Supportive quality management practices and organisational performance: the impact of employee training and development on product quality

Purpose This paper seeks to aid the ongoing debate on the supportive (total) quality management ((T)QM)–performance relationship by testing a contingency framework explaining how training and development (T&D) impacts product quality (PQ). Design/methodology/approach We analyse firm-level cross-sectional data from 1,857 Japanese manufacturers using the Oster model to test three hypotheses: a direct T&D-PQ effect (H1), heterogeneous effects across T&D approaches (H2), and firm size moderation (H3). Findings We confirm a direct, positive T&D–PQ association (H1). Crucially, we demonstrate that this effect is contingent upon design: a company-driven approach to T&D Selection and the presence of a formal T&D Policy have the strongest impact on PQ improvement (H2). Finally, we show that firm size does not moderate the T&D–PQ relationship (H3). Research limitations/implications Our results suggest that the positive Soft (T)QM-performance link is unequivocal while also confirming that not all T&D approaches/methods are equally effective. We reveal a boundary condition to employee empowerment: autonomy in T&D selection for non-managerial staff may impede quality improvement. The null size effect suggests institutional substitution, whereby macro-level human resource development (HRD) norms can override firm-level resource constraints. Practical implications Supportive (T)QM—especially T&D—is critical to quality improvement. We also aid human resource management (HRM) practitioners in selecting the most effective, context-appropriate T&D strategies in the pursuit of higher PQ. Originality/value This study utilises (arguably) the largest dataset ever applied to the supportive (T)QM–performance linkage. Additionally, we employ the Oster model—widely used in economics and political science—which, to our knowledge, has not been previously used in the QM and/or HRM domains.