PurposeThis study aims to examine the effect of accreditation on higher education performance, directly and indirectly, through the quality culture as a mediator in the context of higher education, based on the perceptions of administrative and quality managers.Design/methodology/approachThis is a quantitative study using stratified random sampling techniques to collect data through a nationwide survey of universities in Pakistan. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 105 are found to be valid, while the data are analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results provide interesting insights, including significant effects of accreditation on quality culture and higher education performance, significant effects of quality culture on higher education performance and the mediating role of quality culture in relation to accreditation and higher education performance.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of the study include a relatively smaller sample size and the selection of administrative managers as the sole respondents. This study extends the theoretical understanding by introducing several linkages, including the link between accreditation and higher education performance, accreditation and quality culture, and by introducing quality culture as a mediator. Furthermore, the study also provides empirical evidence for all proposed links in the university setting. This study has implications for administrative and quality managers, in terms of effectively implementing accreditation standards by cultivating a quality culture at their respective universities, resulting in improved university performance.Originality/valueThis study is the first to introduce quality culture as a mediator between accreditation and higher education performance and examines the effect of accreditation and quality culture on higher education performance in the university context. Also, the interdisciplinary nature of the study makes it relevant and interesting to administrative and quality managers in the fields of higher education and quality management.

The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to gain insight into the direct effect of accreditation on motivation and higher education performance, and the direct effect of motivation on higher education performance. Second, to examine the indirect effect of accreditation on higher education performance through motivation in the university setting. The study uses a quantitative research approach and collects data from administrative managers at 105 Pakistani universities through face-to-face and online survey methods, and the said data is subsequently analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings reveal that accreditation has a substantial effect on motivation and higher education performance, and motivation has a considerable effect on higher education performance. Also, accreditation has an indirect effect on higher education performance through motivation. The study contributes empirically by examining the effects of accreditation on motivation and higher education performance and broadens theoretical understanding by introducing motivation as a mediator related to accreditation and higher education performance. Policymakers, administrators, and quality managers can leverage the findings of this study by motivating their academic staff to effectively implement accreditation standards. Furthermore, operationalizing higher education performance through teaching, research, and service will assist policymakers in bringing excellence to their universities by emphasizing these three roles/missions equally.

This study intends to investigate the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of faculty on higher education performance through quality culture in public and private universities of Pakistan. The study uses a nationwide survey approach, while data are collected from administrative managers through online and in-person questionnaires using stratified random sampling techniques. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 111 were received, however, 105 are considered valid while the data are analyzed by PLS-SEM. The results revealed the significant effect of intrinsic motivation and quality culture on higher education performance, and of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on quality culture; however, the effect of extrinsic motivation on higher education performance is not empirically supported. Besides, quality culture is found to be a statistically significant mediator in the relationship between intrinsic motivation and higher education performance, and extrinsic motivation and higher education performance. The relatively smaller sample size and reliance on administrative managers as the sole respondents are the possible weaknesses of this study. This study has expanded the theoretical and empirical understanding by introducing intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation as predictor variables in relation to higher education performance and implicating quality culture as a mediator. This study has important implications for policymakers, administrators, and quality managers to focus on employees’ motivation to create a quality culture, which in turn will improve the performance of their respective organizations.

This study aims to differentiate between perceived quality culture (QC) and service quality (SQ) in public and private universities; and to examine the effect of QC on SQ in both types of universities, individually and collectively. This is a quantitative study in which data are collected from administrative and quality managers of randomly selected universities in Pakistan through face-to-face and online surveys. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, a total of 111 questionnaires are received, of which 105 are valid, giving a response rate of 70%. The collected data are then analyzed by descriptive and causal research methods using SPSS-25 and PLS-SEM. The findings reveal significant differences in perceived QC and SQ between public and private universities; however, public universities scored higher on both variables than private universities. Furthermore, the results show the significant effect of QC on SQ individually and collectively in public and private universities; however, this relationship is stronger for private universities than for public universities. The findings of the study may help administrative and quality managers to improve SQ by cultivating QC in their respective universities, thereby improving organizational performance. This study extends theoretical knowledge by introducing QC as a predictor variable and then measuring SQ from a dual perspective (internal and external customers) in a university setting, which is less explored in the existing literature.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the mediating role of quality culture (QC) between transformational leadership (TFL), transactional leadership (TNL) and organizational performance (OP) in higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach The study collects data through a nationwide survey of administrators representing public and private universities in Pakistan using stratified random sampling techniques, while partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used for data analysis. Findings The results show that both TFL and TNL directly influence QC and that QC directly influences OP. Additionally, the study reveals significant indirect effects of TFL and TNL on OP through QC. However, the direct effects of TFL and TNL on OP are not empirically supported. Research limitations/implications This study contributes theoretically to the understanding of OP in universities by examining valuable resources (TFL, TNL) and dynamic capability (QC) as predictors while also introducing QC as a mediator to explain the underlying mechanism between TFL, TNL and OP. However, limitations include a cross-sectional design, a small sample size and reliance on administrators' perceptions as the sole respondents. Practical implications This study provides interesting insights for leaders, policymakers and quality managers to integrate valuable, dynamic resources and foster QC by increasing quality awareness at all departmental levels, thereby improving university performance. Originality/value The novelty of this study is the introduction of QC as a mediator of TFL, TNL and OP in a university setting.