162539 20251017144546.0 doi 10.1080/10686967.2015.11918439 sideral 92791 ART-2015-92791 eng García-Bernal, J. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-4540-4952 Why and how TQM leads to performance improvements 2015 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Evidence shows that total quality management (TQM) improves organizational performance, but researchers disagree on why and how such improvements occur and on who really benefits (shareholders, employees, customers, society). This study tests hypotheses relating to TQM adoption and the path from wealth creation to wealth appropriation, making a distinction between shareholders'' profit maximization and stakeholders'' wealth maximization as drivers of the adoption. The authors estimate a model of the direct and indirect consequences of TQM adoption on organizational performance, and then test for a normative versus instrumental motivation driving the TQM adoption decision. They test their hypotheses using a sample of 208 Spanish firms analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results indicate that TQM improves operational performance and all stakeholders share the benefits of this improvement. The authors explain the path from TQM adoption to firm performance, clarify the goals firms may be pursuing when adopting organizational innovations such as TQM, and identify who the beneficiaries are and why and how they benefit from TQM adoption. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FSE/S125 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/JIUZ-2014-SOC-04 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc-nd https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es 0.317 2015 Business, Management and Accounting (miscellaneous) 2015 Q2 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion Ramírez-Alesón, M. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-9758-0149 4012 650 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Direcc.Organiza.Empresas Área Organización de Empresas 22, 3 (2015), 23-37 Qual. manag. j. Quality management journal 1068-6967 279559 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162539/files/texto_completo.pdf Postprint 1277180 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162539/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Postprint oai:zaguan.unizar.es:162539 articulos driver 2025-10-17-14:09:39 ARTICLE