Abstract:
Institutions of higher learning (universities) have gradually adopted the
total quality management (TQM) system to ensure quality product
offerings and achieve competitive advantage. Universities in sub-Sahara
Africa are vehicles of economic and human development through the
provision of a trained labour force and research output. These
organisations face elevated environmental dynamism in the provision of
quality education. Due to conceptual gaps in the application of TQM in
universities in SSA, the study assessed the critical importance of customer
focus on the institutional performance of private universities in Kenya.
The study employed a descriptive research design and targeted seventeen
(17) privately chartered universities founded by religious-based
institutions in Kenya. The study used a census sampling technique and
randomly sampled 17 heads of administrative sections, functional
departments and academic sections. Questionnaires were used as a
primary tool for data collection, with the instrument being piloted at
Carlile College, Kenya. Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing indicated that
the instrument achieved scale reliability. The study employed both
descriptive and inferential analysis. Institutional performance
significantly and positively correlates with the customer focus (r = 0.580,
p < 0.05) and explains 33.61 % of variations in institutional performance
with an effect size of β1 = 0.5132 (t = 10.04, p< 0.05). The findings
showed that customer focus as an element of TQM significantly influences
the institutional performance of these universities. The study recommends
that these universities inculcate and institutionalise customer-focused
practices during the implementation of quality assurance. This study is of
significance to the stakeholders in privately – chartered universities in
Kenya and related contexts, as it will offer more enriching information on
total quality management.
