CSR performance: driven by TQM implementation, size, sector?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider organisational performance relating to “sustainability and inclusion” and to assess four related indicators across the manufacturing and service sectors both in absolute performance terms and by level of TQM implementation and organisational size. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on two empirical studies (manufacturing and service) undertaken in North Eastern England, involving the application of a self‐assessed benchmarking tool. Data were collected from 128 manufacturers and 428 service organisations where performance measures relating to “sustainability and inclusion” were considered. Findings – The findings presented in this paper indicate the level of performance in “sustainability and inclusion”, together with the impact of size, world‐class status and specific individual and aggregated TQM enablers for both sectors. Both manufacturing and service have some way to go in terms of their performance, whilst organisational size and world‐class appear to influence attainment, as do certain individual and aggregated measures of business practice and internal performance. Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that further research may involve revisiting the participating organisations to identify the extent of any improvement in their performance relating to “sustainability and inclusion”. Practical implications – The results in this paper indicate the extent of the room for improvement within both manufacturing and service, but indicate how a greater level of TQM maturity and subsequent internal performance puts an individual organisation in a better position to a certain extent to do this. Originality/value – The findings in the paper are based on benchmarking data, where the implementation of certain TQM practices and measures of internal business performance have been measured alongside a limited number of measures relating to CSR performance across manufacturing and service as part of a wider regional study. Providing these data together has allowed the exploration of the association between the two sets of measures.