The Principles of Total Quality Management - Essay Example

Summary The management development process has been adopted in the public and private sectors for the enhancement and development of the new managersand professionals. The enhancement program was adopted and implemented in the Internal Revenue Service which is a public sector agency. The agency has implemented 'the principles of Total Quality Management', in this regard, 'the Richmond District enhanced the program that was conducted in other offices by using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and The Adjective Check List'. The process adopted by the Internal Revenue Service was fabricated to 'identify those interested in managerial positions', not every staff has the potential to be the manager, therefore the experience factor was given dilute consideration against the motivation and leadership qualities of the interested professionals'. The objective of such exercise was to 'provide an opportunity for non-managerial employees to learn about themselves and about the organization's expectations for managers'. The programs initiated by the organization focused on the personal capabilities of the participant, and the methodology was adopted so as to explore the suitable and diversified background and mentalities of the professionals. The question relevant to the personal information, experience, objective, development of the organization, and several case studies were offered to brainstorm the participants. The focus of the exercise was to ensure the enhancement of the managerial and professional expertise of the participants, for that purpose, the exercises 'enabled the participants to assess their values, managerial styles and attitudes, and career interests' (Hayes, 1988). The management oriented sessions and seminars have undoubtedly led the potential participants to realize their potential and capabilities to the fullest, and for that purpose the attribute of decision making was focused, and the evaluation and discussion process was narrowed to that spectrum. Role & Responsibilities The organization usually assigns the managerial responsibilities to the employees of various divisions, keeping in view the difference of area of specialization of the employees. The organization offers employment positions i.e. 'accountants, position classification and labor relations specialists, fiscal analysts, training and development specialists, criminal investigators, taxpayer assistors' (Welch, 2001), in all such respective departments the managerial skills are required to ensure the performance improvement and management development. The Internal Revenue Service has performed required exercises and reviews which has led to the identification of 'twenty one generic skills that managers need, these twenty one skills are divided into four categories: interpersonal skills, analysis and decision making skills, managing systems and organizations, and understanding operations'. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Adjective Check List incorporate the self-assessment relevant to the interpersonal skills category which encompasses, 'self-awareness, understanding individuals and groups, and communications' (Welch, 2001). The scheme has converged the interpersonal skills and managerial skills, and the influence of the respective aspects has been monitored. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and The Adjective Check List has been a source of insight for the participants which have helped these participants to resolve their respective concerns having relevance to the career development process. The techniques have relevance towards the leadership and career development processes. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was designed as per conclusion of the Carl Jung's Psychological Type. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has enabled the participants to concentrate and focus upon managerial skills and leadership qualities, and 'the assessment of their preferences with regard to judging and perceiving' (Jaques, 1989). Techniques & Indicators The findings and the results derived from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator helped the organization in the better understanding of the reaction of the employees to different situation, and such indication was taken as to evaluate the managerial potential and capabilities of the employees. The participants were also encouraged to focus over the areas and topics given extreme consideration during the session so as to learn and apply the suitable teaching where applicable. The Adjective Check List has been another exercise through which the participants can describe and judge their capabilities and potential, which led the participants to the better understanding of themselves. Such techniques have boosted the morale and confidence level of the employees, and have been responsible for the active participation of the employees within their limits and authority. The organization has adopted the principles of the Total Quality Management, which were aimed at the nourishment of the employees in wide areas including, 'top-management leadership and support, focus on the customer, employee training and recognition, and employee empowerment and teamwork' (Hampton, 1987). The core purpose of such performance and managerial enhancement programs were useful in the assessment of the 'congruence between the employees' characteristics and the needs of the total quality organization' (Welch, 2001). The organization has stressed over the implementation of the Total Quality Management, which is an initiative towards the adoption of the 'management-driven philosophy', as per which every member of the organization is liable and encouraged to understand and review the organizational mission, which will eventually result in the improvement of the work conducted within the organization, and will result in the customer satisfaction. The Total Quality Management originated in the 'private sector where organizations' outputs were tangible products and organizations' motivations included maximizing profit', therefore in the case of the public organization, the implementation of the Total Quality Management is restricted to those particular organizations that 'have service as outputs'. It is important to recall that the employees, 'who value opportunities to advance their careers, are motivated if they believe that quality performance will facilitate career advancement', furthermore, the employees who 'believe that there are opportunities for them to advance their careers in an organization also tend to be more satisfied there' (Hamel, 2000). The nature of the job, and the environment offered by the organization has always develop interest in the managers, and several other professionals, because such conducive professional atmosphere provides the professional with an opportunity and hope to apply and implement their thoughts in suitable and best possible manner, aimed at the development of the organization. The contribution from an employee towards an organization can neither be requested nor forcibly retrieved; rather it is the professional environment which supports professionalism which will eventually result in the revelation of the possible skills and leadership qualities, and related contribution from the employees within their limited and restricted capacity (Hirsh, 1987). The responsibility of the managers has been to maximize output from available resources, and for that purpose perfection shall lie in the inputs and the vulnerable forces. In this regard, the element of perfection meant for the professional shall be descriptive, and for that purpose the clarity of the responsibilities and the understanding of the operations and objectives of the organizations shall be fully realized. In this regard, the selected terms relevant to the job design and work organization shall be fully defined and explained, and the aspects relevant to the application of the traditional approach towards the job design and work organization shall be fully examined and reviewed. The alternative forces shall be described and elaborated which counter the cognizance of needs of the employees, for that purpose the organization shall encourage the generation of proposals and ideas which shall be reviewed and debated, so that the optimized version of the ideas and recommendations can be extracted. The organization further needs to stress over the significance of the adaptability which shall be practiced by the employees on need basis, so that productivity benefit shall be achieved. All such factors are essential and are likely to contribute towards the professional development of the employees which will eventually result in the enhancement of the performance (Nadler, 1998). Problem Resolution The given reforms are mandatory to ensure that the qualitative outcomes are achieved through relevant exercises related to any organization. The description of the job is fundamental, and content of such description shall be explained as, 'Job design and work organization is the specification of the contents, method and relationships of jobs to satisfy technological and organizational requirements as well as the personal needs of job holders' (Gough, 1983). Previously the element of interest and personal motivation were found missing, the technical capabilities of the employees have never been a matter of debate, however the personal and mental capacities and limitations are either ignored or not respected which resulted in the poor performance of the organization. Apparently, the rise in the demands pertaining to the particpation of the employees and the industrial democracy has also distorted the professional environment. Such all complains were lately resolved and answered through the unique approach of the organization, the organization has understood the significance of the employees, and had realized that their performance is not based upon their professional capabilities, but rather it is the function of the mental capability of the employee related to the friendly and conducive environment offered to the employees occasionally. The need of the employees that focus upon peaceful, conducive and liberal environment has been ensured, which required the reevaluation of the professional practices of the organization. The primary focus of the organization has shifted, the organization has practiced shift towards the aspirations of the employees, and has tried to ensure that beside customer satisfaction, the element of the employee satisfaction is respected and followed. The satisfaction of the employee is not restricted to remuneration or any other financial privileges, rather it is based upon the fact that whether the mental and physical limitations of the employees are respected, to ensure that the mental stress shall not derail the professional enthusiasm of the employees. The organization followed and adopted several sort of actions to ensure that the standards are protected and secured, and the morale of the employees is boosted which will subsequently result in the enhancement of the performance (Mahler, 1986). Comparative Analysis The company has realized that the leadership bench strength, which ensures 'the availability of strong and deep pools of talent, and is able to assume a number of varied leadership roles at various levels' (Hamel, 2000), although the issue has technical limitations, however if the companies initiate their new talent-management practices with proper objectives, will achieve better picture, 'it is not substantial to move forward with a vague sense of improving leadership bench depth, when new practices unfold without a clear sense of what results must be delivered, they become mere activity generators', (Hamel, 2000) which will demoralize the employees, and will demote any practice relevant to the performance enhancement program. The company has decided over to review their annual organization review policy, and has intended to replace it with the system of ongoing dialogue. In contrast, the General Electric, IBM, or Citicorp, have adopted different strategy, where 'it is often best to start with a few key practices likely to produce tangible results, geared to the needs of the company' (Hamel, 2000), the management of the company has to coordinate with the Human Resource leadership to decide over the 'set of outcomes and targets for the process' (Gough, 1983), such comprehensive and detailed overview will ensure the success of the performance enhancement policies. Recommendations The annual organizational review system has been considered a failure due to the minor incorporation of the value addition, it has been observed that the review system conducted on the annual basis has offered relieve to the administrations, 'many line managers simply update forms from the previous year to satisfy the task' (Keely, 1999), and its annual occurrence has been another highlight which in some of the cases has offered escape to the junior management, therefore to ensure that the performance enhancement is implemented, the review system shall be continuous instead of discrete. In one of the companies i.e. PBI Corp., 'the management committee spends one full day together each quarter comparing, rating, and ranking a field of seven key leaders against 30 to 40 others previously evaluated, during the course of discussion, the development plans are identified for each of the seven current candidates. After successive quarter meetings, the sponsors will report back on how the candidates reacted to the feedback they were provided, and in six months the same sponsors will report on what development actions have taken place' (Keely, 1999). The routine follow-up has potential to improve and enhance the standards of the professional commitment of the employees, and such commitment can not be monitored on annual basis, rather frequent inspection will not only be responsible for the deeper involvement of the management into the affairs of the company, but will also render their efficient and proactive response towards the company. References 1. Hamel, G. Leading the Revolution. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. 2000 2. Jaques, E. Requisite Organization. Arlington, VA: Cason Hall Publishers. 1989. 3. Keely, L. Strategic Choices. Dublin Group presentation materials, unpublished. 1999 4. Gough, H. G., and Heilbrun, A. B. The Adjective Check List Manual. 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