The impact of quality management practices on innovation: an empirical research study of Brazilian manufacturing companies

The impact of quality management practices on innovation: an empirical research study of Brazilian manufacturing companies

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the effects of soft and hard quality management (QM) practices on innovation performance, considering innovation practices as a contextual variable mediating this relationship.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 132 Brazilian manufacturing compan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Benchmarking : an international journal Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 1059 - 1082
Main Authors: Gambi, Lillian Do Nascimento, Lizarelli, Fabiane Letícia, Junior, Alex Ribeiro Rosa, Boer, Harry
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 29-03-2021
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects:
Competition
Competitive advantage
Developing countries
Emerging markets
Employee involvement
Hypotheses
Innovations
LDCs
Manufacturing
Multivariate statistical analysis
Operations management
Organizational change
Process controls
Quality management
Total quality
Brazil
Innovation practices
Innovation performance
Hard QM
Soft QM
Quality management
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Summary:PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the effects of soft and hard quality management (QM) practices on innovation performance, considering innovation practices as a contextual variable mediating this relationship.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 132 Brazilian manufacturing companies, partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) is employed to test if soft and hard QM practices, directly, affect innovation practices and, indirectly, innovation performance. This investigation also aims to identify whether the relationships are maintained regardless of the size of the company.FindingsThe results suggest that soft QM has a positive effect on hard QM. However, only soft QM, not hard QM, has a significant effect on innovation practices. Additionally, soft QM has a significant positive effect on innovation performance through innovation practices. Company size does not influence the relationships.Practical implicationsThe findings can help managers to adjust their managerial practices to enhance the effective impact of QM on innovation performance.Originality/valueThe previous literature presents conflicting results on the relationship between QM and innovation performance. Most studies have proposed a direct relationship between both constructs. This study considers innovation practices as a mediator in this relationship. Furthermore, this paper adds to the scarce literature reporting related studies conducted in developing countries.
ISSN:1463-5771
1758-4094
DOI:10.1108/BIJ-04-2020-0168