Total Quality Management
Total quality management (TQM) is the process of monitoring and continually improving
the quality of products while increasing productivity. Organizations large and small
witness significant improvement of product quality and production levels when TQM is
implemented properly. This paper will provide an explanation of TQM, compare and
contrast traditional and quality-focused management styles, the impact of globalization on
quality, and how TQM can benefit a specific organization.
Defining Total Quality Management
Total quality management should be broken down to understand the definition and impact
of the management style. The term *ƒ²*ƒ”€š?total means complete or entire; in the
business world the term *ƒ²*ƒ”€š?total is all encompassing from top management
personnel to every employee an organization may have. Total includes every process and
procedure relative to the organization product or service. Quality is the second component
of TQM, but quality has a number of different perceived definitions, the most common,
however, is “an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute”“
(Dictionary.com, 2008), others define *ƒ²*ƒ”€š?quality as a degree of excellence whether
positive or negative. In business quality is used to define a product or service in relation to
the cost of the product or service and is based on the customer base for a particular
organization.
In the instance where two organizations provide the same product or service, a consumer
will likely investigate the cost associated with each respective product. During the
investigation process the consumer may discover one organization charges more for the
product or service than the other organization, but the more expensive product includes
“extras”“ to meet the consumer needs. Automobile insurance is an industry where many
organizations compete for customers, but the product provided is essentially the same. The
many insurance providers have developed “extras”“ to attract the consumer such as
Accident Forgiveness by Allstat