Teams and TQM : a comparison between Australia and Thailand

A survey of Australian and Thai employees was conducted in organisations implementing total quality management (TQM) to examine the effects of membership of teams on participation and positive attitudinal outcomes. MANOVA was employed to test for differences between team members and non-members on perceived influence, skill utilisation, satisfaction with participation, job satisfaction, and positive attitudes toward consultation. The results indicated that, in the Australian sample, operators who participated in teams were more satisfied with participation, while professionals who were team members perceived a higher level of influence than non-team members. In the Thai sample, operators who participated in teams reported a higher level of skill utilisation and satisfaction with participation than non-team members, but reverse effects were found on perceived influence for Thai professionals. In general, the effects of team membership were more positive for lower-level employees than for professional/technical staff in both countries.