Deming management method: Subjecting theory to moderating and contextual effects

Abstract

W. Edwards Deming's ideas on quality management, expressed in hypothetico-deductive theoretical form by Anderson, Rungtusanatham, and Schroeder (1994), have been empirically tested at the organizational level in the manufacturing and service sectors in a handful of Western countries and Japan. These studies show generally good empirical support for the theory, thus providing a plausible "road map" on how organizations succeed through quality management. The authors' study seeks to improve the validity and applicability of the theory. They used a standard measurement instrument to collect data from 367 civil servants from five public-sector organizations in Singapore. Using structural equation modeling data analysis technique, they established that these organizations generally appear to act in a manner consistent with the theory, but the patterns of relationships as predicted by the theory are not completely similar across these organizations. Also, individual-level factors (positional authority and length of tenure) have an impact on how well the theory holds. Further, since the study was in a new industry sector (public sector) and country context (Singapore), the generally positive results enable the authors to tentatively conclude that the theory applies to these contexts.