Impact Of TQM On Employee Performance

Arumugam, V., Chang, H., Ooi, K., and Teh, P. (2009). "Self-assessment of TQM practices: a case analysis", The TQM Journal, 21(1), 46 – 58. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/journals.htm?articleid=1766744&show=abstract#sthash.TkDGZoZ7.dpuf

What is total quality management and how is it being used to better our companies? Total Quality Management is a comprehensive and structured approach to organizational management. That is used to improve the quality of products and services through ongoing refinements, and changes due to the continuous feedback. TQM requirements may be defined differently depending on the particular organization, or may already adherence to previously established standards. TQM can be applied to any type of organization; it originated in the manufacturing district, and has since been adapted for almost every type of organization imaginable, including organizations such as, schools, highway maintenance, hotel management, and churches. TQM is based on

* Total quality management (TQM): This model is concerned with the performance of all processes in an organisation, and the products and services that are the outcomes of those processes. It seeks continuous improvement and will involve everyone in the quest for quality.

“The responsibility for ensuring high-quality guest services and accommodations rests primarily with employees” (Partlow, 1993). Both companies use this motto to guide their team in TQM. The Strategic Group and the Ritz-Carlton understand and implement the TQM concept of managing organizations with a set of tools, policies and procedures that ensure quality production and services. These set of tools are given to employees to succeed and to create and recreate the excellence of the culture in the companies. Stakeholders and top management come to agreement of minds that employees are the backbone of the companies because they are the ones that are representing the company in reflection to what has taught in training and seen by example of upper management. Both companies also believe that when involving employees in the decision making process instead of governing them, employees have a sense autonomy that generates pride in what they do in turn will be present in the way of work and they eyes of customers.

Although an organization may consist of many different functional specialties often organized into vertically structured departments, it is the horizontal processes interconnecting these functions that are the focus of TQM.

In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services, and the culture in which they work” (ASQ, 2016). TQM can be used based off eight (8) key elements that most if not all companies use. The key elements are customer-focused, total employee involvement, process-centered, integrated system, strategic and systematic approach, fact-based decision making and lastly communication. The first element of TQM is the most important element, which is the customer.

The total quality management (TQM) incorporates quality into all the activities of the organization through an ongoing process. This control makes sure that there is a continuous improvement in all the activities and there will not be any chances for defects. TQM ensures safety and helps improve customer satisfaction (Daft, 2014).

* Senior TQM leaders must read TQM literature and attend conferences to be aware of TQM tools and methods

Management's assessment of staff: managers evaluate employees are not traditionally known in the workplace, but this idea has spread is between the organization recently. This strategy gives workers the right to evaluate the managers where they can feel that there is equality in the organization. As a result, it may increase the performance of employees.

There are two board approaches of TQM, which are hard approach and soft approach (Hill, 1991). The hard approach used the statistical methods to emphasize continuous improvement and get better result of productivity and profits whereas soft approach is to create strong organization culture and meet customers’ demand by focusing on leadership, employee involvement and culture change (Fotopoulos & Psomas, 2009). So, there are three TQM fundamental pillars according to most TQM approaches, which are top management commitment, continuous improvement and employee involvement (Slack, Chambers & Johnston, 2007). Top managers can improve the performance and effectively change the culture of an organization (Kaynak, 2013) in ensuring the successful implementation of TQM (Coulson-Thomas, 1991; Doyle, 1992). Xerox’s top management used the benchmarking strategy which is a “ standard or point of reference in measuring or judging quality, value, etc ” (Webster, 1979) to incorporate ideas into own operation by identifying and learning the best perform critical business functions of other organizations. For examples, Xerox studied the ideas from Cummins Engine Company to improve production scheduling and ideas from L.L.Bean for improving the distribution system (Camp, 1992). Besides, top managers of Xerox were required to promote and ensure their employees stay on track with the new quality strategy in their routine

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an improvement tool that is widely used in many companies. It consists of many aspects including Managing people as well as business processes in order to maintain customer satisfaction. With TQM, Businesses starts to do the right thing from the start and to ensure zero error. Therefore, it is important to learn the principle of TQM and how it acts in organizations with its advantages and disadvantages.

TQM is a management philosophy that seeks to integrate all organizational functions, it starts with identifying who are our customers and what are their requirements.

TQM gives some short-term advantages, however majority of advantages is long-termed, and tangible benefits from them appear only after successful realization. In big organizations this process can take few years. Long-term benefits expected from implementation of TQM - higher productivity, higher moral tonus of personnel, decreasing of costs and increasing of consumers ' trust.

Employee engagement & teamwork by everyone in the org 3. process focus supported by continuous improvement & learning; w/ TQ, an org actively seeks to identify customer needs & expectations, to build Q into work processes by looking into the knowledge of its workforce, & to continually improve every facet of the org; customer is principal judge of Q. TQ practices: Strategic planning & design of org & work systems, Customer engagement & knowledge acquisition, Workforce mgmt, Process mgmt, Info & knowledge mgmt, Leadership. TQ techniques: tools include a wide variety of graphical & statistical methods to plan work activities, collect data, analyze results, monitor progress, & solve problems. Competitive advantage: firm’s ability to achieve market superiority. Six characteristics of strong competitive advantage: 1. It is driven by customer wants & needs 2. Makes a significant contribution to the success of the business 3. Matches org 's unique resources w/ opportunities in the environment, a good strategy uses the firm’s particular resources effectively. 4. Durable & long lasting, difficult for competitors to copy 5. Provides basis for further improvement 6. Provides direction & motivation to the entire org. The net effect of improved Q of design & conformance is increased profits. Vital to focus Q improvement on both design & conformance. Q & Business Results Businesses that invest in Q mgmt efforts

Anjard (1995) argues that it is no longer a luxury or a question as to whether Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy should be adopted. He states that “unless we adopt the concepts of continuous improvement, we are guaranteeing organizational obsolescence”. TQM is a visionary movement which represents a final recognition of a management philosophy that encourages employees to share responsibility for delivering quality services and products. Commitment from the top as well as a willingness to transform an organization from the bottom up is essential for effective implementation. More importantly Anjard (1995), goes on to say that effective TQM managers lead, coach and mentor amongst other things and that managers must train everyone and provide them with the knowledge, skills and tools needed for continuous quality improvement.