Factors Influencing Employees’ Commitment to Quality Improvement Practices among Manufacturing Enterprises in Tanzania

Employee commitment to quality improvement initiatives has been postulated as a critical driver sustainable quality improvement across business firms. While determinants of this commitment have been studied globally, little is known of such drivers for the Tanzanian manufacturing sector. Using a mixed-methods cross-sectional design, data were collected from 408 employees across 22 firms and analysed through descriptive statistics, correlations, multiple regression, and thematic analysis. Results showed that employee commitment to quality improvement was moderate. Multiple regression analysis revealed that management support, employee empowerment, communication and training significantly and positively predict the commitment of employees to quality improvement. Recognition and rewards, despite being emotionally valued by employees, did not exhibit influence mainly because it had been not consistently implemented. Qualitative results reinforced the role of leadership, trust, empowerment, timely feedback, and adequate resources in shaping commitment. The study concludes that employee commitments hinge on how management supports and engages employees. It is, therefore, imperative that Tanzanian manufacturing enterprises emphasise on managerial support, employee involvement, communication and hands-on practical training in order to develop a strong quality culture. Manufacturing firms should equip frontline staff with hands-on training on tools like 5S, root-cause analysis, basic statistical process control, and mistake-proofing to build competence and confidence. Additionally, where possible, firms should strategically integrate these ground level improvement practices to ISO 9001 processes so as to institutionalise gains and foster quality.