Total Quality Management

Abstract

Total Quality Management is the term applied to putting the consumer first and instilling quality assurance measures for a product. Globalization has truly impacted the way that Total Quality Management has been instituted. Total Quality Management has changed compared to the traditional management styles. The focus is now more on the consumers instead of internally.

What is TQM

The phrase "The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease" reminds me of the processes involved with TQM or Total Quality Management. Total Quality Management can be defined as the process by which and organization seeks to improve the quality of the product or services through ongoing research, testing, and feedback (TQM, 2002). Total Quality Management basically is taking a product and trying to wear it out, use it up, and then see what might break or malfunction before the customer actually has the product in their hands. Once the areas of weakness are discovered, the parts that are malfunctioning are replaced before the product is put in the consumers hands.

Impact of Globalization

Globalization makes Total Quality Management happen. As the companies get bigger, there is an increasing demand for JIT management (just-in-time), which Total Quality Management embraces. This makes things move faster, further pushing along globalization. This also calls for the removal of bottlenecks in production resulting in high quality. To sum up in a nutshell, globalization calls for things to be faster, better (because if you're not good, you're not utilizing your competitiveness), and hence comes Total Quality Management philosophy, which embraces this idea. This makes things faster, while also pushing along globalization.

Management Styles

There are many differences in the traditional management style vs the Total Quality Management style. To truly understand the radical change management has made, there must be an understanding of how procedures were once done. Traditionally the products quality was defined internally. If the factory had produced a product that was done with the best materials, looked good and seemingly worked properly, then the product was deemed quality. With Total Quality Management, the products worth is defined by the consumer. Is the consumer happy with the product, how is the consumer going to use the product, and does the product meet the customers expectations. The focus has changed as well as the level of responsibility. With traditional management, if something went wrong with a product, it must be the worker that was making the product, and that worker was replaced. With Total Quality Management, more responsibility is placed on the manager if the consumer is not satisfied. Total Quality Management focuses on quality assurance and this is built into every machine and every product. Total Quality Management has basically restructured the thinking of the organization (TQM, 2006).