TQM and Traditional Management Practices

In the modern Business, Customers are the gods of the market, and entities have started to recognize them as such. The customers are the ultimate force that drives the business and they determine which business grows and which gets purged.

No one can run in the long run if they can not please the customers with their products and services. So, how DO you please the customers? Just ask yourself a couple of questions:

What are the customers demands ?

What should be the price which would be lower than competitior ?

What is the quality that an organisation can satisfy the customers ?

In order to reply to all these questions, an organisation may have to develop, renovate and modify and delete several of their management practices.

Among the countless approaches for the management of processes, products or services, Total Quality Management is one of the best.

If so, what does TQM have which an traditional approach lacks?

 Here we will understand how TQM is different than traditional approaches to customer satisfaction. Some of the key differences are as follows:

Strategic Planning and Management:

Strategic planning and quality planning are the main considerations in TQM. Quality of the products or services have main consideration in business decisions. Measures such as customer satisfaction, defect rates, and process cycle times gets much attention in the strategic plan as financial and marketing objectives.

Changing Relationships with Customers and Suppliers:

In TQM, quality is defined as products and services beyond present needs and expectations of customers. It critically demands Innovation to meet and exceed customers' needs. However, in case of traditional management customers are excluded in its consideration. TQM views everyone inside the enterprise as a customer of an internal or external supplier, and a supplier of an external or internal customer. 

Organizational Structure:

TQM requires the committed collabaration of organisation, suppliers and customers. Each process is connected to the enterprise's mission and purpose through a hierarchy of micro- and macro-processes.

Organizational Change:

TQM states that the environment in which an organisation operates is changeable frequently. Therefor it is necessary for the organisation to provide the leadership role for continual improvement and innovation in processes and systems, products, and services. External change is inescapable, but a favorable future can be shaped.

Teamwork:

TQM demands the collective presense of all from top to bottom level. Organisation should create such environment where everyperson can feel ownership and cooperate in team structures such as quality circles, steering committees, and self-directed work teams. 

Motivation and Job Design:

TQM managers provide leadership in the processes of their subordinates, who are viewed as process managers rather than functional specialists. People are motivated to make meaningful contributions to what they believe is an important and noble cause, of value to the enterprise and society. The system enables people to feel like winners.

So implementation of TQM believes on the team work for the continuous of improvement and to achieve business goals.

If you have any queries, please feel free to comment.

Thank You.