Track: Total Quality Management

Abstract

This paper empirically examines the TQM obstacles faced by the managers of RMG sector in Bangladesh. Now a day, the demand for quality improvement of the product has been raised to cope with the challenges in marketplaces. TQM implementation has already shown a positive attitude towards quality improvement. As a result, Bangladeshi RMG firms are trying to implement TQM in their organizations. Unfortunately, they are not able to implement TQM in their organizations. To determine the exact obstacles, two–pronged approached are used: first, an extensive literature review has been conducted to find out the obstacles of TQM implementation and second, data have been collected from some selected Bangladeshi RMG firms. 25 obstacles have been identified so far. Finally, five obstacles have been selected for empirical test according to the expert’s opinion. The findings of this study suggest that, the most important barriers are lack of: top-management commitment to quality, focus on customer, continuous improvement, quality systems, and knowledge about quality cost. This study is unique in terms of investigating TQM obstacles in this sector. Therefore, this paper can contribute to meet an urgent need of successful implementation of TQM in Bangladesh and other developing countries in the world.