Bridge connecting gears and brains, symbolizing structural capability.

Unlocking Excellence: How Structural Capability Bridges the Gap Between Quality Management and Performance

Lena Voss in Tech & Innovation December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover the key to optimizing quality management practices in manufacturing: the mediating role of structural capability."

In today's fiercely competitive manufacturing landscape, quality isn't just a goal—it's a survival imperative. Consumers demand better products at lower costs, pushing manufacturers to optimize their internal operations. The quest to balance quality, cost, and time has fueled extensive research into quality management (QM) practices across both manufacturing and service industries.

Quality management practices (QMPs) have become increasingly popular in developing countries, recognized for their crucial role in sustaining and enhancing a company's quality performance. However, research has revealed conflicting findings regarding the direct impact of QMPs on quality performance, raising questions about whether QMPs alone are sufficient to guarantee success.

This article explores the missing link: structural capability. We delve into how the presence—or absence—of structural capability can significantly influence the effectiveness of QM programs. By integrating the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability theory, we'll reveal how structural capability serves as a mediator, connecting QMPs and quality performance. Get ready to discover a new framework for achieving manufacturing excellence.

The Structural Capability Advantage: Why It Matters

Bridge connecting gears and brains, symbolizing structural capability.

In a rapidly evolving technological environment, organizations must prioritize employee capabilities in deploying resources effectively. People-based assets are crucial for successful QM implementation. Employees' skills and knowledge are vital, as low education levels can hinder QM efforts. Proper training and education empower employees to execute QM programs, positively impacting their success.

The core argument is that simply implementing QM isn't enough. The real driver of quality performance lies in how QMPs are deployed, which hinges on the capabilities of organizational actors. Resources alone aren't enough to sustain competitive advantages; capabilities are essential. A recent study highlighted dynamic capability as a mediator between resources and performance, transforming resources into desired results and improving overall organizational performance.

Resource Deployment: Employee's capabilities in deploying resources is crucial, especially with technology rapidly changing.
Human Asset: People-based asset capabilities are important for successful QM implementation.
Skills and Knowledge: Essential for QM success; education is crucial to overcome challenges.
QM Execution: Proper employee training boosts QM program success.
Beyond Implementation: QM effectiveness comes from how it's applied, which depends on the people involved.

The 'incapability' of employees in deploying resources can explain inconsistent findings in previous QM research. The complexity of QM requires employees to be well-versed in operational process statistics and capable of applying statistical methods throughout product development. While previous studies have highlighted structural capability's importance in achieving sustainability goals and sustaining competitive advantages, the combined influence of QMPs and structural capability on quality performance remains underexplored.

The Road Ahead: Maximizing Your Quality Investment

This study contributes to QM literature by differentiating between resources and capability constructs, highlighting the relationship between resources-capabilities and performance, and using RBV and DC theory to explore QMPs' direct and structural capability's indirect effects on quality performance. Future research should empirically test the model to verify structural capability's mediating role in linking QMPs and quality performance. While a company may have resources, the success of QM may be limited without employees' 'capability' to deploy them. Companies may differ in operational performance based on structural capability.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.18488/journal.1.2018.811.974.984, Alternate LINK

Title: An Integrative Theoretical Framework For Understanding The Role Of Structural Capability In Quality Management Practices On Quality Performance

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: International Journal of Asian Social Science

Authors: Sim Choon Ling, Muhammad Shahar Jusoh, Noormaizatul Akmar Ishak

Published: 2018-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

Why are quality management practices (QMPs) not always enough to guarantee success in manufacturing?

While Quality Management Practices are crucial for enhancing a company's quality performance, their direct impact can vary. The effectiveness of Quality Management Practices depends significantly on the presence of structural capability. Without sufficient structural capability, the potential benefits of Quality Management Practices may not be fully realized, leading to inconsistent results. Structural capability acts as a mediator, connecting Quality Management Practices and quality performance, to achieve manufacturing excellence.

What is structural capability, and how does it relate to resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability theory?

Structural capability refers to an organization's ability to effectively deploy its resources, particularly through the skills and knowledge of its employees. It aligns with the resource-based view (RBV) by emphasizing that resources alone are insufficient for competitive advantage; capabilities are essential to transform resources into desired outcomes. It also integrates with dynamic capability theory, highlighting how structural capability serves as a mediator between Quality Management Practices and quality performance, enabling organizations to adapt and thrive in changing environments.

How do employee skills and knowledge impact the success of quality management (QM) programs?

Employee skills and knowledge are vital for the success of Quality Management programs. Low education levels can hinder Quality Management efforts, whereas proper training and education empower employees to effectively execute Quality Management programs. The ability of employees to apply statistical methods and understand operational process statistics is crucial for deploying resources and achieving consistent quality improvements.

What are the implications of 'incapability' in deploying resources for quality management research and outcomes?

The 'incapability' of employees in deploying resources can explain inconsistent findings in Quality Management research. Even with adequate resources, the success of Quality Management may be limited if employees lack the necessary structural capability to effectively utilize those resources. This highlights the importance of focusing on developing employee skills and knowledge to maximize the impact of Quality Management Practices on quality performance. This differentiation between resources and capabilities is critical for understanding the relationship between resources, capabilities, and performance.

In what ways does focusing on structural capability improve a company's quality investment and operational performance?

Focusing on structural capability ensures that a company's investment in Quality Management Practices translates into tangible improvements in quality performance. By prioritizing employee training and development, organizations can enhance their ability to deploy resources effectively and achieve superior operational results. Companies may differ in operational performance based on structural capability. This approach aligns with the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability theory, highlighting the importance of capabilities in transforming resources into desired outcomes and sustaining competitive advantages.