CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, previously unchallenged American industries lost substantial market share in both US and world markets. To regain the competitive edge, companies began to adopt productivity improvement programs which had proven themselves particularly successful in Japan. One of these improvement programs was the total quality management (TQM) (Kaynak, 2003).
Since the 1980s to date, there has been an increasing awareness and implementation of practices associated with TQM as well as other manufacturing practices (Cua, Mckone, & Schroeder, 2001).
We have seen the growing adoption of a range of quality and management systems standards, the emergence of total quality
…show more content…
Crosby is well-known for his "Quality is free" concept and his zero defects concepts. Crosby’s philosophy can be described best by his 14 quality steps.
Feigenbaum (1991) was the originator of total quality control concept which he introduced in the 1950s as a business method and proposed three steps to quality; quality leadership, modern quality technology and Organizational commitment.
Ishikawa made many contributions to quality. These include the five principles on total quality namely; process affects results, continuous improvement must be a way of life, problems must be prevented rather than reacted to, people who do the work must be involved and results must be measureable and proposed the seven basic tools of quality as a problem solving tool (Ishikawa, 1985, 1989).
Various studies on TQM measurement have led to the identification of practices which are commonly cited as part of a TQM program. These practices include management leadership, training, employee relations, quality data and reporting, supplier quality management, product / service design and process management (Saraph, Benson, & Schroeder, 1989; Flynn, Schroeder, & Sakakibara, 1994; Ahire, Golhar, & Waller,
TQM, or total quality management, is defined as "the process that involves everyone in an organization focusing on the customer to continually improve value". I do believe that all organizations should use TQM. It results in better quality products that result in better value, and these are the two aspects, in which customers look at in order to know if they want to buy the product. As long as organizations use TQM, they will always have products that customers are willing to buy.
Modern quality management can be traced back to the early 1920s, when statistical theory was first applied to product quality control. This concept was further developed in Japan in the 1940s and 1950s, and was led by “quality gurus” such as Deming, Juran and Feigenbaum (Business Performance Improvement Resources). Total quality management is the management of initiatives and procedures aimed at achieving the delivery of quality products and services. There are many different aspects of TQM and a variety of principles included in the TQM process. One of the principles is the involvement of executive management to serve as the main driver to create the environment to ensure success. Another principle is training for employees on the methods and concepts of quality. Customer focus is a third principle to ensure that improvements in quality lead to increased customer satisfaction. A fourth principle focuses on making quality decisions based on measurements. This enables quantification to the quality process. The principle of metho...
In the mid 1980s, and into the 1990s, business leaders realized that a renewed focus on quality was required to continue to compete in an expanding global market. (NIST, 2010) Consequently, several strategic frameworks were developed for managing, and measuring organizational performance. Among them were the Malcomb Baldrige National Quality Award, which was created by and act of congress and signed into law by the President in 1987, and The Balanced Scorecard, which is a performance management tool that was born out of research conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Robert S. Kaplan, and David P. Norton published in 1996 (Kaplan, 1996). Initially, the renewed emphasis on quality management systems was a reaction to the LEAN approach to quality management implemented by many Japanese businesses to great success post World War II.
The article provides good inputs regarding TQM process, its role, benefits as well as challenges, and so quite apt for further
...ld 318). The costs of a quality system must be managed so a reasonable value-to-price-relationship can be achieved. High quality will help a company increase profits through lower costs. It is critical that management focus on long term objectives instead of taking a limited outlook on growth and market share. The strategy of focusing on the customer and quality will equate to greater market share and higher profits. Reducing costs should be part of the continuous improvement process. Strategic cost management is the process of utilizing cost information to formulate and communicate strategies to all levels of the organization. A balance must be obtained to provide the customer with a quality product at a cost that provides for a profit for the company. The potential customer is becoming more and more conscious of quality. It makes sense for a business to cut their costs by improving the quality of the product thereby enhancing the appeal of a product or service in the market place. The challenge is for each business to strive for the kind of business culture that will succeed in spite of the unknown and the unknowable. The quality management philosophy searches for this culture.
The 1990’s are the period of Globalization. In order for businesses to be economical in this setting they have seen the authoritative need for Excellence. Though through the eras foremost to the 90's there have been many "experts" who have obviously emphasized the necessity for Total Quality Management Systems in businesses, but due to many aspects these concepts have either gone unheard, or been tinkle word for a short while. A methodical, purposeful, value model like TQM should be sincerely sightseen and misused. Continuous developments are possibly the greatest influential idea to guide administration through the a...
Quality cannot be improved without significant losses in productivity. It is imperative that the top management provides leadership and support for quality initiatives. Quality goals are moving targets and improving quality requires establishment of effective metrics. The three aspects of total quality management are counting, customers and culture. Customer’s impression of quality begins from the initial contact with the company and continues throughout the life of the product. All departments of the organization must strive to improve the quality of their operations. Value based approach relies on service dimensions like reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and
The word quality management comes into our mind means managing quality not only improving product quality. While making a product, the needs and demands of the customers must be kept in mind and the product should be up to people’s expectations. (Simons, 2000) says Total quality management is a very popular approach as it signifies the calibration and rationalization of operating procedures to guarantee high quality and low rates. The success of this approach depends upon the evaluation of manager’s performance. (Abernethy, 2003). A concept tells that conferring to consumer’s perception, quality is, satisfying his or her needs which includes its exterior, its working capability and its dependability.
According to the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 published in 1987 the QMS consists of principals that are used as guidelines to ensure customer satisfaction and continuous quality improvement throughout the manufacturing industry (ASQ 2016). The main objective of ISO 9000 is to execute a management system throughout the organization in order to increase efficiency, reduce excessive costs, and distribute processes that promotes good
Armand Vallin Feigenbaum was born on April 6, 1922 and lived to November 13, 2014. He was an American quality control expert and businessman known for the concept of Total Quality Control which later became Total Quality Management (TQM). He obtained a bachelor’s degree from Union College and his master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. He progressed to a PHD in Economics from MIT. In 1958, he became the Director of Manufacturing Operations at General Electric for a period of ten years. During that period, he was chair of a special committee under the American Society for Quality that laid the foundation for raising the level of importance of quality control in professional
Total Quality Management (TQM) is the art of managing the whole to achieve excellence. It is a continuous effort of management along with the employees of an organization to improve the quality of products and services. It holds the belief that all employees should collaborate with each other to produce high quality products and services in order to meet customers' demands and satisfaction. Everyone within an organization plays an essential role in achieving overall customer satisfaction. A successful business should provide high quality products and services to the customers. It can be achieve by focusing on continuous improvements in every aspect of an organization (e.g. processes, systems, people, suppliers, partners, products
Armand V. Feigenbaum. He is known as the father of what is referred to as Total Quality Management. According to his foundation he developed the “Total Quality Control” concept while concurrently at GE. He introduced the concept first in an article in 1946. In 1951, while a doctoral student at MIT, Dr. Feigenbaum wrote the first edition of his book Total Quality Control. He established the principles of Total Quality Management (“TQM”), the approach to quality and profitability that has profoundly influenced management strategy and productivity in the competition for world markets in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. He wrote, “Total quality control is an effective system for integrating the quality development, quality maintenance, and quality improvement efforts of the various groups in an organization so as to enable production and service at the most economical levels which allow full customer satisfaction.” (Feigenbaum Foundation, 2013) His principles of TQM were as
Dr. Deming believed that quality did not have an exact definition and that the customer is the one that can
Ishikawa is also known for his key ideas in user friendly quality control, the implementation of quality circles, and his emphasis on the internal customer. Ishikawa took an alre...
Customers are becoming increasingly aware of rising standards, having access to wide range of products and services to choose from. There is an ever-increasing demand for quality product and/or services and this global revolution had forced organizations to invest substantial resources in adopting and implementing total quality management strategies.