Research examining total quality management (TQM) has focused primarily on business activities in manufacturing and service organizations. Specific attention has been directed to the employee base of organizations. This study shifts the focus from subordinates to managers, examining the relationship between leadership style and the implementation of TQM. It explores the relationship within a higher educational institution, examining only the non-academic administrative/service departments of a state university.; The University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) was selected for the study. UMR received the Missouri Quality award in 1995, becoming the first educational institution in Missouri to receive such an award. Surveys were prepared using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and a self-evaluation survey for total quality management based on the Baldrige criteria. Surveys were mailed to department heads and employees asking each to evaluate their department head using the MLQ section and the department using the TQM self-evaluation system. Surveys were returned and scored, providing scores for respondents' perceived department TQM implementation level and their department manager's leadership style. Ordinary Least Squares Regression was used to determine the relationship between active leadership (transformational and Contingent Reward) and the implementation level of quality management.; Results of the study suggest that a strong relationship does exist between leadership style and quality management implementation. Results of the regression analysis were significant in each instance at the p 0.01 level. Transformational styles of leadership and Contingent Reward were positively correlated with each of the quality management factors and were significant in the predictability of quality management implementation. The passive styles of transactional and non-transactional leadership were negatively correlated with the quality management factors.
展开▼
