Total Quality Management

Management

Holmes, Rustin L. Confronting TQM Resisters Head-On - The Medical Laboratory Observer 1996, p. 1-4

Abstract

Total Quality Management involves employees working in teams toward a common goal to manage the organization. This is a spreading practice in the healthcare industry. However when first presented with this new method of management some people are often skeptical. Many have been working under one philosophy of management for so long that they may find it hard to change over to a new style. There is ways though to make this transition go smoother.

The first way is to mandate accountability. After each decision is made make sure each employee knows what is expected of them and when. You must maintain clear communication with everyone in order to achieve the desired results. Prohibit any whining. If one person is complaining that they can't do their job because other co-workers aren't cooperating, then have them come up with a solution. The other person may not even realize there is a problem, but if everyone gets together and discusses the issue calmly, a resolution can be reached. Enforce the decisions once they are made. If a decision that is made is not being followed, and people are being allowed to get away with it, then you as a manager are just as much at fault. Helping employees see the big picture of things will also help. They may not understand why things are getting done a certain way around the organization, but when the facts are presented, they may see the light. This transition from an old system to Total Quality Management will not be done in a day though. It may take up to months to see significant improvement. Realistic goals and regular progress reports will help the process but everyone must be willing to work together. Once it picks up it will quickly gain momentum and be well worth the wait.

Critique

I felt that the article was written quite well. The title of the article was Confronting TQM Resisters Head-On and that's exactly what it did. It recognized that not everyone would easily adapt to TQM. It gave examples of peoples complaints about the system and for each complaint it gave a managerial solution as well as an explanation and reason for it. In the first line when it mentioned that TQM was one