Quality Management Practices and Service Delivery: A Case of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t2187Abstract
Quality management practices is the process of managing the activities and resources of the institution so as to achieve goals and prevent nonconformance. In Kenya, the higher education sector has continued to grow steadily as indicated by massive student enrollments over the past few years. However, this growth has not been accompanied by a matching expansion of campus facilities, human resources or space to accommodate these students. The objective of the study was to determine the impact of Quality Management Practices on Service delivery at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. The research was designed to use quantitative, descriptive and inferential survey design. The target population comprised of employees of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) who were categorized as: senior administrative non-teaching staff, middle level non-teaching staff, academic staff, part time lecturers and support staff giving a total of 550. Stratified sampling was adopted. A sample size of 226 respondents was derived.207 participated in the study was achieved indicating a response rate of 92%. The researcher adopted questionnaires to conduct the study. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS (V. 25). Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics include means, frequencies and standard deviations while inferential statistics included multiple linear regression. The results of the regression model indicate that holding other factors constant, Quality Management Practices had a 43.6% influence on service delivery. The results of the correlation analysis indicated a strong positive correlation between customer focus and service delivery (P=.877). A strong positive correlation was also established between continuous improvement and service delivery (P=.507). The study established a weak significant association between top management commitment and service delivery as indicated by P=-.401;.000 respectively. Finally, the study showed a negative insignificant relationship between employee involvement and service delivery as indicated by P=-.13 and .098 respectively. The study recommends that top management provide more resources towards quality efforts and pay particular attention to implementation of quality policies and plans. Bureaucratic processes in decision-making by top management affects employees in ensuring that policies are implemented. A hybrid management style is therefore recommended whereby top management consult staff on decision making.
Keywords: Quality Management Practices, Service Delivery, Customer Focus, Commitment, Employee Involvement, & Continuous Improvement.
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