TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) AND ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG): INTEGRATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

Purpose – Total Quality Management (TQM) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) are two relevant mechanisms that represent actions for the continuous improvement of processes. However, their application and study have remained largely independent of each other. Design/methodology/approach – This article investigates how TQM (Total Quality Management) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) can be integrated to contribute to continuous improvement. The work is a systematic review of the literature and the Parsifal® Software was used, which resulted in 141 articles analyzed. Findings – The results achieved demonstrate that the integration of TQM and ESC can contribute to continuous improvement and that TQM and ESG factors can have an impact on the continuous improvement of companies and stakeholders. Limitations/implications of the investigation – Although the results achieved have offered interesting insights into the importance of integrating TQM and ESG for continuous improvement, the exploratory and qualitative character of the investigated sample may cause some limitations. Practical implications – We contribute to management practice with critical points, implementation, and topics to consider in TQM and ESG integration.  Originality/value – We contribute to the theory with factors present in the literature that can promote continuous improvement for companies and their stakeholders and we suggest for future studies evidence of practical results of TQM and ESG integration, as well as it is a suggestion to investigate TQM and ESG integration in different business contexts.