Kaizen internal quality assurance adoption and quality performance improvement in Indonesian higher education institutions: The moderating role of IT development

Abstract

Research aims: In 2018, strengthening Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), governance began to be promoted again by the Indonesian government after its first initiation in 2003. In doing so, the Indonesian government has adopted a new internal quality assurance framework for HEIs, i.e., the Kaizen method, which emphasizes the quality improvement process. In addition, the government recommended the development of IT advancement to support management practices at the HEIs, including internal quality assurance. However, to this day, related research that examines the extent to which these policies contribute to HEI quality performance improvement still needs to be improved. To meet the gap, the current study examined the Kaizen internal quality assurance implementation role on HEI quality performance by testing the IT development as a moderator.Design/Methodology/Approach: Using data from 191 HEI samples obtained from 31 of 34 provinces in Indonesia, the relationship between variables was tested by employing the Partial Least Square (PLS) technique.Research findings: The results exhibited that the Kaizen internal quality assurance implementation was positively associated with HEI quality performance, where IT development strengthened the relationship (moderated). However, since the direct relationship between IT development and HEI quality performance was also significant, the moderating role of IT development was quasi in nature.Theoretical contribution/Originality: The results provide new insights regarding the contributions of internal quality assurance reform supported by IT development to the HEI quality performance. Specifically, the study affirms the role of IT as a moderator.

Internal control implementation and quality of higher education institutions: a moderation effect testing

“…Therefore, this study predicts that integration between internal control and internal quality assurance might enable internal control to act as a moderator. Nonetheless, Sofyani (2020) noted a lack of harmonisation and integration between the two policies in question in some HEIs in Indonesia. It is because the internal quality and control units were independently focusing on their respective functions and responsibilities without proper coordination.…”

“…, 2022). On one side, the preliminary interview of this study deduced that the quality of the HEI is considered manageable enough with the existence of an internal quality assurance policy (Sofyani, 2020).…”

“…Thus, the Indonesian government's affirmation of policies to improve the quality of HEI through internal control implementation initiation has not been supported by empirical evidence. As such, the presence of two core policies at HEI, namely, internal quality assurance and internal control, is considered questionable by academics as it adds to their workload at HEI (Sofyani, 2020). Many scholars believe that the internal control policy might not improve the quality of HEI.…”

“…The global demand for higher education institutions (HEIs) quality has prompted changes in management and governance practices, particularly in control mechanisms, monitoring methods and quality assurance (Sofyani, 2020). In line with this international movement, which aims for quality improvement, the Indonesian government has launched several initiatives linked to governance and New Public Management (NPM) corroboration for Indonesian HEIs.…”