The Importance of Customer Focus on the Institutional Performance of Private Universities in Kenya

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.