Total Quality Management Key to Boosting Online Transportation Driver Performance in Bali

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FORMOSA NEWS

The implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) significantly improves company operational performance on online transportation service platforms in Bali. This research, conducted by Putu Diri Adnyana and Ni Ketut Purnawati from Udayana University in 2026, highlights that customer focus, partner engagement, and continuous system improvement serve as the primary pillars of operational success within the gig economy.

The growth of Indonesia's transportation and food delivery sector is projected to reach a transaction value of US$ 10 billion by the end of 2025. Amid fierce competition, companies can no longer rely solely on low prices and must shift toward strengthening service quality. In Bali, this challenge becomes increasingly complex due to an international tourism ecosystem that demands higher service standards than other regions. Any failure to meet these quality standards directly undermines consumer trust in the platform as a whole.

In this study, the authors utilized a quantitative methodology, collecting data from 140 active driver-partners across the Denpasar and Badung areas. The collected data was then analyzed using multiple linear regression techniques to evaluate the impact of four specific TQM dimensions: customer focus, employee engagement and empowerment, continuous system improvement, and education and training.

The research yields several key findings:

• Dominance of Quality Factors: Customer focus, employee engagement, and continuous system improvement demonstrate a simultaneous, positive, and significant influence on company performance.
• Importance of Field Experience: The customer focus dimension proves to be the most dominant factor driving performance, confirming that direct interaction between drivers and customers determines the overall perception of service quality.
• Training Program Evaluation: In contrast to the other dimensions, education and training show no significant effect on operational performance.

These findings suggest that system reliability and on-the-field service quality determine performance stability much more than formal, administrative training programs do. The authors recommend that platform management immediately reorient and evaluate their training curriculum to ensure the material delivered is more practical, contextual, and relevant to the real challenges drivers face on the road. Furthermore, improving the transparency of the application's order distribution system remains a critical area for development to maintain partner trust.

Author Profile: This research was conducted by Putu Diri Adnyana and Ni Ketut Purnawati, academic researchers from the Faculty of Economics and Business at Udayana University, specializing in business management, operational analytics, and corporate performance evaluation.

Research Source:

• Article Title: The Impact of Total Quality Management on Company Performance on the X Online Transportation Service Platform in Bali
• Journal Name: Indonesian Journal of Business Analytics (IJBA)
• Publication Year: 2026
• DOI/URL: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijba.v6i3.16498