The Effect of Knowledge Management On Organizational Performance Through Total Quality Management

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 9, September-2016
ISSN 2229-5518
The Effect of Knowledge Management on

Organizational
Performance through Total Quality Management
Hussein Salama Al-Sohaim - Dr. Walid Youssef Montasser - Prof Dr. Abd Alhakim Al Manhawy
Abstract- The transition from an industrial society into a knowledge society makes effective benefits of knowledge and learning as vital elements of
competitiveness. KM is a process through which an organization generates value of its knowledge-based assets. Organizations that want to be
successful and gain sustainable competitive advantage need to focus more on permanent increase of value with the knowledge they possess. KM
concept is one of fundamental ways to translate challenges and dangers of a modern, unpredictable business environment into an opportunity for
successful performance and a cornerstone of competitive advantage. Necessity for effective use of KM in organizations is todays reality. Knowledge
and continuous learning are key elements of the infrastructure of TQM system and plays a significant role in its success, but in spite of their importance
for the implementation of TQ initiatives they are not well regarded by top managers and quality practitioners in modern businesses. Many executives do
not understand the concept of knowledge, what is meant by KM? What are the components (practices) of a KM system? , and how the adoption TQM
concepts and principles enable the creation and usage of knowledge within the organizations in an efficient and effective manner. The objective of this
study is, therefore, to investigate whether TQM really is a knowledge enabler in practice, to determine the components of KM system, and to develop a
theoretical framework that links the components of KM system with a key performance indicators . A list of eight main Hypotheses and 30 sub-hypothesis
was developed. Further, the scope for a future study is to validate the developed conceptual model through testing the proposed list of hypotheses by
collecting primary data from 75 small and medium organizations in Jeddah city (Saudi), using SPSS approach for hypotheses testing.
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Index Terms- Total quality management (TQM), Knowledge Management, Top Management Commitment, Knowledge Culture, Communication,
Information Gathering and Analysis, Training and Education, Benchmarking
1- INTRODUCTION
KM is a process that through creating, accumulating,
organizing and utilizing knowledge helps achieve
objectives and enhance organizational performance. KM
also consists of strategy, cultural values and workflow. In
order to maximize its value a change in strategies,
processes, organizational structures and technologies needs
to be made.
One of the key benefits of introducing KM practices in
organizations is its positive impact on organizational
performance. The research conducted in Croatia suggests
that KM positively affects organizational outcomes of
company innovation, product improvement and employee
improvement.
According to (Fugate et al. 2009), results collected in a
logistics operations context prove the existence of a strong
positive relationship between a KM processes and
operational and organizational performance. Also (Choi et
al. 2008) show that combining the tacit-internal-oriented
and explicit-external-oriented KM strategies indicates a
complementary relationship, which implies synergistic
effects of KM strategies on performance.
The results of the study conducted by (Zheng et al. 2009)
suggest that KM fully mediates the impact of organizational
culture on organizational effectiveness, and partially
mediates the impact of organizational structure and
strategy on organizational effectiveness.
Knowledge enablers are organizational mechanisms that

facilitate both the random occurrence and the systematic
development of knowledge within an organization. Five
such knowledge enablers have been identified in the
literature:
Instilling a knowledge vision;
Developing and managing an organizational
conversation;
Creating the right context by developing an
organizational
structure
that
facilitates
knowledge creation;
Managing caring relationships; and
Disseminating local knowledge across several
organizational levels.
Such enablers are especially significant in facilitating
knowledge sharing and interaction among members of the
organization, thereby transforming individual knowledge
into organizational knowledge. In the view of knowledge
creation requires an enabling context. Several authors have
adopted such a knowledge-based view of total quality
management (TQM) and its potential to facilitate
knowledge creation and sharing. In this regard, it has been
noted that the implementation of quality systems is
inherently linked to organizational learning (Mele and
Colurcio 2006).
Finally results of numerous researches show that KM
effect organizational performance in a positive manner, but
this relationship is very difficult to prove. The researchers
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ISSN 2229-5518
often imply this positive effect of knowledge management

on organizational performance. However, the researches
that empirically prove the existing link are very rare.
2- Literature review
2-1 Knowledge Management (KM)
Knowledge Management (KM) is widely regarded as
the way an organization can leverage the tacit and explicit
knowledge of its employees, trading partners, and outside
experts for the benefit of the organization. KM is about the
collection of knowledge and connection of people. KM is
also about the process of creation, sharing and use of
knowledge within the organization. The foundation of KM
is based on these processes; knowledge acquisition,
knowledge conversion and knowledge application.
Varieties of KM frameworks have been proposed and all of
these KM frameworks are based on these three
components. The success of the KM initiatives is dependent
on the presence and interaction of all three components:
Knowledge acquisition: deals with the processes of

creating, generating, developing, building and
constructing knowledge internally. These terms
refer to the process of deriving new and useful
insights and ideas.
Knowledge conversion: is the process that deals

with organizing and applying knowledge that has
been created or acquired in ways that make it
formalized and accessible.
enablers for KM are strategy and leadership, culture,

measurement, and technology. Each of these must be
designed and managed in alignment with the other and in
support of the process. The process usually involves several
of the following stages or sub processes in the use of
knowledge: create, identify, collect, organize, share, adapt,
and use.
Knowledge management represents adoption of
collective knowledge in order to achieve Companys
business goals. In brief, knowledge management is a
systematic effort to enable Information and knowledge to
grow, flow and create value (ODell & Hubert, 2011) and
has a role to ensure that people have right knowledge at the
right place at the right time.
The widest approach towards this concept is that the
knowledge management is unity of three Components:
people, processes and technology. Knowledge management
(KM) also passes through the stages: knowledge creation,
knowledge capture, and knowledge storing, sharing of
Knowledge with the other people and knowledge
application, and forming on that way its own life Cycle.
Knowledge management concept presents the
ability to acquire necessary information in short term,
which will provide that everyone can bring the best
decision about conditions on the market, product, service,
planning activities of the competition or any other actions
which are important for the companys success. In
summary, knowledge management is process through
which organization generates values of its intellectual
assets based on knowledge (Santosus et al, 2012).
Daud et al. define KM in the following way: KM
addresses policies, strategies, and techniques aimed at
supporting
an
organizations competitiveness
by
optimizing the conditions needed for efficiency
improvement, innovation, and collaboration among
employees., he also states that it is the organized and
systematic process of generating and disseminating
information, and selecting, distilling, and deploying explicit
and tacit knowledge to create unique value that can be used
to achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace by
an organization(Daud et al., 2011).
Chan et al. says it is a conscious strategy of getting
the right knowledge to the right people at the right time by
putting information into action that strives to improve
performance (Chan et al., 2007). In order to maintain the
effectiveness of the knowledge management process
(KMP), being just in time is a key and a very important
element and consequently it was frequently referred and
emphasized in KM studies within the framework of four
aspects: (right) knowledge, (right) time, (right) place and
(right) person (Afrazeh, 2010).
The concept of Knowledge Management (KM) has
attracted the attention of researchers over the last decade
since it is considered an important tool to achieve
innovation and sustainable competitive advantages
(Cooper, 2006).
Nonaka, Konno (1998) noted that in highly uncertain
economies the only sure source of lasting competitive
advantage is knowledge (Nonaka, Konno, 1998). Several
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Knowledge application: refers to the processes of

sharing,
transferring,
disseminating
and
distributing knowledge once it has been organized
and stored. Knowledge that is kept solely in an
individuals domain is of little value to an
organization. Applying and sharing knowledge
means making it more active and relevant for the
organization in creating values.
An organization needs to generate new knowledge on a
continuous basis, facilitate its sharing within the
organization and apply knowledge to gain competitive
advantage. Knowledge management processes assist an
organization in acquiring, storing, and utilizing knowledge
to support problem solving, dynamic learning, strategic
planning,
and
decision-making.
Academics
and
practitioners are recognizing that knowledge management
processes are becoming prerequisites for success in
organizations.
2-2 Knowledge Management Concepts and definitions

Knowledge management is the process of capturing a
companys collective expertise wherever it resides, in
databases, on paper, or in peoples heads, and distributing
it to wherever it can help produce the biggest payoff.
Knowledge management is a conscious strategy of getting
the right knowledge to the right people at the right time
and helping people share and put information into action in
ways that strive to improve organizational performance.
Knowledge management is a complex process that
must be supported by a strong foundation of enablers. The
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studies found that firms that adopt knowledge

management practices perform better than competing firms
that do not (Pathirage et al., 2007).
Knowledge management practices have been
implemented in a wide range of industries including
manufacturing, consulting, tourism, and call centers (Koh et
al., 2005).
Knowledge management has become such a hot topic
that it has been dubbed the business mantra of the 1990s
(Halal, 1998). Knowledge management represents a logical
progression beyond information management, information
technologies, at long last, have demonstrated a notable
impact on organizational performance. Many believe that
the next generation of information technology/artificial
intelligence (IT/AI) products will increasingly enable
knowledge management, in contrast to information
management, and, as such, will have a far bigger impact on
organizational performance (Sveiby 1997).
Knowledge management can also be seen as
representing a culmination and integration of many earlier
organization development ideas (e.g., total quality,
reengineering, organizational learning, benchmarking,
competitive intelligence, innovation, organizational agility,
asset management, supply chain management, change
management, etc.). It encapsulates these concepts into a
larger, more holistic perspective that focuses on effectively
creating and applying knowledge (Amidon 1998).
Finally Knowledge Management may be viewed in
terms of:
Organizational and managerial issues in KM include

devising managerial processes for capturing and
distributing knowledge. In addition, these processes need
to be improved continuously to become more effective and
efficient. KM systems must be included in an organizations
structure. However, such a structure (as in TQM) must be
flexible and adaptive. It is important that organizational
structures are designed for flexibility (as opposed to
rigidity) so that they encourage sharing and collaboration
across boundaries within the organization and across the
supply chain (Gold, et al. 2001).
Management support and commitment for KMS use in an
organization can be seen in the amount of funds that are
allocated for the systems resources, training, and
infrastructure to support KM initiatives. Managements
commitment to KMS use, on the other hand, can be
demonstrated by having managers lead and support the
system-use, and not just by promoting the system itself. The
management support and commitment factor has been
found to directly influence the extent of KMS use (Aurum
et al., 2007; Butler et al., 2007).
In addition to contributing to the extent of KMS use in
an organization, managements support and commitment is
also recognized as an important factor in determining the
successful promotion of a knowledge sharing culture
within an organization. Exploratory study of the
mechanisms for KMS effectiveness, describe how an
employees perception of managements commitment can
influence the knowledge sharing culture.
Numerous KM practitioners have also attested to this
argument by suggesting that management were the ones
responsible for driving the required cultural and systems
changes to increase KMS usage (Subramaniam et al., 2009).
Further, management support and commitment was also
reported as a factor influencing the level of knowledge
content quality. It was indicated that the commitment
exhibited by senior leadership affects the quality of shared
knowledge, by way of spearheading the task of developing
an organizational wide taxonomy of knowledge that can be
fed into a KMS. In other words, management support and
commitment determine the organizational strategies of
defining and classifying knowledge.
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People how do you increase the ability of an

individual in the organization to influence others
with their knowledge
Processes Its approach varies from organization

to organization. There is no limit on the number of
processes
Technology It needs to be chosen only after all

the requirements of a knowledge management
initiative have been established.
Culture The biggest enabler of successful

knowledge-driven
organizations
is
the
establishment of a knowledge-focused culture
Structure the business processes and

organizational structures that facilitate knowledge
sharing
Technology a crucial enabler rather than the

solution.
2-3 Dimensions of Knowledge Management

2-3-1 Top Management Commitment
The bottom line is that knowledge management is also
a strategy, not just a tactic, and it is a set of business
practices, not merely a technology. There is no question that
strong, active support from upper management is crucial to
the success of a knowledge management deployment,
particularly in the beginning. More deployments fail due to
the lack of management commitment than for any other
cause.
2-3-2 Knowledge Culture

Cultural issues are quite significant in KM and they
directly impact KM success or failure. In fact they are the
first barrier to success. As in TQM, in KM initiatives people
tend to avoid or fight change and they prefer the old way
of doing things in the company. With KM, there will be a
new way of decision making in the organization and people
have to share knowledge and Know-how. Knowledge
being often associated with power, promoting knowledge
sharing is not an easy task particularly if employees dont
see how they can directly benefit from it. Knowledge
transfer can also take place among various organizations.
Leadership then becomes critical and managing through a
knowledge lens should become a priority.
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The cultural factors such as collaboration and trust

are basic operation for managing knowledge effectively in a
firm. Shaping cultural factors is crucial for a firm's ability to
manage its knowledge effectively The basic assumption
was that there was statistically significant difference in
perception of KM for two groups of respondents for at least
one KM process namely KM culture.
There are four dimensions of knowledge
management culture including:
Knowledge creating,
Knowledge learning,
Knowledge sharing, and
Knowledge cooperating,
One of the most important factors for effective project
organization is to provide a knowledge-friendly culture
and is also the most difficult constraint to deal with. In
order to successfully implement knowledge management
(KM), the most important thing for companies is to nurture
the culture associated with creating, sharing, and utilizing
critical knowledge. Culture is perhaps the most difficult
constraint that knowledge managers must deal with, and it
has several relevant components (Arsenijevi et al., 2009).
First: one is the positive attitude and orientation to
knowledge, in these aspects employees are selfmotivated, curious about getting intellect and
explore knowledge creation activities. In
continuation with this the executives encourage
these actions and provide some incentives to them
to carry on this approach.
Second: is the knowledge restrain in the culture,
people are not willing to share their jobs
knowledge and also indignant towards the
company. They do so because executives do not
provide such knowledge culture and make them
feel about the consequences that will cost them
their jobs.
Third: component in making a fit of the knowledge
management type with the existing culture So far
theory in this study is concentrated on existing
knowledge, its transfer and its management part.
Now theory step further into the creation of new
knowledge. Knowledge creation is a process through which
the organization amplifies the individual knowledge and
crystallizes it to form new knowledge. There are four
modes in which organizational knowledge is created
through the interaction and conversation between explicit
and tacit knowledge:
Socialization (Tacit-to-tacit): means sharing
experience creates implicit knowledge such as
shared mental models and technical skills.
Socialization works to indoctrinate everyone into
the way we do things around here.
Externalization (Tacit to explicit): triggered by
dialogue, implicit knowledge becomes explicit
during a period of collective reflection through
sharing of analogies, stories and models. These
exchanges become carriers of knowledge, carriers
that can transfer general principles.
Combination (Explicit to explicit): is the process of

combining or reconfiguring disparate bodies of
explicit knowledge that leads to the generation of
new explicit knowledge. This is a common type of
knowledge transfer that typifies learning in schools
and instructional programs. In organization,
members combine their explicit knowledge by
sharing reports, memos and other such documents.
Businesses also use data warehousing and datamining techniques to discover trends in the
seemingly disparate data.
Internalization (Explicit to tacit): is the process of
actual learning by repetitively doing a task so that
the explicit knowledge of applied principles and
procedures becomes absorbed as implicit
knowledge of the individuals style and habit.
2-3-3 Information Communication

Knowledge transfer refers to transmitting knowledge
from the place where it is stored to the situation where it is
used, and vice versa. The concept itself is quite simple; the
practical application is harder to manage. There are three
types of transferrable: between individuals; between
individuals and storage media; and, between different
knowledge storage medium. The second type refers to both
cases when individuals acquire knowledge from a storage
media, and when individuals stores knowledge in a
storage media.
Communication refers to information sharing process
between individual/employees of the organization.
Managers and practitioners use effective communication to
enlist the support of other employees towards achieving
organizations objectives. Several studies noted that
effective communication influence the organization to
move systematically towards employees involvement and
customer
satisfaction
and
improve
organization
performance (Ooi et al., 2007).
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2-3-4 Education and Training

Knowledge management can be built and integrated
into the structures and processes of Educational institutions
to improve their performances. Knowledge management
can benefit Educational institutions in at least five areas:
research, curriculum development, student and Alumni
services, administration, strategic planning, and traditional
classroom enhancement.
Kidwell argued that knowledge Management has
several application areas in the curriculum development
process. They are Curriculum design and revision efforts,
knowledge of teaching and learning (with technology),
Pedagogy and assessment techniques, student evaluations,
etc. (Kidwell et al., 2000). Some of the benefits identified are
to enhance the quality of curriculum, improve
responsiveness to student evaluations, Leverage the best
practices, improve teaching and learning, and monitor
outcomes.
Furthermore, Petrides and Nodine stated several
implementation areas where knowledge management
practices are useful in educational institutions. One of the
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areas is enabling educators to create and represent quality

knowledge for students to advance and improve their
learning (Petrides and Nodine, 2003).
Training refers to the acquisition of specific skills or
knowledge. Training programs attempt to teach employees
how to perform particular activities or a specific job.
Education, on the other hand, is much more general, and
attempts to provide employees with general knowledge
that can be applied in many different settings. The
development of a sound education and training program
requires systematically gathering data about the
employees or the firms needs. A good assessment
includes an analysis of: How well the firm is achieving its
goals; the skills needed by the workforce to accomplish
these goals; and the strengths and weaknesses of the
current workforce. A careful analysis of these items
provides valuable information to design effective training
activities. Investment in education and training is vitally
important for ensuring the success of education and
training programs.
Training is the second most commonly used TQM
implementation practice in the United States. Firms that
implement TQM invest heavily in training for employees at
different levels and the importance of properly training
workers in performing their work. Otherwise, it is difficult
to improve their work.
2-3-6 Competitive Benchmarking

Benchmarking include measurement, comparison,
and identification of best practices, implementation and
improvement. One of the most commonly dentitions is
Benchmarking is the search for the best industry practices
which will lead to exceptional performance through the
implementation of these best practices.
There are plenty of dentitions available in the
literature which were proposed to express various stages in
the evolution of benchmarking and based on these
dentitions they have concluded that benchmarking passed
four important stages of evolution. During the evolution of
benchmarking, some of noted dentitions were given by
International Benchmarking Clearing House Design
Committee, American Productivity and Quality Centre, to
name a few.
A latest dentition of benchmarking states that "It is
the process of identifying, understanding, and adapting
outstanding practices from organizations anywhere in the
world to help an organization improve its performance. It is
an activity that looks outward to find best practice and high
performance and then measures actual business operations
against those goals (Kumar, et al., 2006).
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2-3-5 Data collection and analysis

There are many methods of data collection usually
used in case research studies. Data from two or more
sources will help to support the research answers, the ways
to find sources of data that work suitably for case research.
Documentation
Archival records
Interviews
Direct observation
Physical artifacts
The goal of data collection is to gain rich data that suit
for the research. Collected specific data depends on the
research questions and the part of analysis. Myers and
Avison suggest that the researchers should plan what data
they will collect. For Example, they should list resources to
be gathered such as documentation or they plan for
questions to interview. These plans will help researchers
when they have to work with other researchers. The goals
of this stage are to ensure that researchers can collect data
that they want and spend time appropriately Myers and
Avison (2003).
That the main parts of data analysis are important to
the outcomes of case research. The richness of data of the
research should be presented. The reasoning of researchers
should be clearly stated and defended in establishing
hypotheses. The research should begin from purposes and
questions, to assumptions and design choices, then to
specific data discovered, and to results and conclusions.
These stages make readers can follow easily.
2-4 Relation between KM and Organizational

Performance
The accomplishment of a given task measured
against preset known standards of accuracy, completeness,
cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be
the fulfillment of an obligation, in a manner that releases
the performer from all liabilities under the contract.
Organizational performance comprises the actual
output or results of an organization as measured against its
intended outputs (or goals and objectives). Or can be
defined as results of activities of an organization or
investment over a given period of time.
According to Richard et al organizational performance
encompasses three specific areas of firm outcomes: (a)
financial performance (profits, return on assets, return on
investment, etc.); (b) product market performance (sales,
market share, etc.); and (c) shareholder return (total
shareholder return, economic value added, etc.) (Richard et
al. 2009). Also, Organizational Performance has been
defined as the ability of an organization to fulfill its mission
through sound management, strong governance and a
persistent rededication to achieving results. Effective
nonprofits are mission-driven, adaptable, customerfocused,
entrepreneurial,
outcomes
oriented
and
sustainable.
When assessing the relationship between knowledge
management and organizational performance, it is
important to know that the results depend on the used
research methodology. Organizational performance alone
could be gauged in many different ways, with financial or
non-financial indicators. There are several approaches to
organizational performance measurement which include
different stakeholders perspectives.
The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a performance
management tool for measuring whether small-scale
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operational activities of a company are aligned with its

large-scale objectives in terms of vision and strategy and
includes four perspectives: financial, customer, internal
process and innovation and learning perspective. The
financial
perspective
examines
if
companys
implementation and execution of its strategy contributes to
bottom-line improvement. Some of the commonly used
financial measures are economic value added, revenue
growth, costs, profit margins, cash flow, net operating
income etc. The customer perspective defines the value
proposition that an organization will apply to satisfy
customers and generate more sales to the most desired
customer groups.
The measures should cover both the value that is
delivered to the customer which may involve time, quality,
performance and service, and the outcomes that arise as a
result of this value proposition, such as customer
satisfaction and market share. The internal process
perspective focuses on all the activities and key processes
required in order for the company to excel at providing the
value expected by the customers. The clusters for the
internal process perspective are operations management
(by improving asset utilization, supply chain management),
customer management (by expanding and deepening
relations), innovation (by new products and services) and
regulatory & social (by establishing good relations with
external stakeholders). The innovation and learning
perspective focuses on the intangible assets of an
organization, mainly on the internal skills and capabilities
that are required to support the value- creating internal
processes.
turn, employees stay up to date with the latest knowledge

and skills that enable them to deal with the continual
environmental changes.
Prior research has indicated that when employees
are highly satisfied with their job, they are more creative,
innovative, and willing to do their job effectively. Whereas,
when employees are unsatisfied with their job, their moral
and willingness to implement required tasks is very low.
Although the current research benefits from prior studies in
all its stages, these studies do not make a clear link between
knowledge sharing practices and its implications, such as
employees
adaptability,
employees
learning
commitments, and employees job satisfaction. In addition,
the current literature ignores the importance of knowledge
sharing in enhancing an employees continuance learning
and adaptability but rather focuses on contextual factors
that impact knowledge sharing or facilitating individual
knowledge sharing.
Therefore, it is logical to deduce that if a continuous
learning process has been established, employee
adaptability would be guaranteed, and improved employee
job satisfaction would be also ensured. From the above
discussions, it seems that understanding the relationships
between organizational knowledge sharing practices,
employees adaptability, employees learning behaviors,
and employees job satisfaction is still in its infancy.
Therefore, more theoretical and empirical
explanations are needed. In fact, it is plausible to assume
that organizational knowledge sharing to be considered as
a catalyst of a dynamic employees adaptability, and
employees learning commitments which in turns, increase
over all employees job satisfaction especially under
accelerated technological developments and environmental
changes, but this logic obviously lack of empirical root. This
research tries to fill this void in the literature and make
significant contributions to the prior theories of knowledge
sharing.
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2-4-1
Knowledge
Management
and
Employees
Satisfaction
It is more likely that employees who learn new
knowledge and skills will become more adaptable and
responsive to changes in the business environment.
Therefore, the stress that is caused by internal or external
changes of business conditions which require new skills
and knowledge become less likely to occur. Thus,
employees will do their job more competently and
completely as they successfully transition from their
previous rigid skill and mindset to the new model that
emphasizes continuous adaptability.
However, Kameda and Nakanishi challenge the
wisdom that states social/cultural learning increase
human adaptability through uncertainty reduction. By
using various simulation steps, their results indicate that at
some point the agent has to switch between costly
individual learning by trial and error and free riding or
copying other individual behavior (Kameda and Nakanishi,
2003). We argue that employees confidence and selfefficacy are more likely to be enhanced and increased by
increasing knowledge and skills acquisition. Thus, their
market value will also be increased within this environment
as compared to those organizations with non-knowledge
sharing. In this case, employees who are willing to learn or
acquire new knowledge have gained the ability to solve
semi-structured and unstructured business problems. In
2-4-2 Knowledge Management and Product Quality

The successful implementation of a KM system
initially requires a knowledge audit to understand and map
out individual staff competencies, process flow,
information technology and explicit knowledge content
within the organization (Levy et al., 2010).
Several authors have adopted such a knowledgebased view of total quality management (TQM) and its
potential to facilitate knowledge creation and sharing. In
this regard, it has been noted that the implementation of
quality systems is inherently linked to organizational
learning.
The adoption of quality principles and methodologies
throughout an organization is recognized as a necessary
pre-condition for the development of a modern and
successful enterprise; similarly, it is acknowledged that a
primary source of competitive advantage is constituted by a
continuous process of knowledge creation.
TQM would thus seem to have the potential to
satisfy some fundamental organizational needs by
facilitating the attainment of advanced levels of knowledge
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that exceed actual operational needs and that can be

translated into continuous improvement processes and
innovative solutions.
Despite the apparent affinity that exists between
TQM and enhanced organizational knowledge, empirical
studies of the link between quality systems and knowledge
creation are scanty.
2-4-3 Knowledge Management and Customer Satisfaction
According to the dentition of CRM presented in the
introduction, obtaining customer related knowledge is
specified as the means to attain CRM objectives. Knowledge
has been recognized as one of the main assets of
organizations. KM, in particular, has been defined as the
process of capturing the collective expertise and intelligence
in an organization and using them to foster innovation
through continued organizational learning.
Since a major part of that expertise and intelligence
refers to customers, it is concluded that CRM is strongly
related to KM and especially to customer KM. According to
Romano and Fjermestad companies should explore and
refine CRM knowledge management methods in order to
get value-added knowledge for themselves and their
customers and understanding not only customer
purchasing patterns and trends but attitudes and
preferences as well. Customer related knowledge and level
of customer service (Romano and Fjermestad, 2000).
Customer satisfaction is an important topic for
both researchers and managers, because a high level of
customer satisfaction leads to an increase in repeat
patronage among current customers and aids customer
recruitment by enhancing an organizations marker
reputation. Being able to successfully judge customers'
satisfaction levels and to apply that knowledge are critical
starting points to establishing and maintaining long term
customer retention and long term competitiveness.
Customer satisfaction brings many benefits.
Satisfaction increases customer retention and customer
retention is dependent on the substance of the relationship
between parties which is also affected by the service
delivered. Satisfaction is an "overall customer attitude
towards a service provider", or an emotional reaction to the
difference between what customers anticipate and what
they receive, regarding the fulfillment of some need, goal or
desire.
For most products or services, aspects of
performance can be objectively assessed. Although these
attributes can be objectively measured, customers'
assessments may not objectively reflect measured
performance. Some clients may be taken to several homes
that "fit" their criteria but are unsuitable to the clients'
personal taste which leads to the client's assessment of the
service as being unpleasant because they did not see
listings that they liked.
Developed a model to categorize the attributes of a
product or service based on how well they are able to
satisfy customer needs. Considering Kano's model, one sees
how it may not be enough to merely satisfy customers by
meeting only their basic and performance needs. In a highly
competitive marketplace, organizations need to adopt

strategies and to create product attributes targeted
specifically at exciting customers and over-satisfying those.
In real estate to excite or over satisfy customers, an agent
would need to have a thorough and vast knowledge of all
listings in the local area. In essence, it is the experience and
attitudes of the individuals in closest contact with
customers that are most likely to affect whether or not
customers are satisfied and willing to return to the
company.
It is also the people in direct contact with
customers who determine who the retained and satisfied
customers are and their experience determines how they
treat the customers (Hansemark and Albinsson, 2004) thus
impacting on the service quality delivered.
2-4-4 Knowledge Management and Strategic Business
Performance
McAdem emphasize innovation and competitive
advantage as important factor. It is well recognized that
effective knowledge management leads to improvements in
business performance. Knowledge management has
therefore assumed a great sense of importance and urgency
as firms come to recognize the potential for competitive
advantage that the firms' knowledge assets possess. Despite
the value that knowledge management projects are
expected to accrue to businesses, as many as 84% of
knowledge management projects do not have a significant
effect on the organizations that invest in these initiatives.
Even if the projects are well-resourced and appear to have
the support of top management, the researchers suggest
that many are still predisposed to failure (McAdem, 2004).
Notwithstanding
these
negative
prospects,
executives still believe that knowledge management
systems are a key source of competitive advantage and
business success. The researchers also argue that additional
improvements in firm performance can be attained by
linking knowledge management initiatives to the firm's
business strategy. Indeed, argues that knowledge programs
are unlikely to succeed unless they are closely linked to the
business strategy. Thus, it can be argued that business
strategy is not only a key factor impacting firm
performance; it is also indispensable when it comes to
maximizing the return on technology investments.
Although
researchers
have
discussed
the
importance of linking business strategy to knowledge
management (Clarke, 2001), there has been little research
examining the link between business strategy and
knowledge management For example, while many studies
have shown that knowledge management capabilities
significantly impact firm performance the role of business
strategy vis--vis a firm's knowledge management
capabilities has not been evaluated.
Drawing on prior research that suggests knowledge
management should be linked to business strategy (Clarke,
2001) and that knowledge infrastructure capability and
knowledge process capability are additive and collectively
determine the knowledge management construct, this
study examines the role of business strategy as this relates
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to
knowledge
management
and
organizational
effectiveness.
More specifically, this study addresses a gap in the
literature by investigating a modified version of the Gold
model of knowledge management capabilities, that
incorporates business strategy as an antecedent of
knowledge management capabilities and organizational
effectiveness
2-5
Relation
between
KM's
Dimensions
Organizational Performance Indicators
and
2-5-1 Top Management and Employee Satisfaction

Effective leadership and employee job satisfaction
are two factors that have been regarded as fundamental for
organizational success. A capable leader provides direction
for the organization and lead followers towards achieving
desired goals. In similar vein, employees with high job
satisfaction are likely to exert more effort in their assigned
tasks and pursue organizational interests.
An organization that fosters high employee job
satisfaction is also more capable of retaining and attracting
employees with the skills that it needs. Several studies have
also examined the relationship between the two factors and
concurred that leadership has significant impacts on job
satisfaction and organizational commitment. High job
satisfaction enhances employees psychological and
physical well-being and positively affects employee
performance. According to Mosadegh Rad and
Yarmohammadian, employee job satisfaction refers to the
attitude of employees towards their jobs and the
organization which employs them.
The researchers pointed out that job satisfaction is
influenced by many organizational contextual factors,
ranging from salaries, job autonomy, job security,
workplace flexibility, to leadership. In particular, leaders
within organizations can adopt appropriate leadership
styles to affect employee job satisfaction, commitment and
productivity.
Previous studies have examined the relationship
between employee job satisfaction and leadership behavior
in various settings such as healthcare, military, education
and business organizations. These studies generally
indicate that employee job satisfaction in the public sector is
just as important as it is in the private sector (Mosadegh
and Yarmohammadian, 2006).
a process, it attempts to define approaches and techniques

to assist management adapt to the dynamic of today,
through the use of objectives and strategies.
Strategic management endeavors to achieve
effective and efficient programs to accomplish the
organizations mission. As a philosophy, it changes how
manager looks at competitors, customers, markets and even
the organization itself. Its objective is to stimulate
managements awareness of the strategic implication of
environmental events and internal decision.
Lawrence and William defined strategic management
as a stream of decisions and actions, which leads to the
development of an effective strategy or strategies to help
achieve corporate objectives. The strategic management
process is the way in which strategists determine objectives
and make strategic decisions. Strategic managements main
focus is the achievement of organizational goals taking into
consideration the internal and external environmental
factors (Lawrence and William 1988).
Porter argues that the essence of formulating
comprehensive strategy is relating a company to its
environment. Strategic management permits the systematic
management of change. It enables organization to
purposefully mobilize resources towards a desired future
(Porter, 1985).
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2-5-2 Top Management and Strategic Business

Performance
Strategic management is a disciplined approach
utilizing the principles and process of management to
identify the corporate objective or mission of any business.
It determines an appropriate target to satisfy the objective,
recognize existing opportunities and constraints in the
environment, and device a rational practical way by which
objective can be achieved.
Strategic management is both the process and
philosophy for determining and controlling the
organizational relationship in its dynamic environment. As
2-5-3 Training and Employee Satisfaction

Organizations are maintaining their business in a
severe competitive environment. In todays business the
internal and external environment is continuously changing
due to so many factors. Therefore, every organization has to
change its internal environment according to external
environmental changes. To perform well in such a
turbulent environment competitively, they need resources
such as capital, methodology, material, machines, men and
management information systems. These resources should
be used in a very effective way to achieve strategic
objectives.
Among these factors, human resource is the most vital
factor behind an organizations development. Even though
there are many resources in an organization, the human
resource is the most important resource any organization
cannot survive without human resource. In every
organization, human resources are concerned as the most
innovative, creative, significant resources. According to
Ricky point of view, he mentioned, Without people any
organization cannot function in this competitive
environment. Therefore the most crucial and valuable
asset of an organization is the human resource. Today every
organizations top priority is to manage the human
resources.
The level of the productivity and the efficiency of
employees should be increased to take maximum output.
Many strategies have been implementing to develop
productivity of employees, such as job and organization
design, job responsibility, public relation, staffing,
motivation, reward, training and development. Among
these factors, training and development is the most
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significant factor to obtain maximum output of human

resources.
The training and development can be used to
improve or develop the job related performances such as
knowledge, skills and attitudes of the employees. As far as
today is concerned, we are living in a knowledge era.
Learning is most intrinsic desire of on individual. Therefore
everyone needs to develop or update his knowledge, skills,
and attitudes to develop his carrier path. In an
organization, people work together to achieve their vision,
mission and objectives, therefore the most significant factor
of organization development is the development of human
resources. As we know learning is the most intrinsic desire
of people (Ricky, 2007).
2-5-4 Knowledge Culture and Employee Satisfaction
There is a direct link between the organizational
culture, employee satisfaction and between customer
satisfaction and improved financial performance.
Organization culture represents the internal work
environment created for operating an organization. It
represents how employees are treated by their bosses, how
peers treat one another (expected treatment), with which
vision and motivation an organization is working
internally.
Organization
can have
democratic
culture,
bureaucratic culture, esthetical (holistic) culture, learning
culture (learning organizations). A learning organization
always encourages new approaches in operating
organization (with creative/new ideas). Such organization
may call employs' inspired participation in using new ideas
provided by employs as well as management.
Organizational culture is a significant driver of
employee engagement and includes management designing
jobs well, providing support and setting goals for
employees. Employee satisfaction is a key attribute of the
engaged employee who embodies a high degree of
motivation and sense of inspiration, personal involvement
and supportiveness.
Organizations bring people together. In order to
work at their best, people need to be satisfied. The engaged
employee is oriented to providing good service and
answering customer questions, which gives the customer a
voice inside the company. And a customer whose voice is
heard inside the company drives profit by being a repeat
customer and bringing in new customers by word of
mouth, which has a high degree of credibility. The given in
all this is that a company must start with a solid product.
Organizations use incentives to attract and maintain
employees. According to Rogers one of the most crucial
factors in organization design is the type of incentives
offered to induce contributions. It is imperative that an
organization has the ability to inspire individuals to make
significant contributions of time, effort and resources. In
addition, the organization must inspire an individuals
loyalty to the organization rather in order not to lose the
employee in the favor of a competitor (Rogers, 1995).
2-5-5 Corporate Benchmarking and Product Quality

The benchmarking define by Brah as the continuous,
systematic process for evaluating the products, service and
work processes with those recognized as representing the
best practices, for the purpose of organizational
improvement. It involves systematic effort to learn and
incorporate product and process innovations that have
proven successful (Brah, 2000).
Also a Goncharuk clarify the Benchmarking as the
best tools that allow defining the opportunities of
improvement, key success factors and ways of increase of
efficiency of the company (Goncharuk, 2009).
Meybodi stated that in a global market, knowing how
the best organizations conduct their business is a critical
element of successful competition. Benchmarking is a
valuable tool that provides an opportunity to learn from
other organizations. It is an effective means for learning and
change because it exposes employees to new approaches,
systems, and procedures.
However, it has become essential that the
organizations and companies are seeking any opportunities
to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their business
performance and to improve their quality, reliability,
benchmarking and overall performance (Meybodi, 2009).
Brah and Chong examine the relationship between
total productive maintenance and performance. He is
conclude a positive correlation between TPM and business
performance shown by all the six general constructs of
corporate planning, top management leadership, human
resource focus, process focus, total quality management
focus and information system focus (Brah and Chong,
2004).
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2-5-6 Information Communication and Product Quality

Service/product organizations have recognized this
important component of customer relationships and have
installed processes (knowledge management processes) to
manage the interaction.
Mylonakis notes the importance of an information
and communication technology system that is well
integrated with KM and relationship management
principles to maximize the benefits of a CRM process which
will lead to a positive impact on product quality
(Mylonakis, 2009).
2-5-7 Information Gathering & Analysis & Customer
Satisfaction
Data gathered from customer satisfaction studies can
provide valuable and accurate information that can assist in
evaluation of service components and delivery.
Products/services can be altered to become more effective,
and business practices can be altered to meet the standards
of excellence within a certain business.
In essence this is the comparison of a particular item
against a standard predetermined by the customer. Those
scores above the standard are positive, while those below
are in need of improvement. This enables more thoughtful
and considered prioritization of any possible plans of
action. The message is clear: customer satisfaction is
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essential for the success and continued success of any

business. Not only does positive customer satisfaction help
business, but also a lack of satisfaction takes an even bigger
toll on the bottom line.
For an organization to remain solvent, information
regarding customer satisfaction must be adequately
collected and analyzed.
2-6 Relations
Indicators
between
Organizational
Performance
2-6-1 Relation between Employee Satisfaction and

Product Quality
Research has been conducted on the relationships
among employee satisfaction, product quality, customer
satisfaction, and strategic business performance (annual
sales, sales growth, profits, market share, and exports).
(Saha, 1989) argued that Japanese employees possess
superior motivation compared to their counterparts
elsewhere in the industrialized world, with greater
dedication and commitment to their work.
These characteristics will absolutely contribute to
product quality. It is more likely that satisfied employees
will have higher dedication and commitment. It has been
stated that, for the quality of any firms products to
improve, it must require, motivate, and reward change on
the part of all parties concerned (Juran and Gryna, 1993).
(Anderson et al., 1995) suggested that employee satisfaction
has a significant effect on customer satisfaction; it is the
foundation for a firm in pursuing customer satisfaction.
(Feigenbaum, 1991) suggested that employee motivation
affects product quality. Further, it is needed to support
customer satisfaction (Dean and Bowen, 1994).
10
2-6-2 Relation between Employee Satisfaction and

Customer
Satisfaction
Numerous empirical studies show a strong positive
relationship between employee satisfaction and customer
satisfaction. Some investigations have provided explicit
measures of this relationship. For example, a study at Sears
Roebuck & Co. showed that a five-point improvement in
employee attitudes led to a 1.3 rise in customer satisfaction
which, in turn, generated a 0.5 increase in revenues.
(Brooks, 2000) reviewed the relationship between
financial success and customer and employee variables
(e.g., customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, etc.) and
found that, depending on market segment and industry,
between 40 and 80 percent of customer satisfaction and
customer loyalty was accounted for by the relationship
between employee attitudes and customer-related
variables.
Similarly, found perceived employee satisfaction,
perceived employee loyalty, and perceived employee
commitment had a sizable impact on perceived product
quality and on perceived service quality. The relationship
between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction
has received further empirical confirmation from two
methodologically strong studies. Specifically, a recent Meta
analytic investigation (Harter, et al. 2002).
Based on 7,939 business units in 36 companies,
found generalizable relationships, large enough to have
substantial practical value, between unit-level employee
satisfaction, engagement and business-unit outcomes such
as customer satisfaction, productivity, profit, employee
turnover, and accidents.
Finally, Bernhardt, et al. measured the relationship
between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and
profit longitudinally showing that, although the effects of
employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction on business
profit at a given point in time might not be detectable, they
become visible and prominent over time. Specifically, these
researchers found a positive relationship between change in
customer satisfaction and change in profit/sales, a positive
relationship between change in employee satisfaction and
change in business profit, and a strong relationship
between employee satisfactions and customer satisfaction at
any point in time (Bernhardt, et al. 2000).
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According to (George, 1992), understanding what is

important to your customers is only one aspect of your
relationship with them. A survey reported that 68% of
customers switched because of the indifference of one of
the suppliers employees. Total customer service
contributes to total customer satisfaction. (Tornow and
Wiley.1991) found that employees perceptions and
attitudes are positively related to customer satisfaction.
The research conducted by (Anderson et al., 1995)
suggested that satisfied employees have positive effects on
customer satisfaction. In fact, within a firm, employees are
the ones who can produce high quality products and
deliver satisfaction to customers. It is obvious that satisfied
employees will contribute to improving product quality
and customer satisfaction through their commitment.
Satisfied employees will also make the extra effort and
contribute their best performance to ensure the success of
their firms through improving product quality and
customer satisfaction.
2-6-3 Relation between Product Quality and Customer

Satisfaction
During the past few decades, customer satisfaction
and product quality have become a major area of attention
to practitioners and academic researchers. Both concepts
have strong impact on business performance and customer
behavior. Product quality leads to higher profitability and
customer satisfaction. Furthermore, a number of empirical
studies indicate a positive relationship between customer
satisfaction and customer loyalty, as well as between
customer satisfaction and positive word of mouth.
Therefore, one of the key strategies for customer focused
firms is to measure and monitor product quality and
customer satisfaction.
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Customer satisfaction has been a subject of great

interest to organizations and researchers alike. The
principal objective of organizations is to maximize profits
and to minimize cost. Profit maximization can be achieved
through increase in sales with lesser costs.
One of the factors that can help to increase sales is
customer satisfaction, because satisfaction leads to
customer loyalty recommendation and repeat purchase.
Customers became very vital in business during the
marketing era of the 1950s when companies could produce
what they can sell and not just selling what they can
produce as it was during the production era.
Since the beginning of the consumption era in
marketing, (business.business-key.com) the focus on
customers/consumers has increased more as the
consumption era also shifts to post-consumption; where
organizations are obliged to render more services in
addition to what they provide as offers to their customers.
What are the qualities of these products provided to
customers? Are the customers satisfied with these
products? Thus, this research originated from the fact that
customer/consumer is the key to business.
In fact, their satisfaction is the most important tool
that helps to increase sales and generate profits in the
business environment. Moreover, the importance of
customer satisfaction and product quality has been proven
relevant to help improve the overall performance of
organizations.
Akbar and Prevaez investigated the effects of
product quality on customer satisfaction and on customer
loyalty. They found a significant positive relationship
between them. Their findings also supported the path
arguments that customer satisfaction mediates perceived
product quality.
11
study in a manufacturing firm that lost a number of key

customers due to its product quality problems. (Primrose
and Leonard, 1988) suggested that product quality has a
direct effect on sales, and consequently profits, and
(Anderson et al., 1994) suggested that product quality has a
positive impact on customer satisfaction, providing high
quality products and high customer satisfaction is
rewarded by economic returns.
(Deming, 1986) stated that improving product
quality can reduce costs because of less rework, fewer
mistakes, and better use of machine-time and materials.
Thus, firms can capture the market with better product
quality. Finally, firms will stay in business.
Low product quality creates dissatisfied customers
who will not only be more open to considering competitors
offerings but will also be likely to discuss their
dissatisfaction with other potential customers. In short,
improving product quality can improve firms profits (Reed
et al., 1996). (Reeves and Bednar,1994) reported that
customers are satisfied only when the firm provides
superior product quality at reasonable prices; that is, when
the value offered by products is superior to that of the
competing products. Therefore, high quality products at
reasonable prices will attract customers, thus improving the
firms strategic business performance.
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2-6-4 Relation between Product Quality and Strategic

Performance
Much research has confirmed the strategic benefits of
product quality. It has been shown to contribute to greater
market shares and return on investments (Cole, 1992; US
General Accounting Office, 1991), as well as lower
manufacturing costs in the long run and improved
productivity (Garvin, 1983).
The manufacturing of top quality products is
recognized as one of the most important strategic objectives
of modern manufacturing firms. It is related to profits,
market share, and economic survival in the international
world of competition (Wacker and Sheu, 1994).
The Boston Consulting Group and Harvard
Business School faculty have developed the widely quoted
Profit Impact of Marketing Strategy database. It has been
cited as one source supporting market share as positively
and strongly related to perceived quality of a firms
products (Buzzell and Wiersema, 1981; Craig and Douglas,
1982; Garvin, 1984; Phillips et al., 1983).
(DuBrin, 1995) stated that product quality can

contribute to sales growth and market share. (Juran and
Gryna, 1993) considered that the evidence of the
importance of quality to retaining present customers is
dramatic. (Hackman and Wageman,1995), based on
Demings writing, stated that producing quality products is
not merely less costly but, in fact, is absolutely essential to
long-term organizational survival.
According to (Juran and Gryna, 1993), the longer a
firm keeps a customer, the larger the profit will be. The
extensive literature review by (Anderson et al., 1994a)
suggested that a good way to satisfy customers is by
delivering and improving product quality. Quality has a
positive impact on customer satisfaction, profitability, and
market share. Finally, the firms competitive advantages in
the market place will be enhanced.
3- Research Model and Hypotheses

Based on the above literature review, a conceptual
framework is developed and a research model has been
proposed. The proposed research framework is depicted in
Figure 1.
There are two research questions of this study that can
be articulated as follows:
1- What are the components of knowledge Management
System?
2. Is there a relationship between the identified KMS
components and a selection of four performance
indicators?
(Longenecker and Scazzero, 1993) conducted a case

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Thus, through a comprehensive review of literature. The

researcher formulates eight main hypotheses emanating
from them (30) sub- Hypotheses and which defined as
follows:
A) First Main Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
Knowledge
Management
exceeds
their
Expectations
Also six sub-hypotheses emanating from the first main
hypothesis were proposed and defined as follows:
First Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
dimension Top Management Commitment
exceeds their Expectations
Second Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for

dimension Employee Training and Education
exceeds their Expectations
Third Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
dimension Knowledge Culture exceeds their
Expectations
Fourth Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
dimension Competitive Benchmarking exceeds their
Expectations
Also four sub-hypotheses emanating from the third main

First Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
dimension Employee Satisfaction of Organization's
Performance exceeds their Expectations
Second Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception
for dimension Product Quality of Organization's
Performance exceeds their Expectations
Third Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
dimension
Customers
Satisfaction
of
Organization's
Performance
exceeds
their
Expectations
Fourth Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for
dimension Strategic Business Performance of
Organization's
Performance
exceeds
their
Expectations
D)
Fourth Main Hypothesis: "There is no significant

difference between Employee's perceptions for
Organization's
Performance
according
to
demographic characteristics"
Also four sub-hypotheses emanating from the fourth main
First Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Organization's Performance according to Gender".
Second Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Organization's Performance according to Age"
Third Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Organization's
Performance
according
to
Experience"
Fourth Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Organization's
Performance
according
to
Qualification"
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Fifth Sub Hypothesis: Employee's Perception for

dimension Information Communication exceeds
their Expectations.
Sixth
Sub
Hypothesis:
Employee's
Perception
for
dimension
Information
gathering and analysis exceeds their Expectations
B) Second Main Hypothesis: "There is no significant

Knowledge
Management
according
to
demographic characteristics"
Also four sub-hypotheses emanating from the second main
12
First Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant

Knowledge Management according to Gender"
Second Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Knowledge Management according to Age"
Third Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Knowledge Management according to Experience"
Fourth Sub Hypothesis: "There is no significant
Knowledge
Management
according
to
Qualification.
C) Third Main Hypothesis: "Employee's Perception

for Organization's Performance exceeds their
Expectations"
E) Fifth Main Hypothesis: Knowledge Management

has a positive impact on the Performance of small
and medium Organizations"
Also eight sub-hypotheses emanating from the fifth main
First Sub Hypothesis: "Top Management
Commitment has a positive impact on Employee
Satisfaction".
Second Sub Hypothesis: "Top Management
Commitment has a positive impact on Strategic
Business Performance".
Third Sub Hypothesis: "Employee Training and
Education has a positive impact on Employee
Satisfaction".
Fourth Sub Hypothesis: "Knowledge Culture has a
positive impact on Employee Satisfaction".
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Fifth
Sub
Hypothesis:
"Competitive
Benchmarking has a positive impact on Product
Quality".
Sixth
Sub
Hypothesis:
"Information
Communication has a positive impact on Product
Quality".
Seventh Sub Hypothesis: "Information gathering
and analysis has a positive impact on Product
Quality".
Eighth Sub Hypothesis: "Information gathering
and analysis has a positive impact on Customers
Satisfaction".
F) Sixth Main Hypothesis: "Employee Satisfaction
has a positive impact on the Performance of small
and medium Organization"
Also two sub-hypotheses emanating from the sixth main
First Sub Hypothesis: "Employee Satisfaction has
a positive impact on Product Quality of small and
medium Organization"
Second Sub Hypothesis: "Employee Satisfaction
has a positive impact on Customers Satisfaction of
small and medium Organization"
G)
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Seventh Main Hypothesis: "Product Quality has a

positive impact on the Performance of small and
medium Organization".
Also two sub-hypotheses emanating from the seventh main
First Sub Hypothesis: "Product Quality has a
positive impact on Customer Satisfaction of small
and medium Organization"
Second Sub Hypothesis: "Product Quality has a
positive impact on
Strategic Business Performance of small and medium
Organization"
H)
Eighth Main Hypothesis: "Customer Satisfaction

has a positive impact on Strategic Business
Performance of small and medium Organization"
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4-Future Work:
Future research involves data collection and empirical
analysis where the hypotheses about relationships will be
tested in the Saudi small and medium manufacturing
enterprises. At the end, it would be interesting to test and
validate the proposed theoretical model using different
approaches, one of them is the (SPSS) approach which has
the capability of testing and validating such a theoretical
model. Statistical software like MiniTap14 can be used in
future to build correlation matrix, confirmatory factor
analysis (CFA), and diagramming to validate the
relationships. Further, this study is limited to Saudi
(SMME) sector but in future it can be extended to other
Middle East countries as well as an exhaustive research in
various aspects of TQM such as sustainability, organization
strategy, TQM role stressors, and many more can be
undertaken to incorporate the flexibility in TQM.
5-Refrences
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Use in Saudians Small and Mediums Enterprises", Asian
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Afrazeh A (2010), "A problem solving method for
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Akbar, M. M., and Parvez, N., (2009), "Impact of service
quality, trust, and customer satisfaction on customer
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Amidon, Debra. M. (1998), "The Evolving Community of
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Bernhardt, K., Donthu, N., and Kennett, P. A., (2000), "A
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Journal of Business Research, 47: 161-171.
Brah, A. (2000), Understanding the benchmarking
process, in Singapore, International Journal of Quality &
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Brooks, R. (2000), "Why Loyal Employees and Customers
Improve the Bottom Line? Journal of Quality and
Participation, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 4044.
Bryman, A., and Bell, E. (2003), "Business research
methods", New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Clarke T., (2001), "The knowledge economy". Education
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Collis, J. and Hussey, R. (2003), "Business Research: a
practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate
students", second edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Cooper, C. (2006),Knowledge management and
tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp.
47-64
Dale, B. G. and Plunkett, J. J., (1991), "Quality Costing"
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Daud S, Wan YWF (2011), "How intellectual capital
mediates
the
relationship
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knowledge
management processes and organizational performance?
Afr. J. Bus. Manage, 5(7): 2607-2617.
Fugate, B.S., Stank, T. P. and Mentzer, J. T. (2009),
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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 9, September-2016