Exploring the Barriers and the Level of TQM Implementation in Malaysian Construction Industry

摘要

More and More construction firms are engaging in Total Quality Management (TQM) to improve the quality of their products which, in hope of, ultimately lead to higher level of customer satisfaction. However, there are still a number of players in Malaysian construction industry refused to implement TQM. This study aimed at identifying the barriers for construction firms to engage in TQM and tested its relationship with the level of implementation of TQM. Based on data collected from 138 engineers from Malaysian construction firms, the results showed that there were six barriers of implementation of TQM in Malaysian construction industry, which were lack of knowledgeable personnel, low bid mindset, lack of effective communication, extra cost and time consuming, lack of top management support and difficulties in measurement. The results also showed that only lack of effective communication and lack of top management support were not significantly associated with the level of implementation of TQM.