The level of TQM application by construction contractors in Hong Kong

What is it about?

In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong construction industry and to recommend improvement measures. The CIRC’s report, released in 2001, recommended many improvement measures related to total quality management (TQM) principles. Despite many of these improvement recommendations being fulfilled in the ten years following the release of the report, there is a lack of literature documenting these achievements and the corresponding level of TQM application. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of TQM application by construction contractors in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey. The survey findings indicate a moderately high level of application of TQM principles, reflecting a moderately high achievement in implementing the CIRC’s intended improvements. The TQM application level is comparable to that of Singapore, which is also a country with a high Chinese population. The findings further suggest that organisational learning and supplier management are the two major TQM principles that contractors should focus on to sustain their long-term businesses.

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Why is it important?

The Hong Kong experience should be of interest to other developing and developed countries, both regionally and globally, in search of a similar paradigm for improving construction quality.