The extent of practice of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the maintenance of university buildings in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which TQM is practiced in the maintenance of school buildings in South Africa. Available literature in Total Quality Management was thoroughly reviewed. A quantitative approach was adopted where a questionnaire with closed-ended questions was distributed to purposively sampled maintenance workers in a tertiary institution. Respondents proffered their perceptions on the practice of TQM during their building maintenance activities. Descriptive data analysis comprising of mean, and percentages was used to analyse the data. The study was built upon an available sample of practicing maintenance workers in a university. There is a probability that other school categories in the country were not represented. A larger sample extended to other tertiary schools can be used for future studies. A total of 54 respondents participated in the study. The findings obtained indicated that all the TQM practices were implemented. People involvement was the most implemented TQM practice. Process approach, customer focus and system management were also found to be frequently practiced. For the practice of leadership, the development of clear objectives by top management to guide maintenance activities was low, likewise the development of effective strategies to guide maintenance activities. This study shows that top maintenance management is expected to develop clear objectives and effective strategies to guide and control maintenance activities and systems should be well managed in order to contribute to the effectiveness of the maintenance department. This study adds to existing literature by bridging the gap and revealing the importance of practicing TQM in maintenance. The study also provides research information on the Total Quality Management process in the South African school building maintenance system and evaluates the extent to which it is being practiced.