The effect of the total quality management on organizational innovation in higher education mediated by organizational learning

Many scientists have suggested that both total quality management (TQM) and organizational learning can separately and effectively reinforce innovation. But is there any relationship between TQM and organizational learning? This study has two main purposes: (1) determining the causal relationship between TQM, organizational learning and organizational innovation and (2) deciding on whether TQM has any impact on the organizational learning and can play the role of mediator between TQM and organizational innovation. The research methodology is descriptive - survey and correlational, and is specifically based on the structural equation modeling. To assess the research variables, three standard questionnaires based on a five-point Likert scale were used and these were distributed among 253 staffs and faculty members of universities of Sabzevar city. The findings showed that TQM positively and meaningfully affects the organizational learning, that organizational learning has a significant effect on the organizational innovation, but that TQM has no positive and meaningful effect on the organizational innovation. The results showed that organizational learning could mediate the effect of TQM on the organizational innovation.