BTQ 3094

TQM FOR MANAGERS

ASSIGNMENT 1 :

ARTICLE REVIEW

“ TQM – Lessons to Be Learned from Failure”John McManus

FARAH AINAA

BC100A

Managing Service Quality, Vol. 4 No. 6, 1994, pp. 8-9 © MCB University Press, 0960-4529

BRIEF SUMMARY

• This article-a survey on staff attitudes to TQM undertaken within the IT department.

• 3 main themes:

(1) formal knowledge

(2) group participation

(3) people commitment

• Most of the staff within the department recognize the need for total quality.

• As a conclusions: the company has not surged quality down through the organization’s daily routine.

QUESTIONS

• Asked if they had attended a TQM workshop?

• How interesting& useful they had found it?

• How the work of their team or group affected their work overall?

• How greatly other quality teams or groups affected their work?

• How employees rated the time their colleagues spent on quality improvement activities?

• How they rated the time spent at team briefings?

• About company/department & employee communications

• How they rated the company’s commitment to TQM?

FINDINGS

• Employees who were not a “senior or middle management” had the least opportunity to attend a workshop.

• Most respondents: rarely used the knowledge gained from the workshops.

• Author’s view :

The response is linked to the lack of publicity about the benefits of TQM & lack of awareness by staff.

• Number of other areas which restrict the success of introducing TQM on a broader level:

(a) Communications

(b) Internal quality initiatives

(c) Training

• Willingness of staff to accept the benefits of TQM and other quality related concepts.

CONCLUSIONS

• Total= everyone is involved in, Quality= continuously improving customer service, Management= with data and profound knowledge.

• (W. Edwards Deming) 14 points, key concepts:(a) Break down barriers between departments.(b) Management should learn their responsibilities, and

take on leadership.(c) Institute a vigorous program of education and self-

improvement.(d) Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish

the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.