Content and Contextual Analysis of the Total Quality Management and
Innovative Performance through Organizational Learning
AHMED SAIF SALIM AL MAAMARI, ABDULAZIZ BIN MAT ISA
College of Graduate Studies (COGS),
Universiti Tenaga Nasional,
Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN,
43000 Kajang, Selangor,
MALAYSIA
Abstract: - The research is based on Innovative Performance (IP) as viewed through the quality management
and innovation performance lenses. For this, a content analysis of the concept was performed to investigate the
phenomenon of interest in depth. This paper aims to identify the most important quality variables as predictors
of innovation performance in the Sultanate of Oman, with a focus on employee involvement, customer focus,
and continuous improvement. A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to conduct content analysis for the
study. Furthermore, contextual analyses were performed to investigate the phenomenon in depth. According to
the findings, top management, consumer support, and employee involvement all have a good impact on IP and
OL. However, the study discovered that continual quality improvement did not affect IP or OL. The study
suggests that future research be undertaken to investigate the aspects that can have a favourable impact on
organizational performance and innovation through continuous quality improvement.
Key-Words: - Innovation Performance (IP), Organizational learning (OL), Total Quality Management (TQM)
including Human Capital Management, and Customer focus.
Received: March 23, 2023. Revised: September 5, 2023. Accepted: October 4, 2023. Available online: November 17, 2023.
1 Introduction
Today's economic dynamic is quickly increasing
global climate, innovation is critical to defining a
company's overall competitiveness. Globalization
has untangled a new growth philosophy for
companies looking to stay competitive in the
twenty-first century. To grasp market possibilities at
a time when organizations are struggling to achieve
traction, organizations must regard innovation as a
fundamental strategic driver that provides them with
a strategic orientation and a competitive advantage
in the turbulent economic environment, [1], [2], [3].
Consumers are well-connected to mainstream
markets in today's economic environment thanks to
information and communication technologies
(ICTs), [3]. They are better informed, more willing
to learn, and looking for organizations that can
match their current and future needs than ever
before. This quandary has resulted in "ever-
changing consumer preferences that are neither
stable nor escalating." For established businesses,
this huge transition may be viewed as both a
challenge and an opportunity. The proposed remedy
is "it's war: innovate or die", [4]. Thus, an
organization's sustainability is fully dependent on its
acceptance level and management's eagerness to
confront these emerging difficulties, which
necessitate ongoing changes in business strategies to
remain relevant in a dynamic global market, [5].
Quality has long been recognized as a priority
by the leaders of highly creative firms, [6], [7]. Both
innovation and quality assurance are critical for
corporate success and maintaining a competitive
edge, [8], [9], [10], [11].
TQM is a long-term philosophical approach
used by businesses to gain a competitive edge, [12].
TQM has yielded profitable outcomes for many
firms, although many are unaware of its current and
future benefits, [13]. Because innovation has
produced a major shift in the global economy, most
business leaders are concerned that TQM, with its
control and monitored procedures, will suffocate
creativity and innovation. This has prompted a new
debate in academics as well as among industrial
professionals and in-house R&D teams over how
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firms can encourage innovation while employing
TQM.
As a result, managers today are looking for
answers to the question of what actions they may
take to maximize overall innovation-related
processes while adhering to the TQM concept.
Because these management practices TQM are
deeply embedded in organizational routines,
leveraging them to foster successful innovations,
add value to a firm's overall success, and create a
better reputation for stakeholders is something that
requires attention and fosters new considerations in
academic research, [14]. As a result, the current
study focuses on TQM and how it affects innovative
performance in firms.
TQM (TQM) is widely used around the world
and has piqued the interest of academics, [13], [15],
[16], [17], [18], [19]. The latter has mostly focused
on the influence of TQM on firm performance;
however, attention has recently shifted to its
relationship with innovation. Unfortunately, the
effort put into addressing the challenges of
integrating TQM with other sorts of innovations is
still minimal from a theoretical standpoint. Second,
the extent to which a dynamic competency, such as
corporate innovation capability, can be critical in
leveraging innovation levels in TQM-practicing
organizations has received little attention. Finally, it
is unknown what role organizational culture
(innovation culture) has in the effective
development of innovation for long-term
competitive advantage. [14].
The level of TQM procedures is critical for
firms implementing technological innovation
capabilities. This is due to the ease with which
successful firms can be identified and measured.
According to the findings of the previous research,
different levels may be considered as positioning
models for assisting organizations to identify their
weak points and aid in forming the essential future
actions to follow up the incessant challenges of
constant improvement, [13], [15], [16], [19]. The
stages can also help to highlight various perceptions
of organizational progress at all levels, with the goal
of continuous improvement.
From an organizational standpoint,
organizational leadership must understand TQM
techniques and their link with IP to be able to
remain competitive to gain a competitive advantage.
Previous studies' results and findings are
unsustainable due to the paucity of investigations on
this link. According to the findings, [20], there is
insufficient evidence to indicate a link between
Practices of TQM and innovation. The studies, on
the other aspect found to have beneficial
associations between TQM and IP, [14].
Another study, [21] discovered there was an
insufficient contribution to the relationship between
TQM and innovation, notably in the few empirical
studies. Based on these findings, companies
continue to suffer from an inability to sustain
innovation over a lengthy period. This is because
the research on organizational innovation was
conducted in an inconsistent and unconvincing
manner and was regarded as a low-concentration
explanation. As a result, businesses are unable to
capture ideas with a broad vision and
comprehension, and they are unable to transfer these
concepts into well-organized and practical
procedures, [22].
Finally, establishing a relationship between
TQM and Innovation Performance is critical for
every organization today since it provides both a
theoretical and practical basis for service and
manufacturing organizations. These are efforts to
gain a long-term competitive advantage while also
generating profit for the organizations.
This work aims to clarify the means through
which one can reach development, discover what is
new, reach innovation, move away from traditional
and stereotypical methods, and search for modern
methods, better options, and tools that can
contribute to development and progress in terms of
comprehensive quality and innovative performance
through organizational learning, in addition to
identifying the most important factors through
which you will effectively contribute to achieving
customer satisfaction, employee efficiency, and
continuous quality improvement. The indirect
archaeological notions of inventive behavior
between total quality management and
organizational learning are also discussed in this
article.
There is some ambiguity in previous literature,
necessitating additional research and analysis to
achieve the desired conclusions. As well there is a
lack of studies regarding TQM in the middle east
region specifically the Gulf Council Countries.
2 Research Methodology
The report employs a multi-method approach while
keeping the study's scope and aims in mind. A
complete Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was
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conducted in the first phase to explore the
phenomenon of interest in depth. For SRL, the search
engines Google Scholar, Web of Sciences (WoB), and
Scopus were used to find relevant material. In the first
part of the study, the keywords were total quality
management, innovation performance (IP), and (OL).
Similarly, for the second round of content analysis,
"TQM and IP", "IP and OL", and "TQM and OL" and
similar keywords were employed.
Furthermore, the study period was made indefinite
to investigate all essential topics. Furthermore, only
documents published in English were evaluated for
the search. The document search focused on
research publications from journals, periodicals, and
conferences. Similarly, literature was consulted for
the search and study. Finally, only documents
published in social and commercial journals were
chosen for publication.
The PRISMA diagram was used for the content
search. The examination discovered a total of 637
documents in the first and second phases. These
documents were scanned for duplication,
redundancy, and other irregularities, and 208 were
deleted in the first round. Similarly, 39 documents
were deleted because they were published in a
language other than English. Similarly, 72
documents were eliminated because they had been
published on a different subject, as stated in the
inclusion criteria. The specifics are shown in the
PRISMA diagram in Figure 1.
Due to the contextualization of the study and its
confinement to the economic zones and centres in
Oman, the study also focused on local and
contextual practices, policies, and regulatory
documents in the second phase, so that the research
can present policy documents for the country's
social and economic development.
Furthermore, the preseasons for the content and
contextual analysis were admitted, as literature on
TQM and creative processes in the organizational
setting, particularly in the Omanization context, was
found to be silent.
Based on previous research, this study focuses
on total quality management and implicit analysis
related to industrial innovation for businesses in the
Sultanate of Oman's free zones located in a
demographic regional environment. Based on the
findings of these studies, we re-applied portions of
the departments more appropriately for the nature of
the business and departments in the Sultanate of
Oman.
Fig. 1: PRISMA diagram for the study
3 Findings of the Study
3.1 Contextual Analysis of the Study
During the contextual analysis, the CEO and top
management were addressed by emails, phone calls,
messages, and other possible methods to investigate
the Omanization context in depth. The analysis
discovered the email of Microsoft CEO Mr Satya
Nadella, who communicated his ideas to staff via
email. He emphasized the word 'innovation'
throughout his presentation. For example, he declared,
"We must prioritize innovation." "We need to bring
more innovation to bear," another statement says. Mr
Satya Nadella used the word 'innovation' or
'innovative' three times while addressing a question
during an interview for a promotional film. Mr
Nadella focused on innovation again in his response
to another question on his plans to lead Microsoft,
saying, remove any restrictions that prevent us from
being innovative; every individual should create.
"Then, this innovation is concentrated on what
Microsoft can accomplish uniquely," he added.
Finally, he emphasizes that he wants to be able to
lead Microsoft into "innovation forward." On the
Global Innovation Index 2016 (GII), the majority of
Arab countries received less than 40 points out of a
possible 100. GII conducted research in 128 countries.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was placed first
among Arab countries and 41st overall, with 39.35
points, while Saudi Arabia was ranked second among
these nations and 49th overall, with 37.79 points.
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Qatar was ranked third and 50th in the world, with
37.47 points, followed by countries with 70 or fewer
points.
The political environment, human capital,
business environment, and research and development
are the most important sectors contributing to Oman's
global innovation index. The most influential of these
is the corporate environment, [23]. The growing
tendency in the corporate environment demonstrates
its contribution to national and worldwide innovation.
The graphic below explains the derivatives that
contribute to the global innovation index.
Fig. 2: Sectors contributing to Oman’s Global
Innovation Index
3.2 Source: Global Innovation Index 2018
The Global Innovation Index Ranking provides a
more diverse image of global rivalry, with countries
from various corners of the world appearing as tough
competitors with both the push and the potential for
innovation to become global market leaders. A
comparison of the top ten economies' innovation
index rankings between 2012 and 2013 shows that
many countries improved their rankings, including the
United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States,
and China, which moved up from fifth to third place,
sixth to fourth, tenth to fifth, and eighth to seventh
place, respectively. Many economies lost ground,
including Singapore, which fell from third to eighth
spot, and Finland, which fell from fourth to sixth spot.
Switzerland and Sweden are undisputed leaders,
consistently ranking in the top 25.
The Research Council (TRC) of Sultanate of
Oman's Industrial Innovation Strategy focuses on ten
key areas to boost innovation: education, research and
development, localization of knowledge and
technology, production and commodities, knowledge
management, information readiness, consulting
services, local marketing, standardization and follow-
up, and harmonized policies, [23].
Along with this, efforts are being made to
enhance the level of quality outputs by the industries,
as this is one of the issues that has prevented Omani
industries from entering worldwide markets, [24]. In
this regard, the government has taken several
initiatives, such as establishing National TQM
(NTQM LLC) with the primary goal of assisting and
elevating local firms to worldwide quality standards,
[23].
Last but not least, local companies, in
collaboration with the government, use a TQM
approach to provide quality management services
such as SFZ (Salalah Free Zone), which integrates all
organizational roles such as executive, finance,
marketing, planning, projects, information and
communication technology (ICT), engineering,
human resources (HR), and administration to
emphasize customer needs and achieve desired
organizational goals, [25].
3.3 Content Analysis
The corporate world has altered considerably over
the previous decade as a result of high saturation
and fierce rivalry in both home and overseas
markets. Aside from rivalry, the desire for quality
assurance has emerged as the most significant factor
for firms to maintain survival in a fast-expanding
international market, [26]. Despite having low-cost,
diverse, and high-quality products, several
enterprises began losing market share to
international competitors, [27]. Many businesses
switched their emphasis away from low-cost
production and toward higher-quality products, [28].
They realized that in this age of global
competition, survival of the fittest applies, and as a
result, businesses that provide outstanding quality
and go above and beyond the consumer's voice will
stay longer in the market, while those that fall
behind will vanish forever. These businesses have
not only spent money on acquiring and
implementing new technologies like computer-
integrated marketing, just-in-time production,
computer-aided design, and integrated
manufacturing, but they have also spent time and
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Political
environment
Business
environment
Human
capital and
research
Research and
development
(R&D)
Oman - Score
(Score, 100=Max strength 0=Weakest)
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effort on introducing and implementing new quality
management strategies and techniques, quality
policies for continuous improvement, quality
control, and quality assurance programs, [27]. They
believed it was one of the best ways to grow and
sustain existing markets while also attracting new
potential clients.
Even today, Researchers believe that to produce
high-quality products, organizations must
emphasize their quality processes, as they are
judged by their customers, who are the primary
source of determining the quality and stimulating
competition among enterprises, [29]. It is also
suggested that to meet better quality standards in the
eyes of customers, firms must go a step further
regulate TQM, and strive for continuous
development. One of the factors according to
Researcher, is the struggle of the company to
achieve a greater degree of quality, [30].
Total Quality management principles have been
adopted by private and public firms to attain
improved levels of performance in their
organizations since the late 1980s. It is also worth
noting that there has been a significant positive
movement in TQM awareness during the last
decade, [28].
The study, [11], has also emphasized the
necessity for new management that is based on
TQM principles, which, according to researcher,
helps boost the company's productivity, [21]. As a
result, executives of world-class enterprises have
long paid special attention to building TQM in their
organizations, realizing that the hidden treasure is
"total quality," which will make them more
successful.
Countries have even highlighted this issue at the
national level, enlisting government agencies in
collaboration with foreign specialists to assist
domestic firms in competing in international
markets. Organizations have employed several
proposed frameworks, some of which were effective
while others were not, [20], [22], [26], [31]. Many
were terrified since they didn't know what they were
looking for. They were looking for answers to
concerns like, "Will the existing frameworks meet
their needs?"
In addition to quality, innovation is a critical
aspect of achieving an advantage in competition in
the market. As a result, the firm's internal expertise
would not only assist them in withstanding external
pressures and dangers, but it would also help them
maintain a competitive advantage by offering high-
quality new products both domestically and
internationally markets.
3.4 Total Quality Management
TQM is widely recognized as a Japanese approach to
quality improvement that has greatly contributed to
the growth of today's highly successful organisations'
management practices, [12], [13], [29], [32]. TQM is
being evaluated as a corporate management element
on a larger scale, [32]. According to, which demands
organizations have a clear internal conceptual
understanding of TQM to realize its actual worth and
give support for its implementation, [33].
The TQM concept involves internal and
external customers and their integration, as well as
the involvement of employees at all levels
throughout the company in the goal of continual
improvement, [34]. They defined TQM as the "art
of managing the whole to achieve excellence." It is
also true that no commonly accepted definition of
TQM exists rather, each published book on the
subject provides a fresh definition for readers to
comprehend, [35].
According to, [36], as quoted in quality
management is all about teamwork, where every
individual worker contributes his or her best efforts
to an organization with available resources to fulfil
customer expectations by producing services that
meet or surpass the expectations of customers. The
preceding criteria are based on managerial tools and
approaches known as hard TQM (employee
involvement, customer focus, and continuous
improvement).
Total quality management (TQM) refers to a
management strategy in which a firm achieves
organizational growth through a dedication to
customer requirements. A corporation satisfies those
requirements when it enables every person in every
department to maintain high standards and strive for
continual development. Total quality management is
the forefather of several quality management
methods, including Six Sigma, Lean, and ISO.
TQM standards have been established in
countries such as Germany, France, the United
Kingdom, and Turkey. TQM was, however,
superseded by ISO (International Standards
Organisation), which had become the standard for
much of continental Europe, and by Six Sigma,
another methodical response to quality challenges
created in the 1980s, by the 1990s. TQM concepts,
however, serve as the foundation for the majority of
ISO and Six Sigma.
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TQM, like its successor techniques, effectively
adapted to finance, healthcare, and other areas
following its inception in manufacturing. Toyota,
Ford, and Philips Semiconductors are just a few of
the well-known companies that have employed
TQM.
There is no single recognized body of
knowledge for overall quality management, such as
the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK) for the Project Management Institute.
Similarly, there are no prescribed actions for
deploying TQM methodologies and tools.
Organizations have been able to deploy and adapt
TQM as they see fit, resulting in numerous
definitions of the approach.
From conducting this study, implementation of
these techniques in real-world environments such as
Industrial free zones would increase the ease of
management of large industrial projects.
3.5 Approaches to TQM
The global interest in implementing TQM practices
and principles in various countries, firms, and
industries sheds light on the efforts made in the past
by academic researchers, practitioners, and
consultants who conducted rigorous research and
developed TQM measurement constructs.
Researchers identified the following ways based on
specific organizational features or criteria that are
required for TQM implementation:
1. Systems perspective approach
2. Critical success factors (CSF) approach
3. Quality award models’ approach.
3.6 Systems Perspective
Systems schools, which have their roots in general
system theory envision organizations or businesses
as complex interrelationships of process, input,
feedback, and output, [37]. Furthermore, they argue
that traditional management ideas do not provide a
complete picture of a certain scenario in the
organization. In other words, the organization could
be better viewed as a complicated system with
various levels of flexibility processes and different
feedback loops that it employs to ensure its
continuous existence in a competitive market. In
terms of change management, system, emergent
characteristics, and complexity are three aspects that
have a significant relationship, [38].
According to, [39], to "the quality management
system (QMS) can be considered of as the service
mechanism for the organisation" since it "makes an
effective judgement about boundaries at all system
interfaces in the organisation, along with the user
and organisational systems."
Thus, quality judgement is implemented at the
borderline between the user and supplier systems in
terms of what passes through them, according to
system theorists. Furthermore, quality judgment aids
in determining whether the result is a waste of a
product. An adequate output is called a product;
however, if it is not consumed by the user system, it
becomes a waste, [37]. The systems approach has
had a long-lasting impact in the context of TQM, as
distinct management models such as TQM and HPO
(High-Performance Organisation) are seen to have
originated from a system thinking perspective. The
system thinking management style emphasizes the
need for organizations to take a more
comprehensive approach, [40]. Thus, the TQM
process can be considered a system with interactive
components, and expecting desirable results from
just one aspect of the system is incorrect. As a
result, TQM from this perspective is more than just
leadership, culture, employee training, and team
formation; rather, it is a composite of all of these
aspects that work together in an organization to
achieve desired results, [41].
According to, [41], TQM failures occur when
management is unable to implement quality
management (TQM) by viewing it as a complex
system of interconnected serial interactions.
According to, [42], the business excellence awards
are the new shape of TQM today. All of the quality
awards that we are familiar with today are models of
business excellence and follow a full systems
approach that includes systemic control of all
available resources, including cultural and social
components.
The study, [42], prompted to develop of a
quality model from a system dynamics perspective
that aids in understanding the relationships between
a set of system variables and anticipates
consequences over time, [43].
The study, [42], demonstrated the
interconnection of several organizational
subsystems in the context of quality using system
dynamics software. This is depicted in Figure 2.
Using system dynamics to approach TQM, the TQM
index is obtained as the sum of TQM variables
classified as 'enablers' and results, [43].
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Fig. 3: Quality & business results, [42].
Using MBNQA of the United States, writers
classified enablers as human resource (HR) focus,
supplier focus, market and customer focus, strategic
planning, and information management process
management. They went on to describe information
management as a 'base' where 'enablers' provide
respite and information serves as glue.
3.7 TQM Critical Success Factors (CSF)
TQM implementation entails the deployment
definition numerous of elements or components,
[44]. This might be performed using the literature's
second major method for understanding the CSF.
The study, [45], identified eleven significant
influencing factors that can impact successful TQM
implementation. These are the following factors: the
quality improvement measurement system,
Customer and people management, external
interface management, and strategic quality
management, corporate quality culture, operational
quality planning, teamwork structures, supplier
partnerships, orientation, effective communication,
and customer satisfaction. The study, [46], defined
the TQM list with fundamental characteristics for
TQM excellence based on award-based and
academic scholar-based frameworks in a complete
analysis of numerous quality frameworks for
manufacturing, as shown in Figure 3. Their research
discovered striking similarities between different
frameworks and discovered that the factors
contributing to achieving Total Quality Excellence
(QTE) include both soft aspects (i.e., management
systems such as leadership, employee focus, and
customer focus) and technical aspects (i.e.,
techniques and tools for quality improvement).
The study, [47], sought CSF in Pakistan's
manufacturing business. As a means of achieving
high levels of effective quality management, he
identified ten critical factors: "The availability and
use of quality information, the quality policy, the
strategic planning process of quality management,
benchmarking, empowering employees, top
management orientation, top management
participation, human resource allocation, and
feedback are all examples of quality management
practices".
Fig. 4: TQM approaches, [10].
One conclusion that may be taken and is
reported by various scholars is that there is a lack of
agreement on a single list of TQM important criteria
since studies have not been able to address clearly
"What makes TQM work?", [48], according to
Figure 4. An evident challenge of TQM critical
factors is to " identify them, and how should their
influence be measured before they become critical."
As a result, there are differences as well as
similarities between authors when it comes to the
important components of TQM.
3.8 Quality Awards Approach
The next primary way to understand TQM is to use
the business excellence of national quality awards,
abbreviated as EM/NQAs. Many EM/NQAs are
credited to the Deming Prize, EFQM, and MBNQA
models. It can be seen that, despite having multiple
specifications for such models, many EM/NQA are
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unique, [49], [50]. EM/NQAs exist solely to elevate
industries and prepare them for global
competitiveness. The study, [51], conducted a
comparative analysis of the Western awards and the
Deming Prize based on the objectives, quality
principles, and criteria and reported that all of these
awards have at least seven common sets of criteria:
"leadership, strategic planning, marketing and
customer focus, information and analysis, process
management, business findings and human resource
focus " and have all highlighted the importance of
customer-driven quality, employee satisfaction, and
business results.
The study, [49], Most recently, identified nine
generic characteristics as crucial ingredients in his
complete assessment of 20 EM/NQAs, including
leadership, people, supplier/partner, strategic
planning, knowledge management, customer,
society, processes, and business results. According
to, [42], the following ingredients are quality criteria
that form the basis of the establishment of these
excellence awards because they span all operational
areas of a corporation: It was also revealed that the
criteria for the internal environment (the
differentiators) can be leadership, knowledge
management, processes, and strategic planning,
which accounted for 50 and 40 percent of the scores
in all EM/NQAs, respectively. Last but not least, the
goodwill criteria society and suppliers/partners"
have a roughly 10% score in most EM/NQAs.
All three are important because if one develops
or strengthens the internal environment, the other
generates goodwill and contributes to sustainability.
The study, [52], TQM practises, as emphasised by
were also utilised to design and help create criteria
for a variety of quality awards, including the
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
(MBNQA) and the European Foundation for Quality
Award (EFQA). The most extensively
acknowledged and widely used framework is the
MBNQA framework, which is commonly used as a
foundation model for TQM, [53].
The study, [54], discovered three key criteria
that are shared by findings in an extensive literature
study on TQM implementation constructs, [55].
Many other researchers have employed these three
factors as TQM constructs in their studies as well,
[54], [56], [57], [58], [59]. To meet the study's aims,
we will select three MBNQA-identified factors and
add one more "Supplier management" factor widely
used by academics in the TQM-Performance
research environment. The factors used in research
likewise comparable to those used in previous
TQM-IP research, [60], [61], [62].
3.9 Innovation Performance
Individuals and firms absorb, integrate, trade, and
develop new information as a result of collective
knowledge, [13], [19]. [63], It advocated for close
coordination and integration of market information
and technological expertise to simultaneously
satisfy economic, social, technological, and other
constraints, [64]. As a result, innovation is a
complex systemic process, [65].
The main reason is that such organisations face
the risk of competitors taking over the market,
losing key personnel, and, on a very small scale,
failing to run efficiently. As a result, innovation
would be a key distinction between those considered
to be the cream of the crop. Innovation isn't just
about creating new products or selling services; it's
also about improving current company practices and
processes. As a result, at the end of the day,
everything would offer value to the organisation.
[102], The defines innovative performance as "
the implementation of a new or significantly
improved product (good or service), process, a new
marketing method, or a new organisational method
in business practises, workplace organisation, or
external relations." Though the above definition is
quite simple, [101], the innovation manual
elaborates on innovation as " an iterative process
initiated by the perception of a new market and/or
new service opportunity for a technology-based
invention, which leads to development, production,
and marketing tasks aimed at the commercial
success of the invention.” The explanation of the
preceding concepts concludes with two critical
aspects of any type of innovation. To begin, the
evolution of an invention's technology is linked to
its end-user orientation through the adoption and
dissemination phases, [65].
Second, the innovation process is "iterative in
nature," which implies that any innovation is
introduced, then refined and re-introduced, [10],
[28]. Thus, the concept of innovativeness is related
to any type of innovation and is used to determine
the degree of newness for any kind of invention,
[66]. Furthermore, for the aforementioned
definitions show that any invention cannot become
an innovation until it progresses through the stages
of production, marketing, and market diffusion,
[101].
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As a result, any form of discovery that travels
out of the laboratory and into the production process
and adds value to the organisation, even if it is
connected to cost savings, is deemed an innovation.
Furthermore, it differs from creation in that it adds
economic value to the organisation and may be used
by others even if they did not discover it. According
to the findings, organisational managers and
policymakers must understand different types of
innovations in terms of definitions and
operationalization, as each type of innovation
necessitates sophisticated and unique responses
from organisations, [6], [7], [8], [21], [24].
According to literature, innovation is classified into
various typologies. Administrative versus
technology innovation, process versus product
innovation, and incremental versus radical
innovation are the most typical categories. Aside
from this, the, [102], categorises innovation into
four main facets: product innovation, organisational
innovation, process innovation, and marketing
innovation.
3.10 Product and PI
The studies, [67], [68], define product and process
innovation as part of a larger framework of
technological innovation. The same concepts are
defined as "technological product and process (TPP)
innovations" by the, [102]. Product innovation is
driven by either technological progress or market
demand, according to, [9]. They are not just market-
focused, but also customer-driven, [69], [70],
proposed a two-dimensional method for product
innovation. The first dimension is technological
capability, which refers to how far a product has
progressed from existing technological capabilities
to new technological capabilities. The second
technique, the product capability dimension
approach, examines the innovation (product) from
the customers' point of view. In other words, the
second approach attempts to assess the extent to
which new product innovation can deliver benefits
to consumers as seen by customers or as perceived
by customers. One may strongly argue that the
competitive market's balance of power could
fluctuate dramatically depending on an
organization's ability to induce changes in the
product in the aforementioned dimensions, [9], [28],
[68].
According to, [71], the focus of process
innovation is on increasing productivity and
production efficiency. According to, [72], process
innovation refers to improvements that an
organisation makes to its processes during the
product or service production phases. Process
innovation is demonstrated through lean
manufacturing methods, [73].
Fig. 5: Example of the innovation process
Process innovation allows organisations to
produce a large number of items with few resources
while attempting to reach higher levels of
performance, [74]. Some good examples of process
innovation include the use of an automatic noodle-
making machine, the inclusion of bulk-packaging of
sleeved goods, the start of three-dimensional
modelling for designing purposes, the establishment
of an e-commerce website for services and sales,
and the implementation of lean production systems,
[73]. Process innovation, in contrast to product
innovation, focuses on improving the efficiency and
efficacy of product production processes, [75], as
shown in Figure 5.
3.11 Organizational Learning (OL)
People, not walls and mortar, are responsible for a
company's existence, [76]. Continuous improvement
in the organisation is possible if the people who
work there are well-trained and well-informed. The
behavioural characteristics of organisational
personnel influence the organisation's positive or
negative development. No organisation can be
called an "innovative an organisation" unless it
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provides its staff with advanced information, skills,
and methodologies. Teamwork and increased
employee participation are two strategies for
developing a learning environment in the
workplace. Furthermore, OL capability may be
increased by keeping talented employees and
attracting new employees who can develop and
broadcast relevant information, [77]. Learning may
be regarded as a "bridge between working and
innovation" as a major organisational source and an
essential component of market competitive
advantages. For a competitive advantage in local
and worldwide modern markets, the emphasis
should not only be on learning characteristics, but
also on unwavering continuous learning, [78].
With data from numerous earlier learning
literature, the outcomes of learning can be restricted
to behavioural change, cognitive change, or
integrating these parts. From a behavioural
standpoint, the learning goal is to change one's
behaviour towards an expected outcome. In, [79],
scholars defined learning ease process by which
individuals gain new knowledge and insight and
thus modify their behaviour and actions.
"However, [36], define it as the process of a
technique of finding and repairing faults. This
viewpoint is comparable to the stimulus-response
model which contends that an individual's
behavioural change is the stimulus feedback. An
improvement in OL, for example, comes when its
systems, methods, and processes are altered or
influenced by contextual stimuli such as an
invention, competitive pressures, or technological
advancement, [80]. To put it another way, as argued
by, [81], organisations' learning can be improved by
modifying their systems and routines in response to
external and /or internal stimuli. In contrast to the
behavioural perspective, cognitive techniques
emphasise learning that may be implemented
through an internal mental process that encompasses
an individual's information, memories, and insights,
[78], [80]. This viewpoint emphasises how a learner
builds connotation from events and how he or she
individualises their experiences. Some scholars have
labelled organisations as knowledge or information
processing by with this concept. According to, [82],
there is an internal learning method within the
organisation that aids in the acquisition,
interpretation, retention, and distribution of
knowledge. He also emphasised that these learning
processes can contribute to the organisational
willingness to change the behaviours of their
employees. Similarly, [8], emphasised the
importance of mental processes inside a company
and individual learning in relation to learning in
about contexts. To further this point, it can be
observed that organisations and individuals both
exchange information and mental process models,
allowing them to "not only make sense but also take
action". Another study was undertaken on the
process of knowledge development in organisations
by, [83], discovered that knowledge creation which
ergs from vigorous interactions among diverse value
systems within an individual. Because
organisational learning is dependent on numerous
characteristics of management processes, it is
difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of
OL.
However, this study collects and expands on the
following arguments raised in earlier studies: define
learning as a "process of change in cognition and
behaviour." Second, learning can take place at
various levels, including companies, groups, and
people. Individuals' learning and acting are seen as
the primary factors inside an organisation, [84],
nevertheless, as argued, enable learning by sharing
what everyone has previously learned.
Organisations, on the other hand, cultivate their
learning skills, as stated disseminating information
to their workers while concurrently endorsing new
knowledge in everyday routines. Third, learning has
a substantial impact on performance improvement.
Although learning may not have an immediate
impact on performance, it will ultimately and
naturally align with organisational performance,
[78], [80], [82], [85], [86].
The study, [87], conducted an OL study in the
realm of knowledge management research. They
created a theoretical model and disseminated 180
surveys to executives from large, medium, and
small enterprises in the Dominican Republic, as well
as 103 questionnaires to executives in Brazil. The
study's major goal was to demonstrate OL and
define how it influences organisational output.
According to the results, OL has a substantial
influence on various organisational aspects.
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Fig. 6: Organizational Learning Framework, [9].
OL has been built in a variety of ways over
many decades to emulate the learning
commonalities outlined in the preceding section. To
put it simply, OL is a process that creates and
disseminates advanced information and innovative
knowledge, [88].
The study, [89], defined OL as a process that
promotes firm development by disseminating new
ideas, such as production characteristics, new
technology, or business market trends. It is
generally seen as a source of finding and fixing
errors, where errors are disparities in employees'
perceptions of intended organisational objectives
and what they achieved. According to some,
information processing to deal with organisational
change is referred to as OL, [90].
As well, on the other hand, define it as a system
of experience exchange and regard it as a critical
metric of adaptation in an organisation. Others, [2],
[7], [72], [78], [80], [91], regarded it as an
organisational ability to improve performance and
efficiency. Classified OL as having three stages:
individual learning, group learning, and OL.
Individually, OL is the aptitude and stimulation to
accomplish everyday activities at the workplace
while also sharing the learned information with
other employees and, lastly, developing strategies
and systems in line with the business culture. Some
may argue that the roots of learning begin with and
inside individual learning, which is dependent on
cooperative settings for knowledge generation.
Moving beyond this point of view, [36], suggested
that Organizational Learning is superior to
comprehensive after that learn solo. According to
originates from various knowledge-bearing entities,
dynamic OL may produce variation in learning
outcomes, [88]. It suggests that organisational
knowledge is likely to be diverse when unique,
distinct, and specialised information outnumbers
generic knowledge.
Organisational knowledge, on the other hand,
tends to be homogeneous when collective
knowledge outnumbers individual knowledge. Thus,
OL concepts exist at all levels, including
organisational, group, and individual according to
Figure 6. This argument was supported further by,
[80], [84], [89], who argued that OL occurs at
various levels (such as organisational, group, and
individual) and is achieved when learning outcomes
are transferred to other levels (for example, from
organisations to groups to individuals and vice
versa) via four psychological and social processes
(interpreting, intuiting, integrating, and finally,
institutionalising). As a result, the flow of learning
at different levels is important to expand employees'
skills and knowledge for the sake of organisational
performance, particularly during the phase of
implementing novelty and innovation within an
organisation, [78].
3.12 Theoretical Development
3.12.1 Relationship between TQM and IP
TQM provides an appropriate and fertile
environment for creativity. TQM can provide the
necessary impetus and commitment to a company
seeking to foster an environment of perpetual
innovation. The study, [92], provides empirical
evidence that verifies the TQM effect on an
organisation's innovative performance. They
discovered that the difficult aspects of TQM are
inextricably tied to complex advances in product
innovation. For example, argued in their study that
by using quality management methodologies and
technologies, a company could identify prospective
innovation zones and create appropriate innovation
plans to modify relevant processes and procedures.
Nonetheless, different perspectives exist on the
relationship between innovation and TQM.
Previously, academics emphasised that
continuous improvement is associated with
incremental change, standardisation, and the
essential validation to build stability and control
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over limiting and inflexible innovation. According
to, [93], process management practices that aim to
eliminate waste and increase effectiveness might be
harmful to innovation. They emphasised that
process management decreases the idle resources
required to spread innovation. Furthermore, the
customer-focused approach, which is a critical
component of TQM, is criticised as a source of
innovation.
Some scholars, such as, [94], were opposed to
customer-focused techniques since they were seen
to cause a corporation to be "narrow-minded" about
current products and services despite further
examination of customers' demands in the modern
era. However, one positive viewpoint claims that
organisations that embrace TQM and consider it a
critical component of their system and culture may
give platforms for innovation and progress. In their
study, [95], stated "Total Quality Management be
considered as creating the groundwork for a cultural
climate that fosters creativity in various ways."
Customer focus, inventive employees, and a flexible
organisational structure are three main elements
associated with TQM practises that are critical for
achieving innovation, according to, [96]. TQM
adoption promotes customer orientation, which
emphasises the importance customer satisfactions
the findings, focusing on the requirements and
desires of customers can encourage a company to be
innovative and inventive, [58]. TQM practises may
also cause an organisation's structure to change
towards flexibility, which may eventually affect the
innovation process.
To summarise, TQM creates a favourable
culture and environment for continuing innovation
and, finally, for important innovation to take place,
[97]. Even though There is the expanding empirical
literature on TQM-TI, there is still inconsistency
and variation in the results. As a result, there is an
urgent necessity to stablish and examine the
relationship among practices in Sultanate of Oman.
3.12.2 Relationship between OL and
Innovation Performance
A learning curve model in the context of the
industry's economic situation was the first to
demonstrate OL and its consequences on company
performance. In some cases, organisations have
better experiences while they are creating products
or services by focusing on the lowest price in a
certain industry to obtain cost-based benefits.
Saving money is important and beneficial to
manufacturing companies. Meanwhile, from a
resource-based perspective, organisations can gain a
competitive advantage by leveraging their
competencies and resources, which is where OL is
intentioned in. Taking this into account, [1], defined
OL as a concept of resource-oriented strategy that is
dependent on the organisation's ability to transform
common resources according to specific
competences competencies simply replicated or to
be transferred. The study, [63], surveyed 119 active
Spanish automakers, stressed the significance of a
supportive and healthy team atmosphere for learning
long-term innovation and success. Thus, a review of
the past literature reveals that the interaction
between TI and OL is certainly a rich area for future
research and requires a thorough analysis in
organisational settings.
3.12.3 Relationship between TQM and OL
Organisations that successfully apply TQM policies
and methods tend to focus on better learning,
knowledge sharing, and cultural transformation.
When higher-level management implements TQM
practises within organisations, employees replicate
and provoke OL, [98]. As a result, few researchers
considered OL as a possible effect of TQM. Many
academics have attempted to study and elaborate on
why TQM is essential in OL. As an example, we
conducted an empirical study in Malaysia with 139
manufacturing enterprises and discovered TQM and
OL have a solid and positive relationship. Similarly,
we conducted a study on 193 Turkish enterprises
and determined that TQM has a substantial impact
on OL skills.
Furthermore, [63], discovered that when TQM
essential practises are followed effectively,
including learning in an organisation can result in
excessive productivity and enhanced quality
sustainability. Employees will be more likely to
participate in OL if TQM fosters a culture of trust
inside the organisation. Nonetheless, past research
on TQM and OL has failed to demonstrate a clear
and robust association between these two factors in
the context of the Sultanate of Oman.
Few previous studies viewed TQM was
identified as a single component impacting OL and
conclusions were reached that there is a positive
association between them, [99]. However, to
establish which aspect of TQM, in the form of the
MBNQA model, will have a significant impact on
OL, a more in-depth assessment of the problem is
required. A thorough investigation will be beneficial
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in identifying the characteristics that hampered the
learning process. Following that, the current study
employs the multidimensional TQM approach to
study the relationship between MBNQA-TQM and
OL in the setting of the Sultanate of Oman.
3.12.4 Organizational Learning as the
Mediator between Total Quality Management
and Innovation Performance
There is a link between IP and TQM, and OL can
play an important mediating role. Knowledge-
sharing is promoted by soft quality management,
which emphasises employee engagement,
teamwork, and empowerment, which has been
linked to organisational innovation. According to,
[100], the relevance of soft TQM practises for
building teamwork, inspiring new ideas from
employees, and establishing a communicative
atmosphere for achieving rapid product creation.
Consistent with these reasons, soft quality
management practises, as asserted by, [43], favour
an open-door policy for communication and
encourage the development of new and innovative
ideas, both of which are beneficial to the innovation
process. In the study, [43], regarding
transactional/transformational leadership style
(another aspect of TQM) among small firms, he
discovered that a blended leadership style is
required to concurrently execute the various courses
of action to promote OL for the sake of welcoming
innovation and gaining a competitive edge with high
performance.
Simultaneously, hard TQM practices, such as
affective process management, assist the
organisation in dealing with day-to-day tasks based
on best practices, which may result in the
construction of a learning platform to promote
innovation practices. The successful application of
high-quality information, such as receiving timely
and relevant feedback from production processes,
aids in the development of new and dynamic goods
that meet market demands.
Unfortunately, empirical evidence on OL as a
mediator between each MBNQA-TQM dimension
for TI (such as knowledge distribution, application,
acquisition and storage) is sparse. Only, [98],
according to the researcher's best knowledge, have
investigated these associations. As a result, it would
be important to study this link further to see if this
mediating correlation affects ISO-certified
organisations in the Sultanate of Oman.
4 Conclusion and Recommendations
By integrating theoretical and empirical work in the
fields of strategic management, innovation, and
business performance, this study presents concepts
and suggestions to researchers in the areas of
strategic and innovative decision-making in various
institutions and industrial and commercial sectors to
strengthen these institutions and companies through
the introduction of an integrated commercial and
administrative information system as tools a strategy
to strengthen these institutions and companies.
The study conducted a contextual and content
analysis of TQM and IP via OL in the Sultanate of
Oman. The findings acknowledge that TQM
practises are the hallmark of industrial
organisations; thus, top management should design
a policy framework for TQM application in projects,
processes, and operations. It will not only improve
industrial performance but also capture the market,
resulting in cost and waste reduction.
Furthermore, it will lead to IP, which will give
new directions and philosophies to the Sultanate of
Oman's industrial development. Similarly, ongoing
OL paves the way for IP. As a result, knowledge
workers must be supported and allowed to discover
and develop their inner and hidden qualities and
capabilities. Knowledge workers will acquire social,
emotional, psychological, and moral development as
a result of OL, which will benefit their IP and
organisational development.
This study advises that additional OL and
development be conducted to further investigate the
contextual factors of TQM and IP. Also, the study is
recommended suggests repreplicate study in the
services industry to improve throughput,
sustainability, and maintainability.
There are numerous problems, such as acquiring
data collection, a lack of certified data, and the
presence of a difference in institutional culture at the
start of the project and changing it in the current
period due to the existence of regulations and laws.
To improve the study, the results must be
used on the ground by collecting data and putting it
in a unique environment that supports these
administrative methods.
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