Basic Concept of TQM
The above principles are bandied freely around in the above discussion. Its worth dwelling with each for a moment.
Be customer–focused means everything you do will be done by placing the customer in the centre. The company should regularly check customer’s attitudes. This will include the external and internal customer concept.
Do it right first time so that there is no rework. This essentially means cutting down on the amount of defective work.
Constantly improve, this allows the company gradually to get better. One of the axioms use by TQM people is ‘‘A 5% improvement in 100% of the areas is easier than a 100% improvement in 5% of the areas.
Quality is an attitude The attidue is what differentiates between excellence and mediocracy. Therefore it’s very important to change the attitude of the entire workforce i.e., basically the way the company works company’s work culture.
Telling the staff what is going on means keeping the entire workforce informed about he general direction the company is headed in typically this includes them briefings, one of the main elements to TQM.
Training and education of the workforce is a vital ingredient, as untrained staff tend to commit mistakes. Enlarging the skill base of the staff essentially makes them do a wider range of jobs and do them better. In the new system of working under TQM educating the staff is one of the principles.
Measurement of work allows the company to make decisions based on facts, it also helps them to maintain standards and keep processes with in the agreed tolerance levels.
The involvement of senior management is essential. The lack of which will cause the TQM program to fail.
Getting employees to make decision on the spot so that the customer does not face any inconvenience in empowering the employees.
Mailing it a good place to work. In many an organisation there exists a lot of fear in the staff. The fear of the boss, fear of mistakes of being sacked. TQM program is any company filled with fear cannot work, therefore fear has to be driven out of the company before starting of TQM program.
Introduce team working, its boosts employee morale. It also reduces conflict among the staff. It reduces the role of authority and responsibility, and it provides better more balanced solutions. In a lot of companies teamwork is discouraged, so TQM programs must encourage it.
Organise by process, not by function. This concentrates on getting the product to the customer by reducing the barriers between the different departments.
Following an international conference in May 1990, the Conference Board summarized the key issues and terminology related to TQM:
