Developing a Total Quality Management (TQM) Model for Academic Department Chairs at Islamic Azad University
Keywords:
Total Quality Management, Department Managers, Islamic Azad University, Continuous Improvement, Quality Assessment, Empowerment, Customer Orientation, StakeholdersAbstract
This study aimed to develop and validate a context-specific Total Quality Management (TQM) model for academic department chairs at Islamic Azad University in Razavi Khorasan Province. This applied study adopted a qualitative exploratory design based on grounded theory. The study population comprised experts in educational management and educational quality who were affiliated with academic departments of Islamic Azad University in Razavi Khorasan Province. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved, resulting in 14 experts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s three-stage procedure of open, axial, and selective coding. The final model was further validated through expert judgment and the Delphi technique, with content validity assessed using the Content Validity Ratio and Content Validity Index. Data analysis initially generated 134 concepts, which were subsequently refined and integrated into 97 final indicators, 14 components, and six overarching dimensions. The final dimensions were customer orientation and focus on students and stakeholders, process management and continuous improvement, quality leadership and motivation, education and empowerment, quality evaluation and monitoring, and participation and performance outcomes. Expert evaluations indicated that student and graduate satisfaction, strategic leadership and decision-making, student empowerment, and participation in educational and group activities received the highest priority. The principal components of the proposed model demonstrated satisfactory content validity across two rounds of expert assessment, while overall expert agreement regarding the acceptance of the model components and indicators exceeded 85%. The proposed model indicates that successful implementation of TQM in academic departments requires the simultaneous integration of stakeholder orientation, effective leadership, continuous process improvement, human-capital development, feedback-based quality monitoring, and organizational participation. Accordingly, the model can provide an operational framework for improving educational and research quality, managerial accountability, stakeholder satisfaction, and the overall performance of academic departments at Islamic Azad University.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Toktam Salami (Author); Yalda Delgoshaei; Abbas Khorshidi, Mehdi Shariatmadari (Author)
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