Total Quality Management and Social Responsibility an approach through their synergies in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Growing social concerns have led organisations to think evolutionarily about quality as it is not only relevant to satisfy customers, generate quality prod-ucts or services and focus on results but also to encourage a participatory, flexible and sustainable value-oriented management. Due to the complex environment and structure of higher education, quality measurement and management have created a number of challenges. Around the world, higher education institutions have adopted various quality management practices, mostly drawn from existing models. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), like most management concepts, has been gradually incorporated into the management practice of organizations. The implementation of TQM systems can facilitate the incorporation of the CSR objectives and practices by operating changes in organizational culture. TQM and Social Responsibility are undeniably two dimensions increasingly associated with organisations of any kind, including higher education institutions. Quality indicators on sustainable development for education have been of growing inter-est and for this reason the possibility of creating a model that fits the reality of higher education integrating total quality and social responsibility should not be overlooked. Nevertheless, this work is focused on an approach to the relationship between TQM and Social Responsibility associated to organisations in general but also related to higher education institutions.