TQM implementation: comparing Singapore’s service and manufacturing leaders Available to Purchase

In recent years, total quality management (TQM) has been applied extensively in service organisations. Several studies have been undertaken to compare the TQM implementation levels in services and manufacturing. However, none has differentiated the service categories adequately. This paper compares the TQM implementation levels in Singapore’s service and manufacturing productivity leaders after differentiating the services and controlling for extraneous factors. The analysis makes use of secondary data obtained from the pioneer batch of 240 organisations in the Singapore Quality Award programme. The service organisations are found to have a significantly lower level of TQM implementation than the manufacturing‐oriented service and the manufacturing organisations. The findings provide decision‐makers an indication of the areas that should be addressed to boost TQM in the service organisations. They also support the argument in the theoretical literature that the various service categories should be differentiated to yield meaningful results and suggest appropriate policies.