This study investigated the effect of strategic planning and total quality management practices on organisational productivity. This study employed a quantitative approach using Jamovi software. Sample data were collected from 167 respondents who are in Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) management using a structured-questionnaire. Model fit and construct validity were checked using confirmatory factor analysis and correlation matrix while mediation analysis was carried out using GLM procedure. The results of study present that strategic planning has a significant effect on productivity. The results also indicate that customer focus and important innovation foster organizational productivity and partially mediate the relationship between strategic planning and productivity. The study also shows that education and training has no significant effect on productivity and does not mediate strategic planning and productivity association.

The importance of quality and innovation in today’ 21 st century cannot be over emphasised, therefore organisations require leadership styles that can embrace both innovation and quality in order to confront today’s dynamic competitive fierce environment. Sometimes organisations fail to attain or maintain their competitiveness because of limited understanding regarding these strategic variables. There is little research that has attempted to analyse the direct and indirect-relationships among these strategic variables. Therefore this study attempted to bridge the gap in literature by analysing how important-innovations and quality-results as TQM practices influence the association between transformational leadership-style and competitive advantage using sample data collected from TAZARA employees in management using Jamovi. The study shows that transformational leadership style, quality-results and important innovations have significant positive effects on competitive advantage. The results also show that important-innovations and quality-results both individually and collectively partially mediate the relationship between transformational-leadership and competitive- advantage. Managers and advocates of transformational leadership style are emphasised to be aware and cautious of quality results and important innovations at all-time especially in today’s dynamic environment.