Understanding the Mechanism of Influence of TQM Practices on Financial Performance: the Mediating Effect of Innovation Performance

This study explores the mechanism of influence of total quality management (TQM) practices on a company’s financial performance (FP), considering innovation performance (IP) as a mediator variable. In addition, the proposed model seeks to determine whether the competition intensity (CI) moderates the relationship between TQM practices and FP. Based on the sample of 593 companies from various sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, structural equation modeling is used to analyze the relationships between the variables in the model. The results of this paper reveal the implicit and often omitted impact of IP on FP taking into account TQM practices, suggesting that the impact of TQM practices is manifested through full mediation of IP. The moderating effect of CI in the relationship between TQM practices and FP was not supported. The results indicate the role and the importance of IP in the mechanism of influence of TQM practices.