Implementing Total Quality Management - Literature review Example

Total Quality Management Name Institution Date Executive summary Total quality management is the transition in the management style that targets to continuously add value to customer by continuously improving and designing organizational systems and processes. This paper begins with an introduction to total quality management highlighting the importance and necessity of total quality management. This assignment involves description of prove for successful implementation of total quality management in a large white good shop as a practical example of total quality management implementation. The next part of the assignment constitutes the listing of steps for implementation of total quality management in the white good shops. The assignment also explains the steps of implementation of total quality management in any organization. The significance of total quality management has been highlighted. Total quality management is an approach of management to long-term success by customer satisfaction. Introduction Total quality management is a very crucial aspect that should be implemented in the organization to make sure customer satisfaction is achieved. The organization management has to introduce changes that will ensure involvement of every employer in the organization. Butcher (2005), points out that with increase in competitiveness and acquisition of customer share, organizations have to ensure those total quality management programs are introduced in the organization. For the shop selling white goods it will be very significant to introduce TQM and ensure is functional. Organizations have been seen to grow in needs and size prompting the implementation total quality management. Prove of successfully implemented Total Quality Management The indicators of successful implementation of total quantity management are very obvious and contribute positively to the performance and profitability of the firm. Sophistication and increasing demand of customers have re-written virtually the competition rules and compelled organization to focus expediently on quality. Presently, what entails competitive advantage is the capacity to provide services and products that exceed or meet the needs of customers. According to Clack (2008), any organization has to device new management systems founded on the tenets of quality, and through offering quality services and products. Successful implementation of total quality management leads to cutting down on costs and also outperform the services and products of the competitors spread across the world. This is the big force underlying total quality management. According to Riggs (2004), one indicator of total quality management is a corporate culture that is characterized by customer satisfaction increased by improvement that is continuous in which all the employees in the firm participate actively. For the large shop selling white-goods there will increased participation by the employees will be seen to intensify. There will the continuous improvement of groups, individuals, departments and processes of the organization which is focused in meeting the needs of the customer first time and always (Allotey, 2008). Fast response In order to achieve customer satisfaction, the organization has to rapidly respond to the needs of the customer. This translates to short service and product introduction cycles. These can be attained with process-oriented development and customer-driven since the resulting efficiency and simplicity hugely reduce the time involved. The simplicity is attained through process development and concurrent. Efficiencies are attained from the elimination of non-value-adding effort like re-designing. The outcome is dramatic improvement in the time spent from the concept of the product to the initial ship (Sirkin, 2003). Continuous improvement The core indicator of total quality management is continuous improvement in all the operations like provision of quality services to the customers who come to the large white good shop. As the manager of this shop, it will be realized that service delivery has tremendously improved. In order to attain customer satisfaction through high quality service and product provision there should deliberate effort to improve the quality of the product and service. The management will also embrace the relationship between customer satisfaction and product quality. Riggs (2004) points out that the processes leading to high quality service delivery of the white-good shop will time to time improve in an effort to maintain total quality management. A TQM culture An open and cooperative culture has to be put in place by the management. Employees will always feel or made to feel that they are responsible for satisfaction of the customer. The employees have to be involved in the development of plans, strategies and visions. The barriers between the staff have to be dealt with before implementation of total quality management (Clack, 2008). Actions based on facts The statistics analysis of manufacturing and engineering is an important part of Total Quality management. Analysis and facts avail the basis for review, performance tracking and planning, competitors of performance with competitors and operations improvement. The approach of total quality management is formed on the utilization of objective data, and avails a rational as opposed to emotional basis for decision making. The statistical approach to management of process in both manufacturing and engineering acknowledges that most of the problems are system-related, and are occasioned by specific employees (Walton, 2006). Customer-driven quality In all practice of total quality management the customer comes first. The customer, constraints and not internal activities come first. The white good shop will ensure that customer satisfaction is given the first priority. The TQM in the white good shop is sensitive to the needs of the customer and rapidly respond to them. In a context of TQM the requirement of the customer goes beyond error reduction and defect, and only meeting specifications or reduction of the complaints by the customer (Walton, 2006). Action Plan that lists the steps in implementing Total Quality Management at the white goods shop Management has to reach an agreement in regard to goals, obstacles and conditions for TQM introduction. Management must possess adequate courage to break from tradition. Management has to appoint quality improvement manager whose access to top management is direct. Management has to seek advice on continuous improvement in the whole firm from experts. Management has to explain to the employees the necessity of changes and they need to involve everybody in the firm. Management has to elaborate that every job and every activity has its own suppliers and customers. Management has to ensure that each employee in the firm actively participate in a team (quality circle, work team). Description of steps of TQM implementation: Management has to reach an agreement in regard to goals, obstacles and conditions for TQM introduction. This point means that a plan to implement total quality management plan has to involve the definition of vision, mission and the action plan that will be used to implement the process. The management has to realize the deficiencies that are present in the current operations of the company and draw way of dealing with them and having a plan of overcoming the challenges that may come with the attempt to implement the total quality management. In this step the management draws the road map for successful implementation of TQM (Jurow & Barnard, 2007). Management must possess adequate courage to break from tradition. Breaking up or revolting what ones is used to doing is not easy. Implementation of Total Quality Management can not be patched on the old traditions of performing functions. The management has to spearhead the breaking away from the previous manner of doing things that never resulting in increased customer satisfaction. Things have to be done differently in order to achieve customer satisfaction which is a core indicator of total quality management. The workers may be very comfortable currying out their daily duties but they have to change with the introduction of total quality management in order to achieve positive results (DiMattia, 2006). Management has to appoint quality improvement manager whose access to top management is direct. One of the features or characteristics of total quality management is continuous quality improvement. This continuous improvement in quality can not be achieved if there is no one appointed person to foresee that quality is given priority. DiMattia (2006) argues that quality improvement has to be the driving force for the implementation of total quality for achievement of customer satisfaction. Management has to seek advice on continuous improvement in the whole firm from experts. For the total quality management to be successful the necessary expertise has to be sought out. Experts have to provide the necessary guidance for the successful implementation of total quality management. The firm has to identify a consultant firm which will give options into effective implementation of total quality management. In order for total quality management to work it must be implemented in the rest of the firm, the entire departments of the organization should be made to comply with total quality management requirements and conditions. Management has to explain to the employees the necessity of changes and they need to involve everybody in the firm. It is very vital for the entire organization to be involved in the implementation of the total quality management program. The employees have to be brought on board on the initiation of total quality management. As it has been stated earlier, all employee participation or involvement in the total quality management is very important. Changes in the entire organization are inevitable to prepare for implementation of total quality management plan. The integration of conditions and requirement of total quality management throughout of the organization is important to. Customer focus and satisfaction is the premise of total quality management and for it to be appreciated well in the organization there should be enough changes to take up the implementation of total quality management. The customer focus on quality has to enhance by change of behavior in the employees of the organization and the top management. Management has to elaborate that every job and every activity has its own suppliers and customers. Management has to explain to the employees the importance of attending to every need of the customers. Every job and activity has to be directed to the needs of the customers. The importance of designing specialized activities for the customers to make sure that all their needs are addressed adequately to ensure satisfaction of the customer needs (Mackey & Mackey, 2008). Management has to ensure that each employee in the firm actively participate in a team (quality circle, work team). To make sure that total quality management works there is needs to make sure that each employee in the firm participates actively in the implementation of total quality management. Involvement of every member of the firm in total quality management implementation is very crucial for ensuring change of behavior and breaking from tradition (Sidell, 1995). Conclusion In an effort of total quality management, every member of the organization has to participate in the improvement of products, processes, culture and services of the place of work. This paper has looked at total quality management describing the indicators that demonstrate prove of total quality management in the large shop selling white goods in Sydney. The introduction gives an overview into the total quality management and its essence into the organization program to ensure the needs or the satisfaction of the customer is met. The steps foe implementation of total quality management have been outlined and explained later in the assignment. Recommendations Not all the organizations are able to implement total quality management successful. The implementation of total quality management has to be thought about carefully before it is introduced in the organization. The management of the organization has to lay a good ground for total quality management. It is very imperative for organization to make all the employees of the organization to understand the importance of total quality management and the significant of changing the traditions of the organization to welcome its implementation. The organization has to change the way it operates and wake up to the new responsibility of initiating the implementation of total quality man agent into the organization. Breaking away from the old tradition of the organization is very important to ensure change in the operations of the organization. The overall health of the company should be assessed as it currently existing in the organization. If conditions like poor employee morale and lack of management skills exist in the organization, those problems have to be addressed to create a better chance of successfully implementation of total quality management. The company history has to be studied in relation to change. If the company possess good track record of reacting favorably to market place changes and making needful modifications to business practices along the way, and therefore tell if it is appropriate to implement total quality management. References Clack, M. E. (2008). Organizational development and TQM: The Harvard College Library's experience. Journal of Library Administration, 18(1/2), 29-43. Butcher, K. S. (2005). Total quality management: The Oregon State University Library's experience. Journal of Library Administration, 18(1/2), 45-56. Sidell, C. L. (1995). Implementing Total Quality Management: Implications for higher education. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. DiMattia, E. A., Jr. (2006). Total quality management and servicing users through remote access technology. Electronic Library, 11(3), 187-191. Mackey, T. & Mackey, K. (2008). Think quality: The Deming approach does work in libraries. Library Journal, 117(9), 57-61. Riggs, D. E. (2004). TQM: Quality improvement in new clothes. College & Research Libraries, 53(6), 481-483. Sirkin, A. F. (2003). Customer service: Another side of TQM. Journal of Library Administration 18(1/2), 71-83. Jurow, S. & Barnard, S. B. (2007). Introduction: TQM fundamentals and overview of contents. Journal of Library Administration 18(1/2), 1-13. Walton, M. (2006). The Deming management method. New York, NY: Perigee. Allotey A. (2008). Implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) - The Issue of National Culture. Verlag, GRIN Read More