Principles of Total Quality Management - Literature review Example

Total quality management ISO 9001 Name Institution Course Lecturer Date Literature Review Total quality management ISO 9001 has been a heart-throbbing topic of research among many business researchers and experts over the years. According to Chandra (2013: p440), total quality management ISO 9001 is an organizational strategy that facilitates effective and efficient achievement of the organizational goals and objectives, thus delivering quality products and services. Quality production results in customer satisfaction, which gives the organization an added advantage over other firms in the industry. Kaziliūnas (2010: p73) argues that total quality management is achieved by ensuring that the whole organization is committed, information regarding quality is communicated, as well as the culture of the organization is defined and designed in line with quality production. Total Quality Management ISO 9001 is governed by the following principles: improvement, customer focus, managing relationships, leadership, process approach, decision-making, and people engagement. These principles have different impacts and meanings in the different organizations. In that regard, their validity and importance vary with different organizations (Al-Sabek, 2015: 1473). Principles of Total Quality Management ISO 9001 Continuous improvement in an organization through enhancing a learning and proactive organizational culture is essential for the organization’s success hence leading zero defected operations. Maintaining improvement facilitates progress, as well as keeps the company proactive to the organizational changes either externally or internally, and most importantly taking advantage of the new opportunities. Gherbal (2012: 81) argues that the principle of customer focus ensures that customers are key to the organization and that the organization thrives to surpass the customer expectations hence satisfying their needs. By measuring these customers’ needs and expectation in the market, the organization is able to get a clear understanding on the same. Thirdly, McCubbrey (2015) discusses that the principle of employee involvement in the organization ensures that the employees are committed to what they do, thus delivering quality outputs. People at all levels have different skills, responsibilities and hence different understanding of the job. These variations, therefore, bring about different ideologies on the job hence the organization is rich with ideas. The engagement of the employees is a motivation, empowerment and sense of recognition, which fosters competent performance hence attaining quality objectives. Gherbal (2012: 81) feels that leadership is another principle in total quality management ISO 9001. Leaders have the authority and responsibilities to plan strategies, set policies, launch tactics, as well as directing the employees in the organization for a good course, which mainly achieves the organizational long term and short-term objectives. According to Chandra (2013: p442), efficacy and effectiveness of the organization entirely relies on the leaders’ skills and style. Good leadership is vital for a company to actualize its goals and hence gain a competitive advantage over others in the industry through quality production (Al-Sabek, 2015: 1473). According to McCubbrey (2015), process approach is a principle of total quality management ISO 9001 that proposes the coherence of the system and processes in the organization for quality production at every operation or production stage. Being adequately informed in regards to the organization systems ensures that the organizational performance is at the optimal level. Therefore, the resources are efficiently utilized, and improved opportunities are focused on improved productivity. Chandra (2013: p442) argues that proper decision-making is yet another principle that governs the decision making process in an organization. Effective decision-making relies on the analysis of the data to produce ultimately the desired results (Chandra, 2013: p442). Decision-making requires a good understanding on the effect hence accurately understanding the causes, which is vital in creating confidence and objectivity of the decisions made. Improved decisions results in effective and efficient operation and productivity. Finally, Gherbal (2012: 81) discusses the principle of relationship management. This principle capitalizes on the organization’s rapport with the suppliers, customers, competitors among other stakeholders. These parties are key to the overall organizational productivity in the sense that they influence the activities carried out in the organization. Therefore, captivating a good relationship with these parties ensures that the organization attains its objectives in the long run (Chandra, 2013: p442). History and Development of Total Quality Management ISO 9001 Over the years, the notion of quality production has been in the mainstream. However, it has changed over the years due to the changes experienced in the organizations, industries and the business world at large. According to Cornelison (2013: 12), Walter A. Shewhart initialized the concept of control and quality as at the mid-1930s. Western Electric Company was the first company to implement the use of the quality concept under the helm of Joseph Juran. Edward Deming W. is, however, viewed as the quality control’s father due to his implementation of the notion in a grand manner in a Japanese Industry. Japan, therefore, foresaw the initial and spread of Quality Control to the other parts of the world later due to the intervention of the Japanese Gurus and the benchmarking that the USA did to gain competitiveness (Cornelison, 2013: 12). According to Cornelison (2013: 12), its development and popularity is dated back during the World War II, in 1940s. At this time, it revolved around all functions and operations that ensured that the specific needs were met. The production was evaluated through the various statistical methods of sampling. The quality gurus thereafter widened the scope of quality management in the 1960s. This era saw quality to be a concept for the whole organization and not just for production process. The late 70s saw a new phase of quality, it was viewed as a competitive edge and not a factor to be corrected and inspected (Cornelison, 2013: 12-13). The US companies faced great competition from foreign companies due to the issues of quality of their products. These foreign companies sort to produce quality products at a lower price hence fetching a greater market. The US companies, therefore, had to change their strategies, which entailed the quality of their production. As at that time, a very different quality concept was developed. These companies used consultant and employees' training programs to improve the quality of their production. Cornelison, (2013: 13) argues that the Naval Air system in Japan further coined the quality notion in the improvement of their operations in the 1980s. The notion of Quality in the contemporary world is a strategic way of gaining competitive advantage over other organizations in the same industry or a substitute company. The 1970’s quality revolution marked an era of competition in terms of the products or services that a company offers. Essentially, quality control development was not a one day job for it takes several centuries to mature to what it is today (Cornelison, 2013: 16). Each company, today, is in the pursuit of quality production as a way to gain a wider market share by its quality competitive edge. The success of the organizations today highly depends on their regards towards the total quality management implementation. Implementation process of Total Quality Management ISO 9001 Al-Sabek (2015: 1473), feels that the success of the Total Quality Management ISO 9001 in an organization lies on the implementation process. This process of implementation is governed by various concepts in the organization namely: firstly, the commitment and efforts that the employees put towards the implementation of the total quality management policies. Secondly is the organizational culture on quality improvement (Al-Sabek 2015: 1473). This culture should ensure that the organization continuously administers the quality production. Thirdly is the notion of continuous improvement. Being a continuous and ongoing process, the procedures, policies and practices concerning total quality management ISO 9001 has to be constantly improved. Fourthly, Cornelison, (2013: 15) argues that the employees have to cooperate with the organization in implementation of the process. The involvement of the employees is vital to its success, and, therefore, the cooperation of these employees is proportional to its overall effectiveness. Fifthly, Al-Sabek (2015: 1473) states that the whole process should be governed by the principle of customer focus. Quality production is tailored to satisfy the employees hence garnering more profits. Lastly, effective control has to be laid down for the process to succeed. Observing and evaluating the performance of the organization essentially relies on the control process that the organization lays down (Cornelison, 2013: 15). The implementation of total quality management ISO 9001 is a step-by-step process that the management has to follow for a successful and effective strategy in the organization. Generic model requires the management to follow the following steps in the implementation of Total Quality Management process. Cornelison, (2013: 14) argues that the organization’s top management has to have adequate knowledge on this strategy and, therefore, decides to commit the strategy. Then the organization has to evaluate and do a thorough assessment on the current quality systems, customer satisfaction, as well as the overall organization’s culture. Thirdly, the organization determines the principles and values to be utilized in the process and thereafter communicates them the whole organization. Following the first three steps, a master plan should be developed to guide Total Quality Management ISO 9001. Then the organization should pinpoint and prioritize the demands of the customers hence aligning the products and services towards meeting the demands (Cornelison, 2013: 13). The management should thereby map the processes to be followed in order to gratify the customer needs. Teams should be formed under the authorization of the management to improve the processes. Through training proper planning and coaching where necessary, the managers contribute to the overall success of the implementation process. Daily monitoring of progress and standardization should be done, for the plan to be revised where necessary. Finally, Cornelison, (2013: 15) mentions that the employees should evaluate and give appropriate feedback to the employees during the implementation process. Pros/Cons of Total Quality Management ISO 9001 The contemporary business world has made it even more and more challenging for the organizations to thrive due to the global competition, changes in the environment among other factors. According to Al-Sabek (2015: 1473), total quality management is undeniably a significant good to the overall organizational effectiveness, and, therefore, success by managing these challenges and changes that are an obstacle to the organization. The process of Total Quality Management has portrayed many benefits in both the short run and long run. Total Quality Management is a strengthening strategy in competitive positions. The organizations gains a competitive advantage when they produce quality goods or services (Al-Sabek, 2015: 1473). It also ensures that the organization stays proactive to the changing environment, market conditions or even the government. TQM is a major factor that enables the organization to build a good market image hence attracting more market share, which translates to improved profitability. Due to the optimum utilization of the resources, TQM ensures that there’s reduced wastage in the organization. The process emphasizes on meeting the needs of the customers and hence ensures that the customer drives gratification from the organization hence boosting customer loyalty, which is a major advantage towards the organization. The employees also derive benefits from the process where their morale is boosted due to the high productivity of the organization, which translates to better remuneration. Ultimately, the organization’s productivity is improved as a result of the proper implementation of the Total Quality Management. On the other hand, Al-Sabek (2015: 1473), discusses that total quality management has several drawbacks that hinder its success. The process of implementation requires training and coaching of the employees, which mainly disrupts production. The initial stages of the implementation of this process are more disastrous than advantageous. TQM mainly requires the involvement and commitment of the employees for successful results (Al-Sabek, 2015: 1473). As a result, the resistance by the employees can be a great drawback towards the success of the whole process. Moreover, Al-Sabek (2015: 1473) feels that the failure during implementation of TQM can be detrimental to the survival of the organization in the industry. Therefore, one has to be cautious and keen for the success of the process. The Extent of use in UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an area that mainly focuses on quality production especially in the oil production. The UAE production accounts for the largest percentage that feeds the world with petroleum and its by-products. Having the largest market share, UAE companies have to ensure that quality control is their priority during the production. Over the centuries, global competitiveness has engulfed the world’s market, and, therefore, the companies have been forced to improve their products to attract the customers hence gaining competitiveness. Gherbal (2012: 83-84) recognizes the implementation of total quality management, which he finds to have been the critical factors behind success in Arabic Countries, such as UAE. Gherbal (2012: 84) discusses the success factors that the Arabic countries derive from the implementation of TQM. In that regard, it is evident that UAE understands and utilizes the strategy of TQM in order to enhance its global competitiveness. Al-Sabek (2015: 1473), discusses that there is extensive use of TQM in the construction industry in the UAE. In his paper, Al-Sabek (2015: 1473-1474) shows the benefits that UAE take advantage of when they utilize the TQM strategy in their construction industry and hence keeping the UAE economy vibrant. References Al-Sabek, F. M. 2015, Critical Factors Affecting the Implementation of Total Quality Management in the Construction Industry in U.A.E. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering Vol: 9 (5).p1472 -1476. Retrieved from: http://globaljournals.org/GJHSS_Volume14/4-Critical- Factors-affecting.pdf Chandra, P. V 2013, A Study on Implementation of Total Quality Management in Businesses. International Journal of Engineering Science and Innovative Technology (IJESIT) Vol.2 (3) p440-446, Retrieved from: http://www.ijesit.com/Volume%202/Issue%203/IJESIT201303_61.pdf Cornelison, P 2013, The Effectiveness of Total Quality Management Principles in the Printing Industry. Graphic Communication Department. P1-65. Retrieved from: digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1093&context=grcsp Gherbal, N 2012, Critical Success Factors of Implementing Total Quality Management in Libyan Organizations. Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Istanbul, Turkey. P80-89. Retrieved from: http://ieomsociety.org/ieom2012/pdfs/23.pdf Kaziliūnas, A 2010, The Implementation of Quality Management Systems in Service Organizations. Viešoji Politika Ir Administravimas Public Policy and Administration. Nr. 34, p. 71–82. Retrieved from: https://www.mruni.eu/upload/iblock/aac/71-82.pdf McCubbrey, D 2015, “TQM’s Seven Basic Elements.” Business Fundamentals. Boundless, Retrieved 06 Apr. 2016 from: https://www.boundless.com/users/235420/textbooks/business-fundamentals/operations- management-7/special-topic-total-quality-management-34/tqm-s-seven-basic-elements- 177-15480/ Read More