Contemporary Issues on Total Quality Management - Research Paper Example

Contemporary Issues on Total Quality Management One manager has shared his lament on the practice of total quality management, as follows: “The problem isn’t that we don’t know what to do but rather that we struggle to do what we know we should do on a daily basis where our quality improvement process is concerned ... and we’ve been at TQM for over six years already” (Longenecker & Scazzero, 1993). The exercise of total quality management TQM) as a strategy for gaining competitive advantage has been adopted by an increasing number of international organisations, and has somehow evolved to become a competitive mandate. The assumption of TQM is quite apparent: quality improvement can be attained if a firm drafts a management philosophy of continuous improvement and breeds the required best practices (Juran, 1993). Gradually and patiently, majoritiy of international organisations have been effective at the implementation of TQM practices during the previous decade, with more than satisfactory outcomes. For instance, United Parcel Service, Motorola, Ford, Cadillac, Nestlé, Airbus, Shell, Toyota and Phillips are some of the more popular TQM achievers in the global marketplace. However, it may be worthy to note that their quality practices took substantial time and paitence to conceptualise, draft, and implement. Much more so, was the time necessary for these best practices to mature and to be maintained. Quality gurus such as Deming, Juran, Scholtes and Crosby taught that organisations ought to adopt a quality improvement approach from a long-term perspective. They also gave a warning that attaining some quality improvement may somewhat lead to complacency. Moreover, they concur that obstacles to quality may include a whole host of factors, encompassing both novel and current organisationa issues (Walton, 1986). Quality experts contend that majority of quality enhancement research are inclined on concentrating on the initial start-up phase of the improvement process and is somewhat lacking on considering long-term challenges (Mann & Kehoe, 1995). Studies on organisational life cycles and organisational development has apparently illustrated that as firms grow, mature, and grow more stable, several issues are brought forth at each cycle of the phase. Certain quality gurus hold a similar perspective on the quality improvement cycle that exists as the firm proceeds through an initial start-up, followed by a development phase at which maturity as a TQM firm ensues (Harrington, 1987). The initial TQM start-up phase necessitates breaking exercises the organisation has been accustomed to, and applying critical TQM practices. Moreover, this phase calls for the development of an organisational framework that will allow the systematic resolution of quality issues and building credibility for the improvement process (Harrington, 1987). The TQM development phase necessitates that the firm build on initial successes, expand the degree of organization involvement, developing better “systems” to support quality improvement efforts and refining corrective action procedures. The TQM maturity phase is distinguished by TQM practices being strongly anchored on in organizational strategy and planning, management decision making, human resource practices and support systems improvement. The foundational practices of total quality management must be focused on and refined at each phase of the TQM cycle for the organization to become increasingly effective at continuous improvement. This enhanced proficiency at improving quality is imperative since quality standards and expectations are constantly increasing in the ultra-competitive global market (Gehari, 1993). Summarizing these points, firms must learn and mature on an ongoing basis to preclude quality processes from being stagnant or even becoming ineffective over time. Deming has argued that management complacency and a lack of organizational discipline can prevent improvement efforts from maturing and developing to the next level (Deming, 1982). Juran has argued that these same tendencies can cause even the best TQM systems to break down with the passage of time and changes in key personnel (Juran, 1988). Previous research has demonstrated the painstaking and labour-intensive challenges of properly implementing TQM practices (Juran, 1988). Once these practices are in place and quality begins to improve, it is easy for an organization to become complacent or lose focus several years into the quality improvement process. Deming (1982) has advocated that effective and long-term quality improvement requires the following: A belief on the part of managers that their TQM process is effective; A belief on the part of managers that there is still a need for improvement; A commitment on the part of all organizational members to practise TQM on an ongoing basis; The ability to focus on and respond to long-term quality problems; Maintaining organizational support for TQM efforts; and Integrating TQM into the organization’s management philosophy and strategy. The manager’s lament in our opening quote succinctly summarized this concern when he stated, “it isn’t that we don’t know what to do [to improve quality] but rather we struggle to do what we know we should do on a daily basis”. In this research, we explore the perceptions of experienced TQM managers on the persistent quality problems which exist in maturing TQM organizations which prevent them from increasing quality to a new and higher level. We will also attempt to address the following research questions: Do experienced managers still consider TQM to be an effective tool to improve quality? Are workers and managers perceived to practise TQM on an ongoing basis? What happens to an organization’s commitment to and enthusiasm for TQM over time? What specific organizational problems cause ongoing quality problems? The answers to these questions should encourage and help TQM managers to reaffirm their commitment to continuous improvement and identify barriers to TQM maturity. In an investigation conducted by Longenecker & Scazzero (1993), a survey of 137 upper-level managers to was undertaken to determine their perceptions of their TQM practices and to identify the current threats to quality faced by maturing TQM organizations. The average age of participants was 43.7 years with 13.6 years of managerial experience. These managers worked in a total of ten different multinational manufacturing and service organizations, all of which had been involved in a formal TQM effort for at least six years with the average time of organizational TQM involvement being 7.4 years. The surveys were administered at the start of focus group meetings at each of these organizations designed to look for ways to improve long-term quality. Respondents represented a host of cross-functional areas including operations, quality improvement, customer service and administrative services. Results of the Study In reviewing the results of the study, a number of observations are in order. First, based on the responses to questions 1 and 2, managers in this study overwhelmingly believe that TQM is an effective strategy for improving quality and that it has achieved results in their organizations. These are extremely positive findings which provide solid evidence that experienced managers strongly believe TQM works. Questions 3, 4 and 5 address the issue of long-term quality improvement and nine out of ten managers in this study believe that there is room for further quality improvement in their organizations. While 72 per cent of managers stated their organizations had ongoing quality problems, only 59 per cent stated that their organizations were well-focused in dealing with long-term quality problems. This “gap” suggests that while there is still room for improvement and that ongoing quality problems exist, managers believe that their organizations are not as focused as they ought to be in dealing with these problems. Managers generally perceive themselves to be good TQM practitioners but do not hold the same view of their organizational counterparts. Seventy-eight per cent of the managers stated that they practised the principles of TQM compared with only 47 per cent of other managers in their organization. This is especially interesting in the light of their perception that 67 per cent of workers in their organizations practised the principles of TQM. Thus, managers in this study believed that workers were more likely to practise TQM than their fellow organizational leaders. On the issue of organizational enthusiasm and support for the TQM process, almost one-half of the respondents stated that both factors had diminished since their TQM initial start-up while 40 per cent of managers believed that their organization’s overall management philosophy/strategy no longer embraced the principles of TQM. These findings suggest that long-term quality improvement might be in jeopardy as organizational enthusiasm and support for TQM decrease over time. It also indicates that some firms never completely TQM principles into their overall management philosophy and strategy which is an imperative for long-term continuous improvement. Moreover, the study presents rather interesting diagnosis of many of the persistent issues that organizations face on their road to long-term continuous improvement. This list of causes provides a checklist of organizational barriers which represent ongoing quality struggles for many TQM organizations. This list can be broken down into three categories of quality problems: People problems which cover individuals not performing their jobs effectively, communication breakdowns, lack of teamwork/conflict, poorly trained workers and lack of worker input and commitment. Management problems which include improper supervision, conflicting/unrealistic goals, poor planning and organizing, lack of resources, and lack of top management support. TQM systems problems which encompass ineffective corrective action procedures, people not aware that quality problems exist (ineffective feedback mechanisms), ineffective measurement procedures, unrealistic quality standards, and technology/equipment problems (Longenecker & Scazzero, 1993). Taken together, long-term quality improvement efforts must address specific people, management and system problems that either develop or persist over time. In reviewing the specific examples of ongoing quality problems presented in the study, it is interesting to note the almost total absence of technical problems. Deming has observed that technical problems are often relatively easier to address where quality is concerned (Deming, 1984). The majority of problems are softer in nature: people and managerial factors. This supports the widely-held view that people and managerial issues are the key to long-term quality improvement and that these issues require an ongoing adjustment (alignment) in an organization’s overall operating culture and management practice. Implications of These Issues for Practice In reviewing managerial perceptions of TQM a number of rather interesting paradoxes and contrasts emerge. First, managers strongly believe that TQM improves quality, yet their organizations are not so likely to implement TQM principles fully into their overall management philosophy and strategy. Second, while TQM is perceived as an effective tool to improve quality, enthusiasm and support for the process diminish with time. Third, while most managers admit that there is still room for improvement and that ongoing quality problems exist, organizations are less than completely focused on dealing with long-term quality problems. Fourth, managers consider themselves to be more likely to practise TQM than their peers in the organization. Finally, managers reported that the leaders (managers) are less likely to practise TQM principles than are the organizations’ followers (employees). These factors are issues which all TQM organizations must strive to address on a long-term basis and organizations would be well-served to consider the following lessons: The conduct an organizational audit of the current TQM system. Maturing TQM organizations are well served to survey management personnel on the issues identified in their respective organisations to evaluate their present perception of the organization’s TQM processes and the consequences of these perceptions. Managers should be surveyed first to assess their belief in the TQM process and willingness to support this effort in both word and deed. Workers should then be surveyed to elicit their perceptions and input of the organization’s TQM process to determining their support and confidence in the system. Such an audit permits the firm a chance to determine its status along the TQM continuum and provides input on what procedure the firm must undertake to move forward in the TQM maturation process. The feedback garnered from this process can be an invaluable source of information and impetus for change. Management support/action is critical to long-term quality improvement. It is a well-documented fact that management support is needed to get any TQM effort started. What is not always apparent is the necessity of the continued involvement and support managers must demonstrate to keep TQM efforts viable. To this end, top management must make continuous improvement an ongoing priority for managers throughout the organization. Managers’ roles and duties must be specified with continuous improvement as part and parcel of every manager’s job description. Involvement on correction action teams, providing leadership on defining and refining quality standards, providing the resources necessary for improvement, developing and implementing feedback mechanisms and coaching are all critical elements of a manager’s job as a TQM leader. Managers must be selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and rewarded on their ability to foster continuous improvement in their areas of responsibility within the organization. Without this focus, managers’ enthusiasm and support for TQM will weaken over time creating less than positive role models for the rest of the organization. Remember that people are the key to long-term improvement. Technical problems are dealt with early on in the TQM process, overall. Based on Longenecker & Scazzero’s (1993) study, it is suggested that long-term improvement is built on systematically considering the “human side of quality”. Towards this goal, employees across levels are required to be aptly led by their superiors. In addition, employees need to be properly trained to perform their jobs, need to develop effective problem-solving/conflict-resolution skills, need effective communication skills, and to be taught how to function in team oriented cultures. Moreover, employee input must be systematically tapped by managers on issues which affect both continuous improvement and the workplace. Feedback and coaching for the individual is paramount for overall TQM efforts to progress. In summary, practice and research indicate that workers are the critical ingredients in long-term quality improvement and that they respond favourably when given proper support and leadership. The human component cannot be shrugged off or neglected without negative outcomes. TQM systems must continuously improve TQM. Once an efficient improvement system is established within an organization, quality will be improved. Yet, even the most effective systems must undergo transition and mature with the dynamic demands associated and with changing organizational needs. This indiates that systematic approaches to long-term quality improvement must be occassionally critiqued and feedback provided to improve quality improvement systems. Towards this objective, corrective action procedures must be changedand streamlined, feedback mechanisms must be constantly assessed and enhanced, quality standards must evolve and measurement procedures must be meaningful and cost-effecient. Without adjustmentsm these TQM systems can serve as obstacles rather than assist quality improvement and be perceived as barriers to improvement. Moreover, technical improvements must be made to operating systems to keep them viable and technologically up-to-date. If TQM systems fail to practise continuous improvement, the outcomes for the firm will be both negative and ironic. At the individual manager level, a number of relflective queries are in order for managers operating in stable and mature TQM international organizations: Am I practising continuous improvement on an ongoing basis? Am I encouraging my subordinates to practise the principles of TQM through my actions? Am I providing leadership in addressing ongoing/persistent quality problems? Am I providing leadership to improve our existing quality improvement processes? Are we using corrective action procedures in an effective and efficient manner? (Longenecker & Scazzero, 1993) These are issues that TQM managers must be reflect on a personal basis. The responses to these questions are crucial and represent an authentic evaluation of a firm’s leadership commitment to long-term continuous improvement. In conclusion, TQM systems were believed to be effective by practising managers in this global research. And yet, these systems require constant support and leadership to sustain their effectiveness in the long term. Moreover, literature indicate that it is worthwhile to assess the perceptions of practising managers to identify the status and needs for an ongoing TQM process. We can learn that while achieving long-term quality improvement is a noble goal, a host of barriers exist that threaten this process. Without a commitment to eliminate these barriers, and to the practice of TQM, quality improvement for international organisations is threatened. The outcome is a quality improvement process hoped for by competitors that will lose its effectiveness through time. Hard earned quality gains can be futile without constant persisitence and diligence from all organizational members. It is for this reason that quality will always be a strategic tool in the global marketplace because the quality achievements of yesterday mean little to our competitors and customers. References Deming, W.E. (1982). Quality and productivity and competitive position. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Deming, W.E. (1984). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Gehari, R.R. (1993). Quality value chain - a meta-synthesis of frontiers of quality movement. Academy of Management Executive, 7(2), 29-42. Harrington, H.J. (1987). The improvement process. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Juran, J. (1988). Juran on planning for quality. New York, NY: Free Press. Juran, J. (1993). Made in USA: a Renaissance in quality. Harvard Business Review, July-August 1993, 42-50. Longenecker, C.O., Scazzero, J.A. (1993). Total quality management from theory to practice: a case study. International Journal of Reliability & Quality Management, 10(5), 24-31. Mann, R. & Kehoe, D. (1995). Factors affecting the implementation and success of TQM. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 12 (1). Walton, M. (1986). The Deming management method. New York, NY: Perigee Books. Read More