TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN REFERRAL HOSPITALS IN KENYA: A CASE OF KENYATTA NATIONAL HOSPITAL

Kithinji Victoria Mwende

Master of Business Administration

(Strategic Management Option)

Kenyatta University

Dr. Hannah Bula

Department of Business Administration,

School of Human resource,

Kenyatta University

CITATION: Mwende, V.K & Bula, H. (2019). Total Quality Management Strategies and Employee Performance in Referral Hospitals in Kenya: A Case of Kenyatta National Hospital. International journal of strategic management. Vol. 11(8) pp 1 – 19.

ABSTRACT

Total quality management describes a philosophy of management that aims at exceeding the current as well as future stakeholder expectations through continuously improving process, goods, and services. However, even though total quality management enhances employee performance, many public organizations and more specifically Kenyatta National Hospital is experiencing deteriorating performance of the employees due to internal and external issues. Therefore, this study’s main objective was to find out the influence of total quality management strategies on employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital. The study had four specific objectives which include; to determine the influence of customer focus on employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital; to establish how employee involvement influences employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital; to establish the influence of continuous improvement on employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital; and to assess whether top management commitment influences employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital. The theories that explained the relationship were be; quality improvement theory, resource-based view theory, institutional theory, and the theory of constraints. The study conducted a descriptive survey targeting 5500 employees (doctors, nurses, specialists, and support staff) of Kenyatta National Hospital and this made the sampling frame. The study employed stratified random sampling and surveyed 373 respondents to whom a structured questionnaire were issued. Secondary data was also collected. Descriptive and inferential analysis was employed. Validity of the research instrument was realized through expert opinion whereas reliability was determined by Cronbach’s Alpha. According to the findings, taking all factors (customer focus, employee involvement, continuous improvement and top management commitment) constant at zero, overall employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital was found to be 5.674. The data findings also show that a unit increase in customer focus led to a 0.332 increase employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital; a unit increase employee involvement lead to a 0.376 increase in employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital; a unit increase in continuous improvement, led to 0.355 increases in employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital and a unit increase in top management commitment led to a 0.398 increase in employee performance in Kenyatta National Hospital. This means that the most significant variable was top management commitment followed by employee involvement; continuous improvement and customer focus respectively.

Keywords: Total Quality Management; Strategies; Employee Performance; Referral Hospitals

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