Total Quality Management

TQM

The concept of total quality management (TQM) has become a core value in many global companies. Concurrently, the TQM movement has evolved with the change from individual crafters monitoring his or her quality, to production-focused management, and finally to holistic-focused movements involving each part of an organization. This paper will discuss the definition of TQM, provide an assessment of the impact of globalization, discuss the similarities and differences between traditional management styles and TQM, and explain how the principles of TQM are applied in a designated organization.

Definition of TQM

The American Society for Quality states that “in a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services and the culture in which they work” (n.d., Ð'¶ 3). Further, the Society identifies the goal of TQM as long-term success through customer satisfaction (n.d., Ð'¶ 2). In this week’s reading Burrill and Ledolter go to extraordinaire lengths to discuss the various meanings of quality, finally settling on “quality means meet expectations” (1999, p. 131). The American Society of Quality’s definition of TQM is effective because it provides the premise and principles for TQM without causing debate over the meaning of quality.

Impact of Globalization

As discussed in the text, TQM has been significantly influenced by globalization, most significantly by the production successes of the Japanese. However, even during the Second World War, quality control standards were used by both the U.S. and Great Britain to help meet production quotas (Burrill & Ledolter, p. 28). After the war, Japan’s factories were rebuilt; production increased, and by the 1970s Japan had become a formidable adversary to the domestic car industry (Burril & Ledoter, p. 31). Problems in quality also came to light when Motorola sold their television manufacturing division to the Japanese, who promptly reduced the number of manufacturing defects from 150 to 180 for every 100 units shipped, to three or four for each 100 (Burrill & Ledoter, p. 31). When one of Whirlpool’s facilities was taken over by Sanyo, defect rates also dropped significantly (Burrill & Ledoter, p. 31). In 1986, General Motors turned over one of their plants to Toyota, who reopened the facility and were able to produce better production rates with less cost (Burill & Ledoter, p. 33). All of these situations alluded to the fact that U.S. companies needed to revamp their quality control processes. In a general sense, globalization has impacted TQM because TQM’s very premise is to align the functions of organizations, removing barriers to productivity, and enabling faster and more efficient production, all of which are needed for global businesses to operate successfully.

TQM v. Traditional Management

Traditional management styles and TQM exist for the purpose of the success of the business; however, the tenets of TQM vary significantly from those of traditional management styles. One of the most elemental differences is the focus on internal processes; quality was defined internally, not externally or by the customer (Lean Manufacturing Concepts, n.d., Ð'¶ 2). Another difference is the assumption that product defects are caused by individual workers, not the process. TQM focuses on a unified process in which all levels of staff contribute to the quality of a project (Lean Manufacturing Concepts, Ð'¶ 3). Parallel with this unified process is the significance of teamwork in organizations practicing TQM: “team building, especially cross functional teams are a feature of TQM. These teams will provide the necessary momentum to the implementation process and will propel the system forward, with very less resistance” (Lean Manufacturing Concepts, Ð'¶ 4). Other differences include the emphasis on quality assurance rather than inspection and the importance of continuous small improvements and well analyzed decisions (Lean Manufacturing Concepts, Ð'¶ 5-7). Overall, TQM is a more holistic approach to management, examining how each part of the organization can best contribute to the overall quality of the product and thereby the company’s goals,