Investigation of the relationship between quality management practices, innovation and performance of SMEs in SME's: Field research

In today's globalizing and denationalizing world economic system, businesses are of great importance for the country's economies. Businesses are basically established for profit. However, there are also missions and visions to increase the social and development level of the national economies. Enterprises, which are the basic units of the economic system, are classified according to their qualities or scale. This classification is basically done as a small business with Small and Medium Businesses (SMEs). As in the world economy, the majority of the enterprises operating in our country's economy are SMEs. SMEs are the lifeblood of the country's economies. Considering the importance, mission and vision of SMEs for the national economies, these enterprises must constantly renew themselves, follow the current situation, standardize their service or product production, maintain their quality and continuously improve their performance. In order for SMEs, which are established mainly for profit, to be in a sustainable structure in the economy, they need to give importance to many issues such as quality, innovation, R&D and performance. Quality is a phenomenon that should be included in every SME in today's globalizing economic structure. Innovation and R&D is a phenomenon that SME should be survive in the sector, which differentiates itself from other businesses in the sector in which it operates, enables it to take a step forward in a tough competitive environment and to follow the current sectoral situations. Performance is a basic phenomenon to be considered in terms of the growth of SMEs and the monitoring of the changes in the growth process. There are many factors that affect performance. While one of these factors is quality, the other is innovation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the performance of SMEs and the quality management and innovation practices of SMEs, and the mediating role of innovation in the relationship between SMEs' performance and quality management practices. In order to perform this analysis, a Structural Equation Model was created among three variables, and data were collected using a questionnaire method and analyzes were carried out in statistical programs. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that innovation and quality practices have a significant effect on SME performance and that innovation has a partial mediating role between SME performance and quality practices.