Role of Employee Commitment in Total Quality Management on Performance of Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya

Abstract

Employee commitment is one of the common thematic areas for TQM in the service sector. It is crucial in fostering a sense of purpose, dedication, and alignment with the organization's mission and values. Since organization performance is linked to product quality and depends on its employees' dedication, organizations seeking competitive advantages through TQM must critically examine the levels of employee commitment. The universities in sub-Sahara Africa face elevated environmental dynamism in providing quality education. Due to conceptual gaps in the studies on employee commitment to university education in Kenya, the study evaluated the influence of employee commitment on the performance goals of private universities in Kenya. The study targeted seventeen (17) privately chartered universities founded by religious-based institutions in Kenya and utilized descriptive research design. The study censused 17 heads of administrative sections, functional departments and academic sections and used questionnaires as the primary data collection tool. Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing indicated that the instrument achieved scale reliability. The study used both descriptive and inferential analysis, and the results indicated that performance goals positively correlated with employee commitment (r = 0.670, p < 0.05) and explained 45.82 % variance in performance goals with an effect size; β1 = 0.67697 (t = 12.97, p< 0.05). The findings showed that employee commitment significantly influences the performance goals of these universities. The study recommends that these universities should seek to train, develop and align their human capital towards higher quality objectives from individual, departmental and organizational levels. This study is significant to the stakeholders in privately – chartered universities in Kenya and related contexts, as it will offer more enriching information on employee commitment to quality