The Effect of Quality Assurance as A Mediator between Management Practices and Job Performance in Sharjah Government Entities

This study examines the effect of management practices on job performance in Sharjah government entities, with quality assurance as a mediating variable. Despite federal initiatives such as the UAE Government Excellence Program, performance disparities persist across emirates, with Sharjah reporting only 62% citizen satisfaction compared to Dubai's 85% in 2023. Grounded in an integrated theoretical framework combining the Resource-Based View, Total Quality Management, and Organisational Culture Theory, this quantitative study employed a survey-based design with data collected from 285 employees selected through simple random sampling from Sharjah Customs. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings confirmed that management practices significantly influence job performance (β = 0.564, p < 0.001) and quality assurance (β = 0.783, p < 0.001). Quality assurance significantly affected job performance (β = 0.275, p < 0.001) and partially mediated the management practices-performance relationship (indirect effect = 0.216, p < 0.001), accounting for 27.7% of the total effect. The model explained 63.7% of the variance in job performance and 61.4% in quality assurance. The study contributes theoretically by extending the Resource-Based View to the UAE public sector and demonstrating how quality assurance operates as a process mechanism translating managerial inputs into performance outcomes. Practically, the findings provide evidence-based insights for policymakers in Sharjah to strengthen management development programs, establish robust quality assurance systems, and pursue integrated approaches to performance improvement, ultimately supporting efforts to bridge the service delivery gap with other emirates.