Developing causal relationships for a TQM index for the Indian automobile sector

Though there has been steady growth in the automobile sector in India, India is still a player of little consequence in global auto production. Despite total quality management (TQM) playing an increasingly important role in the survival and growth of companies in the automobile sector, the dynamic interactions among its subsystems have not received due attention in the literature. Based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award model, this paper develops causal relationships among the different variables that represent “enablers” and “results” – operating within 44 identified feedback loops. Of these loops, 33 are positive and 11 are negative. The resulting causal loop diagram provides an insight into understanding the dynamic interactions among TQM subsystems which helps identify proactive action in implementing the TQM philosophy.