Total Quality Management Issues - Report Example

Total Quality Management Question#2 Steps for Raising the Levels of Quality in the billing department of a copier's company in Hong Kong Today we arein an era of globalization and intense competition, which calls for a professional approach on behalf of companies and organizations. Quality is now regarded as an important means of bringing in product differentiation. In the world we live today, quality has no substitute and active participation of all concerned towards delivering a quality product or service is of prime importance. The photocopier company has to deal with customers in a routine manner and the sales executives and the customer care executives happen to be the main interface between the Company and its customers. Therefore employee's participation in quality implementation is very crucial in such companies. Oakland (2000) proposed that employees' participation helps in implementing the total quality management (TQM) strategy. For this to happen, employees must be made aware about the different aspects of quality and how they can be partners in implementing quality strategy. Such an arrangement, often termed as the participative form of management, is stated to help the subordinates in sharing the decision making power with their superiors. But the success of any strategy depends upon a number of factors, implementation policy and prevailing circumstances. Therefore the key elements for improving the levels of quality in the billing department include; Training of the workforce Partnership with employees in improving quality levels Mutually Beneficial Tie-up with Related Companies Setting up a Reliable Feedback Channel. Training of the Workforce In view of the evolving global economy, which demands appropriately skilled workforce, most of the governments around the world have started undertaking reforms of their education and training systems, with inclusion of the vocational streams into the system and by providing apprenticeship training to the students. Such training is often provided in technical skills. But the copier company has a mixed workforce which includes trained manpower for carrying out the technical work, maintenance etc. while the other category includes customer care executives and marketing people who require more of behavioural training. There's another category of employees belonging to the accounts and administration branch who might have undergone some training in their respective fields, but when it comes to live experience, their training might require some more polishing to mould them in sync with the company's principles and objectives. John Ruskin, an English critic of 19th century once said, "Quality is never an accident, it is always the result of intelligent effort". This statement sums up the kind of efforts required for deliver value to the customer and for producing a quality product and service. To start with, there must be a sincere effort on the part of the management to keep the communication channels working between workers and management. Interaction at regular intervals with the customer care executives, billing clerks, technicians, sales clerks etc. helps not only in gathering the feedback from them, but such interaction also helps in motivating the workers. Company officials must inform the workers in detail about company policies and objectives. The interactions at regular intervals must be used by the company managers to collect as much information as possible about the expectations of the employees from the company and their apprehensions/ doubts about handling some typical situations. An effort must be made by the company officials to solicit the opinions of the workers in resolving some of the testing situations. Such an exercise would no doubt encourage the workers to come out with innovative solutions, but it will also help in company preparing a detailed database of its working style, working conditions etc., which in turn will help in preparing better customer handling policies. The workers must be trained in handling the customer requests, interacting with them and trying to resolve the issue in minimum possible time. This could be achieved by arranging interactive sessions with some PR professional who gives the all important training to the employees on how to handle the customer's and their requests. In addition, the PR professional will also present with some examples from other organisations. Training in computing and accounting skills forms an important component of the business of the copier company. Though most of computing will be done by the computer, the readings values will be keyed in the computer by the accounts clerk. Therefore, the sales clerk must have the basic idea of how the computer does the calculations and he/she must be able to detect undue variations. Therefore, such trainings must be imparted to the accounts executives by qualified professionals in the fields of accounting, maintaining cash register and computing. Truthful accounting will be able to earn the goodwill of the customer, who in turn will become a goodwill ambassador for the company thus resulting in more business for the company. The value that is being added to the service has to be seen in relation to the customer's needs and expectations. In general, for a company there are both external and internal customers. The external customers are those who use the services of the copier company while the internal customers are the employees and other internal stakeholders. Once the service is delivered to the intended customer, both types of customers must appear to be satisfied. For the external customer to have quality services, it is a prerequisite that the internal customer feels satisfied and motivated enough to go all out in providing quality to the external customers. Building an emotions bond with the customer will increase their perception of the quality the company is delivering to them. Training on Ethics and upright behaviour are also an essential part of providing quality services. During such a training the customer care executives and billing clerks will be told about the importance of being truthful and honest in one's approach, be it in dealing with the finances, the customer, truthful accounting, the fellow workers or the seniors and managers. They must be clear about how an ethical behaviour helps in progress of the company as well as the individual. Partnership with Employees in Improving Quality Levels One form of the participative style developed initially by Japanese to identity variations in quality is termed as Quality Circles (QCs). Small groups of employees assigned to think over a particular issue or problem are termed as quality circles. These quality circles were then supposed to come out with suggestions to be placed before the top management. If the solution gets a go ahead then the quality circles act as team towards successful implementation of the solution. The concept of Quality circles has been used quite successfully in the past, particularly by Japanese entrepreneurs. The business landscape is changing really fast. Factors like diversity, use of technology, relevance and up-gradation etc. now determine the business dynamics. Therefore, the employees, being at the forefront of employing and using any new technology can provide valuable inputs in making such technology more useful for the customer and the company. After its beginning in Japan Quality circles program did flourish in industrial nations like the UK and North America until the 1980s (Stires et al. 1991). Gradually, the concept of quality circles evolved to include different forms of employee participation. In simple words, Quality Circles are problem-solving teams whose ideas can improve Quality, increase motivation, boost Productivity and add Profits to the bottom line, all at the same time. Terry & Franklin (1994) define management as 'a distinct process consisting of activities of planning, organizing, actuating and controlling performed to determine and accomplish stated objectives with the use of human beings and other resources'. This very principle has been the motive for ensuring employees participation in management. Encouraging quality circles often help in resolving tricky situations in organisation as well as with customers. Lewicki & Spencer (1992) state that conflict is one of the key processes of effective organizational functioning. Quality circle helps in froth-floatation of ideas and thoughts from ignited minds of the workforce. Mutually Beneficial Tie-up with Related Companies Any business operates within a complex system of interests and influences. While identifying the stakeholders, the copier company must look beyond the formal structure of company. The copier machines company requires active support and cooperation from some parts supplier companies, paper supplier companies, marketing agencies, hardware/ software supplying companies etc. Therefore the ultimate quality of my company's services will depend upon the quality of the related companies. All such companies are stated to have a stake in the business of our copier company. Johnson & Scholes (1999) define stakeholder as, "Stakeholders are groups or individuals who have a stake in, or expectation of, the organisation's performace". Therefore my company's services could be termed as quality services if it is able to meet the expectations of partner companies and get quality services for our copiers. Setting up a Reliable Feedback Channel The company requires feedback not only from our customers' but from the employees and suppliers as well. Feedback, Interaction and brain storming channels help in ascertaining the interests and learning's of the sales executives, account executives, technicians etc. Such a channel also provides the workforce with the all important feedback about some of their weaker points, which can be worked upon in due course. References: 1. Johnson, G & Scholes, K. (1999). Exploring Corporate Strategy. London, Prentice Hall. 2. Lewicki, R.J. & Spencer, G. (1992). Conflict and Negotiation in Organisations: Introduction and Overview. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 13. 3. Oakland, J., (2000), Total quality management - Text with cases, 2nd edition, Butterworth Heinemann. 4. Stires, Hannah A., Kathleen C. Hayes and Susan C. Whitmore, (1991). Quality Circles. Beltsville, Maryland: National Agricultural Library. 5. Terry, George R and Franklin, Stephen G. (1994). Principles of Management. Richard D Irwin Inc. USA Read More