Investigating the factors that affects the adoption of TQM implementation within Libyan technical colleges

Libya is one of the countries in the world that wants to keep abreast of global developments in various fields. Total Quality Management (TQM) is considered to be as one the most important of modern management styles that developed and developing countries seek to use in their institutions through which it seeks to develop the institution's methods and ways of work, improve performance and achieve customer satisfactions according to the required specifications and a minimum of effort and cost. This study aimed at identifying the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that affect the adoption of TQM implementation within Libya Technical Colleges (LTCs) and to assess the level of this implementation. A set of 9 CSFs namely; management commitment and leadership, measurement & evaluation, customer focus & satisfaction, communication, education & training, recognition & reward, teamwork, empowerment & involvement, and continuous improvement were selected from the literature as the conceptual framework for this particular study. To achieve the aim and objectives of the study, quantitative research was utilized in which an existing survey questionnaire developed was selected from literature and modified to fit the conceptual framework proposed and fit the Libyan environment. Factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the questionnaire. The findings reveal that Libyan technical Colleges are far away from implementing the principles of quality management in their institutions. The study attributed this low level of TQM implementation to the lack of understanding of the concept of organizational culture that is required for the success of the application of TQM at all administrative levels in these colleges. The study provided a combination of practical recommendations which may be useful in raising the level of implementation of TQM by the Libyan Technical Colleges and recommendations for future work was also suggested for further research in this area.