L'influence de la qualité sur les avantages compétitifs et efficacité organisationnelle

Impact of quality on competitive advantage and

organizational performance

L Lakhal∗

Facult´ de Droit et des Sciences Economiques et Politiques de Sousse (Tunisia), Tunisiae

Effective quality improvement has become a potentially valuable way of securing competitive advantage and

improving organizational performance. This research conceptualizes and develops a framework that links

quality, competitive advantage, and organizational performance. Data for the study were collected from 74

organizations and the relationships proposed in the framework were tested using structural equation modelling.

The results indicate that quality improvement can lead to enhanced competitive advantage and improved

organizational performance. The contribution of the paper is that it provides empirical support for direct and

indirect effects of quality on organizational performance and competitive advantage in Tunisia.

Keywords: quality; competitive advantage; organizational performance; structural equation modelling

1. Introduction

As competition in the 1990s intensified and markets became

global, quality has become a growing priority within orga-

nizations. Many companies have improved the quality of

their products and services in order to enhance organiza-

tional performance and to be competitive. Yet, despite nearly

three decades of research on quality improvement efforts, the

impact of quality on organizational performance is still being

debated (Das et al, 2000; Lakhal et al, 2006). This has been

attributed to the inconsistency of the empirical findings of the

relationship between quality and organizational performance

and the conceptual confusion (Capon et al, 1990; Hardie,

1998). There is no generally accepted definition of quality in

the literature (Garvin, 1987; Stone-Romero et al, 1997).

Indeed, if some studies have demonstrated that improving

quality lead to better performance outcomes for the firm

(Phillips et al, 1983; Wagner, 1984; Buzzell and Gale, 1987;

Kordupleski et al, 1993; Sohal et al, 1993; Anderson et al,

1994; Maani et al, 1994; Lakhal et al, 2006), evidence from

other studies suggests that improving quality does not always

lead to better performance and that results may even be nega-

tive (Jacobson and Aaker, 1987; Tornow and Wiley, 1991;

Wisner and Eakins, 1994; Yavas and Burrows, 1994; Ittner

and Larcker, 1996; White, 1996; Grandzol and Gershon, 1997;

Iaquinto, 1999; Ittner et al, 2003).

The purpose of this study is therefore to empirically test

a framework identifying the relationships among quality,

competitive advantage, and organizational performance.

∗ Correspondence: L Lakhal, 11, rue de la lib´ ration cit´ ettaamir 4002ee

Sousse, Tunisia.

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