Exploring the relationship between information technology competence and quality management

The introduction of information technology (IT) has become a necessity to compete in most industries, so simple implementation of an IT strategy is not enough to achieve a better firm performance. Literature review shows IT as a useful tool only when it is combined with other firm resources and practices. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the complementarity between IT and one of the most prevalent and well-established set of organizational practices, Quality management practices (QMP). Structural equation modeling with data collected from managers in 230 Spanish firms shows a positive and significant relationship between IT and QMP. The findings provide us with in-depth understanding of both disciplines and several conclusions for its success.