Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management

University of Phoenix

Total Quality Management

Total Quality management (TQM) is defined in Wikipedia as "A management approach for an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organization and to society." (Wikipedia,) TQM began in Japan after World War II when the Japanese economy failed. There were many contributors to TQM such as Juran, Deming, and Shewhart among others. They all felt that quality was spread through out an organization and not just in a specific area such as quality control.

In traditional management employees were responsible for a majority of quality. TQM says management is more responsible. Traditional practices allowed for only one person to lead the company. TQM allows the employees to lead and have the support of management to be successful. TQM involves every aspect of a company; everyone is working together as a team to assure there is quality products being produced. TQM also says that quality is not just about the products but the employees as well so there is less of a chance of poor quality work. Globalization has affected TQM in the workplace. TQM has become so successful that many nations have adopted it. There are now so many countries using TQM that quality is the number one priority especially when it comes to the products consumers buy. It is making companies