TQM application by engineering consultants in Hong Kong

Purpose – In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong construction industry and to recommend improvement measures. The CIRC’s report, released in 2001, recommended many improvement measures related to total quality management (TQM) principles. Despite many of these improvement recommendations being fulfilled in the ten years following the release of the report, there is a lack of literature documenting these achievements and the corresponding level of TQM application. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of TQM application by engineering consultants in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was conducted and a survey questionnaire was then designed for a full-scale survey. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Correlations between the respondents’ scores on the survey questions were established. Findings – The survey findings indicate a moderately high level of application of TQM principles, reflecting a moderately high achievement in implementing the CIRC’s intended improvements. The survey findings further suggest that as a short-term need, focussing on top management leadership and supplier management is necessary for current and scheduled projects, and that organizational learning and people management are the two other major TQM principles that engineering consultants should focus on to sustain their long-term business. Practical implications – The Hong Kong experience should be of interest to other countries, both regionally and globally, in search of an improvement framework to enhance their quality culture. Originality/value – This paper is an original contribution. The content of the paper is unique. No one has done this before.