Total quality management (TQM) remains a vital approach in evaluating and improving organizational processes. However, limited research has addressed the link between TQM practices and stakeholder management. In this context, this study uniquely integrates stakeholder theory to examine the synergistic effects of soft and hard TQM practices on stakeholder management using a hybrid SEM-ANN approach, and compares how these relationships vary significantly between companies with ISO 9001:2015 certification and those without it. Data were collected from 347 goods and services companies in Peru. Estimation results show that the adoption of soft and hard TQM practices is positively associated with effective stakeholder management. Furthermore, the results revealed that the relationship between hard TQM practices and stakeholder management is significantly higher for ISO 9001:2015 certified companies than non-certified companies. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between ISO 9001:2015 certified and non-certified companies regarding the relationship between soft TQM practices and stakeholder management. Based on the results, tailored TQM strategies were designed to improve stakeholder management based on soft and hard TQM practices. Overall, the study offers actionable guidance for practitioners seeking to implement TQM and strengthen stakeholder management.
