Total Quality Management

( A Sign of Weakness ? )

• Why do so many companies openly embrace Total Quality Management when in difficulty but choose to ignore its contribution when the company finds itself back on the growth cycle?

• Why is it that managers never take the time to have proper metrics in place to measure the "Total" contribution of T.Q.M. ( & Employee Involvement ) ?

• Why are so many companies failing to successfully implement and sustain T.Q.M.?

By many "Autocratic" managers T.Q.M. is viewed as a sign of weakness in the organization, a "Remedy" to cure a illness. The "Illness" (normally just the symptom) is usually viewed as a short term problem which requires immediate diagnosis and a quick solution. This may require the assistance of employees outside the management circle and T.Q.M. provides the perfect forum. T.Q.M. is not in these circumstances viewed as a cultural change but rather a management tool to involve employees in solving problems to achieve a particular set of results – it is unforgivable to reduce T.Q.M. to such a level.

Such managers believe that in normal circumstances "management" should be capable of running the business without having to resort to T.Q.M. philosophies/techniques and employee involvement, after all is that not what managers are paid for?

For them T.Q.M. is a crutch to lean on in times of crisis, when the organization is "sick" and needs a little something to help it through its "illness" (T.Q.M. is prescribed by all of the best business school doctors!). But when the company is back on its feet again it’s time for the managers to take over the reins and the employees to get back to work.

How quickly we can forget that the medicine that got us better may well help us to stay healthy and possibly help us grow, remember bad management is a chronic illness and needs constant care, how many managers are willing to accept this fact?. How many managers believe that they have a monopoly on the best solutions on all aspects of the business?.

T.Q.M. IS AN EVOLVING CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN THE WORKPLACE not a collection of tools and techniques to solve problems. Any company serious about implementing T.Q.M. will spend the time & effort to train/educate its workforce in the concepts/principles/tools & techniques prior to implementation. The implementation "Process" like any business process should be clearly thought out, well defined and implemented to an agreed plan. The T.Q.M. "Activity" will not sustain itself, a support structure must be put in place to nurture, keep it healthy and help it grow.