Purpose

While existing literature acknowledges the importance of top management support for organisational success, the specific mechanisms through which it enhances business performance remain underexplored, particularly in emerging economy contexts. Prior studies have predominantly examined the direct relationship between top management support and business performance, overlooking the underlying pathways through which this relationship operates. Addressing this gap, this study investigates how continuous process improvement and workforce commitment mediate the relationship between top management support and business performance in Bangladesh's ready-made garments (RMG) sector.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. A self-administered survey questionnaire was employed to gather data from employees working in various ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh. A total of 367 useable responses were collected from employees directly involved in the production process. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess construct validity and reliability and to test the hypothesised direct and indirect relationships.

Findings

The findings indicate that top management support, continuous process improvement and workforce commitment positively influence business performance in the RMG sector. Among the three factors, workforce commitment has the highest effect on business performance (ß = 0.274), followed by continuous process improvement (ß = 0.248) and top management support (ß = 0.165). Additionally, the results suggest that continuous process improvement and workforce commitment partially mediate the relationship between top management support and business performance. The model explains 29.9% of the variance in business performance.