The Roles of Learning and Motivation in Total Quality Management - Essay Example

Introduction Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management quality philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement on all areas of functions, processes and operations in an attempt to integrate, to incorporate and to embed quality at the very core of the organization. Total Quality Management is a systematic management approach that places at the heart of the priorities the issue of quality in all its facets; from the supply chain to the customer service and from the operations to the marketing practices (Wilkinson et al., 2007). Total Quality Management has been widely acknowledged and practiced by successful organizations and firms on a world wide basis; the philosophy originates with the concept of continuous improvement but expands to a wide array of different processes to ensure that quality is the utmost objective of all organizational operations (Terziovski et al., 2000). In addition to that TQM highlights the critical issue of customer satisfaction as a benchmark for measuring, assessing, evaluating and achieving eventually high quality standards in the provision of both services and products. While Total Quality Management is considered a systematic approach to quality, the majority of researchers argue that it is more of a philosophical perspective and view of the organization rather than a practical implementation of systems and tools. According to Coyle-Shapiro (1999) the objective of TQM is to transform an organizational culture towards a culture of quality. Ambroz (2004) posits that the culture is the dominant issue in TQM and most importantly the culture becomes a key ‘ingredient’ for achieving successful TQM. Within the framework of culture two critical issues emerge; the learning orientation of the organization and the employees’ motivation and participation towards managing and continuously improving quality (Dimitriades, 2000; Wilkinson et al., 2003; Yeh, 2003). This paper discusses the role of the learning orientation and the motivation of employees towards this respect. Learning Organization and Total Quality Management Total Quality Management is the philosophy which places quality at the very top of every organizational operation or process. Adopting a TQM approach to managing quality fairly implies that the organization is transformed to a quality oriented organization; this further implies that the culture of organization is transformed towards a more quality-drive and quality-focus culture. This transformation is not only theoretical but it becomes practical too, when processes and procedures are redesigned or re-configured in order to adhere to the TQM perspectives. Such transformations are then pertinent to the culture of the organization and the degree in which the culture is underpinned by the orientation to ‘learn’. Organizational learning as defined by Wang and Ahmed (2003) is the orientation of firms which focus predominantly on acquiring knowledge, utilizing knowledge and transforming knowledge into competitive advantage in order to cope with turbulent industry or market environments (turbulent denotes environments which are fast changing and dynamic) (Chang and Sun, 2007; Terziovski et al., 2000). The relationship between organizational learning and Total Quality Management has been overviewed and researched in many academic and empirical studies. Terziovski et al. (2000) and Wang and Ahmed (2003) thoroughly discuss how the TQM philosophy fosters and strengthens the learning orientation of the firm through the efforts on continuous improvement, which are underpinned by the development of systems which facilitate knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization. Although the role of Total Quality Management in the learning organization is well established in its theoretical basis, many researchers argue that learning is also a contributing factor to the implementation of TQM. According to Chang and Sun (2007) Total Quality Management and Organizational learning develop synergies which are of critical importance to the competitiveness of a firm. TQM improves the orientation towards learning, but the reverse is also true and as Wang and Ahmed (2003) posit, it is the learning organization that can be transformed into a TQM organization. Learning implies accumulation of knowledge and effective leverage of this knowledge towards organizational improvement. Terziovski et al. (2000) state, that, the learning orientation is a prerequisite of Total Quality Management approach because it enables the firm to adopt other perspectives on managerial systems. Martinez –Costa and Jeminez-Jeminez (2008) explain that learning organizations are those work environments which foster the creation of knowledge. Knowledge and learning however originate with the individual and then they generalize to the entire system (Terziovski et al., 2000). This is very important in Total Quality Management as it is a philosophy that underlines personal development and alignment of the personal interests with the organizational interests. Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard (1999) support, that, the role of learning in Total Quality Management is essential because it addresses issues of improvement, development and innovation. A learning organization is more likely to encompass, embrace and build upon new knowledge; knowledge in turn when utilized effectively and leveraged strategically can lead to innovations and as the authors explain innovations are closely linked with the philosophy of TQM which emphasizes continuous improvement and therefore sets the grounds for innovative activity. Chang and Sun (2007) explore the models of a learning organization in order to establish a link between learning and Total Quality Management. The authors posit that TQM is all about changing organizational culture and organizational processes in such a manner that the aspect of quality becomes central and the satisfaction of the customer becomes the critical purpose and mission. But these can more effectively be pursued in organizational environments where learning and the creation of new knowledge are integral components of the organizational culture. Similarly, Terziovski et al. (2000) comments that the model developed by Peter Senge and which adheres to the learning organization, constitute defining elements of the Total Quality Management. Systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning – which are the five disciplines of organizational learning – become integral components of the approach to Total Quality Management. Systems thinking is the synergistic development of ‘thinking’ not on an individual basis but on a holistic basis; this fosters the integration and alignment of organizational members to the TQM philosophy (Chang and Sun, 2007). Personal mastery implies the development and utilization of knowledge first on the individual level and then on the organizational level; this enables the organization to adopt a systems and unified approach to TQM (Terziovski et al., 2000). Mental models allow the implementation of effective TQM practices through enabling the revision of assumptions and views on quality and its centrality to the organizational competitiveness. Shared vision and team learning are both facilitators of TQM as they underline synergies on the one hand between efforts of employees, organizational members and common sets of values and beliefs which build upon the concept of continuous improvement of quality. Employees’ Motivation and Total Quality Management The importance of employees as integral components of a successful Total Quality Management approach in an organization has been identified and stressed by many authors such as Dimitriades (2000), Pool (2000) and Yeh (2003). According to these researchers, it is the employees that attach meaning and essence to the systems of Total Quality Management due to the fact that above all organizations are employee intensive. Processes, procedures, operations and functions are all handled and implemented by the employees; in that respect aligning employees with both the concept and the philosophy of Total Quality Management is amongst the most critical and fundamental issues that need to be accomplished by managers. Daily and Bishop (2003) argue that involvement and participation of employees are determinant variables of the degree of TQM success. When the organizational members become involved they eventually develop interests in the well being of the organization and in turn when the organization emphasizes quality, the members become aligned to the organizational mission and the values. Similarly, when organizational members participate in the overall improvement and continuous development they are eventually ‘integrated’ to the organizational system which draws upon the issues of quality. But as Coyle – Shapiro (1999) states, both participation and involvement are products of employee motivation. Thus the ultimate objective in an organization implementing a TQM approach is to promote and enhance the motivation of employees. According to Wilkinson et al. (2007) the embeddedness of quality within the organizational culture is a product or an outcome of organizational effort and focus; but both effort and focus predominantly refer to the employees’ or the organizational members’ efforts and focus. Employees who are motivated are more enthused and more systematic in their approach to quality because they find personal interest in achieving high standards of quality and because they perceive that organizational development and improvement means personal development and improvement as well (Yeh, 2003). The evidence of the importance of employees’ motivation on Total Quality Management, as proposed by Wilkinson et al. (2007) is the formation and development of the so called quality circles. These circles are ‘communities’ which are informally created and which comprise organizational members discussing, reviewing, assessing and proposing solutions or recommendations on issues of quality or improvement of quality. These quality circles however are only made possible if the employees feel the motivation to become part of these small, informal communities; it is the motivation that determines the extent to which employees will become active participants or active drivers of continuous improvements on quality. As Ambroz (2004) comments, quality is the ‘result’ of the need and motivation of employees to connect and communicate with each other. Another very critical issue that is stressed by Dimitriades (2000) and Yeh (2003) is the development of teams and the overall teamwork that is fostered by employee motivation on the one hand and which is crucial to the Total Quality Management approach on the other hand. Total Quality Management implies ‘totality’ in all its facets; one of these facets is the holistic effort towards continuous improvement and this holistic effort becomes feasible through the teamwork. As Daily and Bishop (2003) note, teamwork reflects the ultimate and outmost expression of a TQM philosophy but teamwork becomes effective when employees are motivated and engaged to the organization. Motivation drives willingness to integrate and to become part of the entire system. But as Yeh (2003) explains, motivation needs not to be viewed as a component for enabling ‘systems’ of Total Quality Management; motivation also enables improvement on its own. Employees who are motivated by their values, aspirations, involvement to the organization and commitment to quality, they will eventually focus on improving quality and they will place at the heart of their activities the objective of quality. Daily and Bishop (2003) and Yeh (2003) further discuss the role of employee motivation by linking the strategic approach to managing quality with the commitment of the organizational members to the concept of customer satisfaction. Motivation is about intrinsic as well as extrinsic incentives which are likely to influence the employees’ behaviour; motivation towards satisfying the customer automatically becomes motivation towards increasing quality standards within a quality –focused organization. To this respect, employees become committed to both issues, which are both highly underlined by the TQM approach. According to Ambroz (2004) TQM brings about changes and transformations on both the culture and the organizational processes; when these changes or transformations are con-joined with the motivation of employees towards improvement then the strategic role of TQM is more consistent and effective. Conclusions Total Quality Management is a systematic approach to continuously improving quality within an organization. It originates with the culture of the organization as it is fundamentally a philosophy which emphasizes and highlights the importance of quality in achieving customer satisfaction. Total Quality Management is about transforming the organizational culture to a quality – oriented culture. The quality oriented culture is then being further enhanced and promoted by two important prerequisites; the learning orientation of the organization and the motivation, commitment and involvement of the organizational members. Both these aspects are critical not only for setting the grounds for a Total Quality Management approach (setting the grounds in terms of ‘welcoming’ change in the culture through the orientation towards ‘new knowledge’ and the commitment or motivation of employees towards the organizational goals), but also for the effective and strategic implementation of Total Quality Management as well. In this essay, the author has presented various academic views and theories which link first of all the learning organization with the TQM approach through the generic five disciplines of the theory of organizational learning and researchers’ perspectives on the critical contribution of the motivation of employees not only with regards to embracing the transformation of processes and redesign of operations towards the goal of achieving greater quality, but also with regards to contributing to the improvement of quality directly. References Ambroz, M. (2004), Total Quality System as a product of the empowered corporate culture’, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 93-104 Daily, B.F. and Bishop, J.W. (2003). ‘TQM Workforce Factors and Employee Involvement: The Pivotal Role of Teamwork’, Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 392 - 412 Chang, D.S. and Sun, K.L. (2007), ‘Exploring the Correspondence between Total Quality Management and Peter Senge’s Disciplines of a Learning Organization: A Taiwan Perspective’, Total Quality Management, Vol. 18, No. 7, pp. 807–822 Coyle – Shapiro, J.A.M. (1999), ‘Employee participation and assessment of organizational change intervention: a three wave study of Total Quality Management’, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 439 - 456 Dahlgaard, J.J. and Dahlgaard S.M. (1999), ‘Integrating business excellence and innovation management: Developing a culture for innovation, creativity and learning’, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, Vol. 10, No. &5, pp. 465 – 472 Dimitriades, Z. (2000), ‘Total involvement in quality management’, Journal of Team Performance Management, Vol. 6, No. 7&8, pp. 117 – 122 Martinez-Costa, M. and Jimenez-Jimenez, D. (2008), ‘Are companies that implement TQM better learning organisations? Total Quality Management, Vol. 19, No. 11, pp 1101–1115 Rodrigues, C.A. (2007), ‘The Quality Organization: A Conceptual Framework’, Total Quality Management, Vol. 18, No. 7, pp. 697–713 Pool, S.W. (2000), ‘The learning organization: motivating employees by integrating TQM philosophy in a supportive organizational culture’, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 373-378 Terziovski, M., Howel, A., Sohal, A. and Morrisson, M. (2000). ‘Establishing mutual dependence between TQM and the learning organization: a multiple case study analysis’, The Learning Organization, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 23 - 32 Wang, C.L. and Ahmed, P.K. (2003). ‘Organisational learning: a critical review’, The Learning Organization, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 8 – 17 Wilkinson, A., Marchington, M. and Goodman, J. (2007). ‘Total Quality Management and Employee Involvement’, Human Resource Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 1 – 20 Yeh, Y.J. (2003), ‘Implementing a sustainable TQM system: employee focus’, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 257 – 265 Read More