Total quality management: a critical literature review using Pareto analysis

Purpose - Due to its impact on business performance total quality management (TQM) has gained a lot of importance by businessmen, managers, practitioners, and research scholars over the last 20 years. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically assess the literature on TQM and find out the areas where future research is required. Design/methodology/approach - To achieve this purpose the articles published in the last 20 years were studied in a systematic way and a snapshot of the same was prepared in the tabular format with points such as year and journal of publication, application and country, statistical method used, and findings of the study such as practices and impact of TQM. After identifying the practices and impact of TQM a quality tool “Pareto Analysis” was applied on them for development of the model. Findings - The findings provide the practices of TQM and its impact on the performance of a business. The gaps from the literature have been identified and areas for future research have been suggested. On the basis of the findings a generalized framework of TQM has been suggested which can be applicable irrespective of the sector. Practical implications - The research will help academicians and future researchers to have a clear understanding of TQM in different rosters. Originality/value - Ample literature is available on TQM but in the best knowledge of authors no study has taken place to integrate the reviews and findings of 102 research papers of the last two decades.