Principles involved in the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM)

TQM has helped out businesses for a long time and there are steps that have to be taken to ensure that it is implemented properly in an organization. The first step is to find all the relevant information about the company. The organization’s history, current market needs, the events that led them to implement TQM and the current quality of living for their employees.

Moving away from traditional ways

If these factors are not included in the preconditions, then the organization will have to set them up before TQM can become a success. It is worthy to note that TQM will be easier to implement if all the preconditions are available and if they have an effective response to the challenges that they face. It is very important that the company is flexible, this will make it easier for them to adapt to the changes that TQM will inevitably bring.

If an organization has a history of being reactive to changes but lacks the skills to improve their current working systems, then the employees will be skeptical about the changes and their lack of skills will affect the change. If that is the case, then the company will have to put in place programs that will teach the staff how to manage the changes and leadership development should also be looked into.

A tool, the management audit is a very useful tool that can be used to assess the current organizational levels, how they function and the areas that should be changed to improve quality. Basically, this implies that an organization has to be healthy before it can begin implementing TQM. TQM will not be effective it the appropriate conditions is not put in place and if the company still has significant problems to take care of. Some of the problems that have to be taken care of before TQM can be implemented include unstable funding base, weak administrative systems, lack of managerial skill, or poor employee morale.

It is also believed that stress is needed for TQM to begin. Being tired of your current working situation is the biggest catalyst to TQM implementation. The need to change the traditional way of thinking, improving strategic decision-making process, empowering the highly skilled employees, and changing the events for the better are all vehicles needed to succeed.
Moving away from traditional ways of handling the company’s activities involves finding and using ways that will make the general production process even better and faster. The ways that the employees solve a problem will have to change. Crisis, if it doesn’t come in a great magnitude can help create a sense of urgency within the organization, and this will ultimately lead to a reaction that will improve the current processes.

Implementing TQM is a strategic decision that an organization has to properly plan for. As the leader, you will have to assume the role of primary mover and champion the whole movement. You will have to bring new ideas that will revolutionize the production processes in the company. Infrastructure will also have to be put in place to ensure that TQM will succeed and it becomes institutional.

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