Total Quality Management and Research Productivity-A Case Report

Total Quality Management (TQM) has been explored in several areas in the past. However, the report on TQM in allied health sciences is yet to come. The present report highlights the TQM approach adopted and the consequential benefits derived by an allied health institution with focus on research productivity. The TQM approach was styled in terms of the "four pillars of TQM" viz., synergistic relationships, commitment to continuous improvement, system approach and commitment of top management. As part of the TQM approach, the institute strategized to implement ISO 9001:2008 alongside the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). The dataset comprised of 436 scientific publications and 509 scientific presentations spanning a period of 6 years from 2010-11 to 2015-16. The results indicated an increase in people involvement in terms of student participation, faculty participation, faculty-student collaboration and faculty collaboration in respect of scientific publications and scientific presentations. The per-capita faculty productivity also increased by 24% in scientific publications and 36% in respect of scientific presentations. The present study also brings into perspective, the advantages of people involvement, people development and the importance of local collaboration in research.