Design and Validation of a Total Quality Management Model in Farhangian University

Abstract

Purpose: The present study was conducted with the aim of designing and validating a Total Quality Management (TQM) model at Farhangian University across the country during the 2018–2019 academic year. Methodology: This study utilized a mixed-methods approach and was examined in both qualitative and quantitative phases. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were used. The statistical population consisted of experts and professors in the field of total quality management at Farhangian University, from which 14 participants were selected through purposive sampling. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data from students, professors, and staff of Farhangian University (144 participants in total). Thematic coding was employed for analyzing the interview data, while the Friedman test was used in the quantitative phase. Findings: The findings of the study indicate that the most important dimensions and components of total quality management include: customer satisfaction and responsiveness, the learning organization, and future orientation. The dominant organizational culture, government rules and regulations, and the provision of infrastructures were identified as the most significant contextual conditions. Additionally, customer satisfaction, teachers' professional development, organizational innovation, and organizational trust and participation were reported as the most important categories under causal conditions. Effective management, attention to process orientation over mere outcome orientation, eliminating the negative attitudes toward Farhangian University, decentralization in education, a culture of systems thinking, effective educational and curricular planning were identified as the most important strategies. Furthermore, professional development of teachers, adopting modern approaches in management, increased mission-orientation, enhancement of teaching and learning effectiveness, and increased institutional flexibility were identified as the main outcomes of TQM implementation in Farhangian University. The results derived from the 22 main themes and 365 subcomponents of the study indicated that: customer satisfaction, dominant organizational culture, organizational trust and participation, elimination of negative attitudes toward Farhangian University, effective educational planning, and increased mission-orientation of the university held the highest levels of importance. Conclusion: Implementing total quality management at Farhangian University enhances customer satisfaction, promotes teachers’ professional development, improves learning outcomes, and strengthens organizational culture, thereby facilitating the fulfillment of the university’s educational mission.