Total Quality Management Practices and Performance of Public Hospitals in Embu County, Kenya

In the present-day competitive business environment firms are relentlessly seeking ways to expand and improve quality to enhance business performance. Healthcare institutions have adopted total quality management practices to better their performance since clients are always expressing dissatisfaction about service quality in the public institutions. Total quality management immensely contributes to the improvement of a firm as a whole by increasing quality awareness to reduce inefficiencies. The main objective of the study was to establish the influence of total quality management practices on the performance of public hospitals in Embu County in Kenya.Precisely, the study sought to; establish the influence of top management commitment on the performance of public hospitals in Embu County; determine the influence of customer focus on the performance of public hospitals in Embu County; establish the influence of employee involvement on the performance of public hospitals in Embu County; and establish the moderating role of organizational capability on the influence of total quality management practices on the performance of public hospitals in Embu County. The study used a cross-sectional survey. The target population was 425 employees of the five public hospitals in Embu County. The sample size was 205 respondents arrived at through stratified random sampling. Both primary and secondary data were used to enable the study to achieve the objectives. The study used content validity which was achieved through expert opinion from the supervisor while reliability was established using the Cronbach's alpha. Descriptive and inferential statistics helped in data analysis. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 24 was used in data analysis. Data was presented using tables, graphs, and charts. It was anticipated that the study would assist public hospitals in Embu County to implement strategies to enhance quality and inform policy decisions. The study findings were equally anticipated to improve existing body of knowledge on total quality management practices in the healthcare sector, as well as stimulate further research; and be a reference point for academicians and researchers. The findings indicated that continuous improvement had positive and significant effect on performance of manufacturing firms. Customer focus was found to be significant in explaining the variation of performance and top management commitment was found to have a significant effect of performance of manufacturing firms. Organizational capability had a moderating effect on the relationship between Total Quality Management practices and performance. The study recommended that the management should be committed to total quality by providing strategic direction with respect to quality management practices, which should be aligned to the hospitals' objectives. Policy makers should create a quality framework that is geared towards improving performance and ensure it is adhered to by all stakeholders in the Public Hospitals in Embu County. Finally, the study recommended that similar research be done in other sectors like service industries