Effect of Quality Studies on Employee Motivation: A Research in the Automotive Sector

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) perceptions and intrinsic and extrinsic work motivation among individuals working in various positions within the automotive sector. Methodology: A total of 145 participants, including engineers, technicians, quality control specialists, and managers, were included in the study. Data were collected via Google Forms using the Total Quality Management Scale and the Adult Motivation Scale. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0; Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis H tests were applied for data that did not follow a normal distribution. Findings: The analysis results indicated that participants exhibited high levels of both intrinsic motivation (M = 24.30) and extrinsic motivation (M = 27.50). Among the Total Quality Management (TQM) dimensions, the highest perceived level was observed in Customer Focus (M = 40.03), while the lowest perception was identified in Process Management (M = 12.75). No statistically significant differences were found in TQM perceptions or motivation levels according to gender and educational level variables (p > 0.05). Correlation analyses revealed positive and statistically significant relationships between both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and all TQM dimensions. In particular, intrinsic motivation demonstrated strong correlations with Process Management (r = 0.629) and Customer Focus (r=0.543). Originality: This study is one of the limited number of studies examines effect of quality studies on employee motivation in the automotive sector.