Unveiling the status of TQM-performance link in the private, public, and third sectors: a systematic review

Total Quality Management (TQM) research predominantly focuses on private sector industries, with limited attention to other key sectors like the third sector. This shortage is evident despite the TQM literature highlighting the importance of considering the business sector context when assessing TQM implementation. Therefore, this paper aims to report the recent developments in the relationship between TQM and Organizational Performance (OP) in the three sectors of the economy: the private, the public, and the third sectors. Through a systematic literature review methodology, 331 empirical studies published from 2000 to 2022 were analysed, drawn from Scopus, ABI Global, and EBSCO databases. The results indicate a paucity of empirical research on TQM and OP within the third sector, in contrast, TQM and OP have been extensively investigated in the private sector and to a moderate extent in the public sector. The study's novelty lies in utilising contingency theory to highlight the role of sector type as a contextual factor in TQM implementation across the three sectors: private, public, and third sector. This research contributes to the TQM literature by identifying existing research gaps in the third sector context, emphasising the urgency of empirical research that considers essential organisational variables alongside TQM and OP.