Survey of Problems and Prospects of Implementing Total Quality Management In Medium-Scale Enterprises: A Study Based on 80 North Indian Medium Enterprises

Implementing Total Quality Management in medium-scale enterprises is a process of initiating excellent quality practices enabling them to differentiate from competitors' practices. Like in many other countries, the medium enterprises in India are also taking various steps to delight their customers, in which, Total Quality Management (TQM) is one. The primary objective of this study is to pinpoint the problems that may hinder the process of smooth adoption of TQM in a medium-scale enterprise. Simultaneously, the study also highlights the ways through which prospects of adopting TQM in these enterprises can be enhanced. Significantly, the study resulted in highlighting the factors by which familiarity among management, staff, and employees about quality practices can be enhanced. The study also highlights the factors of TQM integration and measures of quality improvement, which can be helpful in enhancing the prospects of adopting TQM in these enterprises. However, the univariate analysis helped to conclude that TQM can be implemented in any type of medium enterprise irrespective of the type, sector, and functional orientation. However, because of their nature of operation, medium enterprises in public and private sectors require different type of measures for integrating TQM into their systems.