ABSTRACT:
Determinants of innovative performance have been employed in many technical and scientific research studies focusing on two major factors: the environmental and the organizational factors. Nevertheless, no explicit reference, according to my knowledge, is placed in literature concerning quality management and its relation with innovative performance. This contribution analyzes the impact of innovative performance on the main accepted components of quality orientation and, therefore, contributes to the literatures of quality management, innovation studies and strategic orientations. Customer focus, team commitment, and continuous improvement have been employed as the dimensions of quality orientation and their effects on innovative performance have been tested by multiple regression analyses using a sample of 38 companies, operating in the manufacturing industries of Izmir Region in Turkey. The structure considered for the research variables was investigated by confirmatory factor analyses. The developed studies revealed significant results impacting both researchers and practitioners.
KEYWORDS:
continuous improvement, customer orientation, teamwork, innovative performance.
