P
PeachMonkey
Guest
There were a great number of writers and thinkers who influenced the management catchphrase "Total Quality Management", or TQM.
(Supposedly) adopted by organizations of all kinds worldwide, TQM has suffered, like most such philosophies, from poor implementation and "buzzword"-isation, thus watering down its message and casting scepticism on its value.
As with most management philosophies, it's also generated a lot of self-referential jargon which I find irritating, and I think anyone should naturally be suspect of this sort of thing.
As with any philosophy, however, it is always best to judge it on its actual merits and what its originators actually said and believed.
The tenets of TQM sprung from the research of Dr. W Edward Deming. Deming had a difficult time convincing American businesses of its utility, at first, but during the post-WWII reconstruction of Japan, Japanese companies pounced on the philosophy with enthusiasm (reinforced as it was by a similar Japanese concept of "kaizen"). The philosophy was so successful in Japan that the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers instituted the Deming Prize to recognize companies that positively influence management and quality control in Japan.
TQM's focus on (unsurprisingly) quality output helped Japanese companies to quickly develop quality products that muscled American products out of their traditional markets. Many American companies, after getting spanked in this fashion, began implementing at least some portions of TQM, and in the process became more competitive.
Again, as with most such things, many, many people ignored the real lessons and simply paid it lip service.
More on the tenets in another post.
(Supposedly) adopted by organizations of all kinds worldwide, TQM has suffered, like most such philosophies, from poor implementation and "buzzword"-isation, thus watering down its message and casting scepticism on its value.
As with most management philosophies, it's also generated a lot of self-referential jargon which I find irritating, and I think anyone should naturally be suspect of this sort of thing.
As with any philosophy, however, it is always best to judge it on its actual merits and what its originators actually said and believed.
The tenets of TQM sprung from the research of Dr. W Edward Deming. Deming had a difficult time convincing American businesses of its utility, at first, but during the post-WWII reconstruction of Japan, Japanese companies pounced on the philosophy with enthusiasm (reinforced as it was by a similar Japanese concept of "kaizen"). The philosophy was so successful in Japan that the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers instituted the Deming Prize to recognize companies that positively influence management and quality control in Japan.
TQM's focus on (unsurprisingly) quality output helped Japanese companies to quickly develop quality products that muscled American products out of their traditional markets. Many American companies, after getting spanked in this fashion, began implementing at least some portions of TQM, and in the process became more competitive.
Again, as with most such things, many, many people ignored the real lessons and simply paid it lip service.
More on the tenets in another post.