The Impact of Total Quality Management and Systems Thinking Values on Organisational Performance in the UAE Oil and Gas Industry

Abstract

In the globalised world today, there have been recent modifications and advancements in the international economy where companies worldwide are under pressure to improve their management processes and overall efficiency. Among the many industries, the oil and gas sector is continuously faced with growing challenges and conflicts in terms of ensuring their efficiency in order to avoid large financial losses. The chief purpose of this study was to determine how the Total Quality Management (TQM) core values influence the attainment of UAE’s goals and targets in the oil and gas firms in Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, the research examined the firms’ organisational processes through the perceptions and experiences of the participants as well as the research observations. Finally, the study included recommendations on how the TQM could help more organisations attain improvements in their respective companies. A mixed-methods study was undertaken, collecting and analysing the following: survey questionnaires from the 88 oil and gas leaders and employees as respondents; nine face-to-face interviews with the oil and gas leaders and employees as participants; and one observation session conducted in Company A. From the quantitative analysis of the survey data, the research identified statistically significant results were found between all three independent variables and organisational performance, which is the dependent variable (the highest correlation was revealed between organisational climate and organisational performance). A thematic analysis was then performed on the interviews, resulting in a total of 24 study themes to address the four qualitative research questions of the study. The themes highlighted the presence of leadership commitment, the need for active communication and collaboration to attain a conducive work environment, and the presence of policies and programmes to improve their overall efficiency. To safeguard the attainment of optimal organisational performance, the participants recommended ensuring the practice of close collaboration and cooperation across the firms and ensuring that all members’ goals and objectives are aligned with one another. Through the participants’ recommendations, the research integrated the Systems Thinking Approach (with the initial TQM concepts) towards the end of the study, which may help in implementing the desired changes to achieve organisational performance and successes in the long run.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	Nerys Fuller-Love (Supervisor)