavior factor) were logically matched. Responsible individuals would adopt more accurate methods to solve problems and achieve organizational goals. Employee involvement had a positive impact on performance through the mediating role of accountability. Finally, focus on employee performance could better control each process and achieve the ultimate goal of improving product quality.