TQM - A Starter Thread
From an old post - just to get things started...
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Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 10:28:15 -0400
From: [email protected]
Subject: TQM-Deming/Kaizen??
I'm currently taking a graduate course entitled Managing Quality which encompasses the entire issue of total quality management. I agree with John in that many of the buzzwords we hear today (i.e. benchmarking, quality circles, empowerment, self-directed teams, etc..) are actually a part of the entire quality evolution. Two books we're reading that may be helpful are 1) The Race Without a Finish Line by Warren Schmidt and Jerome Finnigan and 2) Improving Performance by Geary Rummler and Alan Brache.
Following are some points from the book that you may find interesting. Perhaps it would be a great opportunity to discuss some of these together in more detail.
* TQM involves a change of organization culture, with greater emphasis on collaboration and teamwork. TQM is a new way of organizational life. TQM is a new paradigm of management.
* 85% of quality problems in American industry are the fault of management (Deming).
* Basic beliefs that American managers still find hard to accept: 1) it actually costs less to make a high quality product than a product of poor quality, 2) increasing the reliability of a process reduces its cost, 3) the relationship between boss & subordinate is not inherently adversarial, 4) lack of education does not mean lack of intelligence
* Management Theories & Practices Contributing to TQM: 1) Scientific Management: Finding the Best Way to Do a Job, 2) Group Dynamics: Enlisting & Organizing the Power of Group Experience, 3) Training & Development: Investing in Human Capital, 4) Achievement Motivation: People Get Satisfaction from Accomplishment, 5) Employee Involvement: Workers Should Have Some Influence in the Organization, 6) Sociotechnical Systems: Organizations Operate as Open Systems, 7) Organization Development: Helping Organizations to Learn & Change, 8) Corporate Culture: Beliefs, Myths, and Values that Guide the Behavior of People Throughout the Organization, 9) The New Leadership Theory: Inspiring & Empowering Others to Act, 10) The Linking Pin Concept of Organizations: Creating Cross-Functional Teams, 11) Strategic Planning
* Management Theories & Practices Not Compatible with TQM: 1) Bureaucratic Management: Direction from the Boss; Compliance from the Subordinate, 2) Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware, 3) MBO & MBR, 4) Internal Competition: Encouraging Each Department to be Number 1, 5) The Strategy of Organizational Stability: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It, 6) Antagonism Toward Union: Workers' Interests are Basically Different from Manager's Interests, 7) Bottom Line Driven: The First Test for Every Decision and Action
* Single Goal of TQM: Customer Satisfaction! Single Focus: A Process that Produces Consistent Quality! The basics of TQM philosophy and process can be stated simply: to design and manage a process that satisfies the customer in an increasingly effective way.
* TQM Manager's 4 Key Responsibilities: 1) provide vision and leadership, 2) document and standardize the processes and empower the workers to carry them out, 3) continuously improve the processes, 4) innovate, introducing substantial changes when necessary and feasible
* 8 Principles Underlying TQManagement: 1) Principle of Customer Satisfaction, 2) Principle of Challenge, 3) Principle of Process, 4) Principle of Continuous Improvement, 5) Principle of Collaboration, 6) Principle of Change, 7) Principle of Measurements, 8) Principle of Persistence
* Critical Behaviors of TQManagers: 1) Give priority attention to customers and their needs, 2) empower rather than control subordinates, 3) emphasize improvement rather than maintenance, 4) emphasize prevention by inspection of the process, 5) encourage collaboration rather than competition, 6) train and coach rather than direct and supervise, 7) learn from problems rather than minimizing them, 8) continually try to improve communication
* Walk the Talk! CEO & executives must walk their talk every day. Their actions, rather than their words, will communicate their level of commitment.
Hope this gives some insight for you!!
Carie Andree Muskegon, MI
[email protected]
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Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 10:42:03 -0400 From: [email protected] Subject: Finance Dept/TQM
As I mentioned in my previous message, a couple of the key principles underlying TQM Management are 1) the Principle of Collaboration and 2) the Principle of Measurements. For your Finance Manager to indicate that you should be focusing your time on some other "bigger" department is a clear sign to me that collaboration is not happening here. In fact, the book I'm reading indicates "no part of an organization is self-sufficient and independent....interdependence is the new cornerstone of the customer-driven organization. Each part (including finance) is privy to the data that the others need to do their job in the most effective and efficient manner."
Further, I would believe that the Principle of Measurement would directly affect your Finance department. The book indicates "the principle of measurements was one of Deming's most important contributions and is at the heart of managing by fact and Kaizen. Goals that cannot be measured are merely slogans...measurable goals not only serve to keep people accurate in their assessment of success but also serve to energize people through feelings of accomplishment and challenge."
What greater opportunity exists for a department that hopefully contains individuals with an analytical mind?? Most often the numbers will paint a picture that is more helpful than anything else! Who is closest to the numbers??? Your Finance Department! I would suggest getting them on board!
Carie Andree Muskegon, MI
[email protected]
From an old post - just to get things started...
---------snippo------
Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 10:28:15 -0400
From: [email protected]
Subject: TQM-Deming/Kaizen??
I'm currently taking a graduate course entitled Managing Quality which encompasses the entire issue of total quality management. I agree with John in that many of the buzzwords we hear today (i.e. benchmarking, quality circles, empowerment, self-directed teams, etc..) are actually a part of the entire quality evolution. Two books we're reading that may be helpful are 1) The Race Without a Finish Line by Warren Schmidt and Jerome Finnigan and 2) Improving Performance by Geary Rummler and Alan Brache.
Following are some points from the book that you may find interesting. Perhaps it would be a great opportunity to discuss some of these together in more detail.
* TQM involves a change of organization culture, with greater emphasis on collaboration and teamwork. TQM is a new way of organizational life. TQM is a new paradigm of management.
* 85% of quality problems in American industry are the fault of management (Deming).
* Basic beliefs that American managers still find hard to accept: 1) it actually costs less to make a high quality product than a product of poor quality, 2) increasing the reliability of a process reduces its cost, 3) the relationship between boss & subordinate is not inherently adversarial, 4) lack of education does not mean lack of intelligence
* Management Theories & Practices Contributing to TQM: 1) Scientific Management: Finding the Best Way to Do a Job, 2) Group Dynamics: Enlisting & Organizing the Power of Group Experience, 3) Training & Development: Investing in Human Capital, 4) Achievement Motivation: People Get Satisfaction from Accomplishment, 5) Employee Involvement: Workers Should Have Some Influence in the Organization, 6) Sociotechnical Systems: Organizations Operate as Open Systems, 7) Organization Development: Helping Organizations to Learn & Change, 8) Corporate Culture: Beliefs, Myths, and Values that Guide the Behavior of People Throughout the Organization, 9) The New Leadership Theory: Inspiring & Empowering Others to Act, 10) The Linking Pin Concept of Organizations: Creating Cross-Functional Teams, 11) Strategic Planning
* Management Theories & Practices Not Compatible with TQM: 1) Bureaucratic Management: Direction from the Boss; Compliance from the Subordinate, 2) Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware, 3) MBO & MBR, 4) Internal Competition: Encouraging Each Department to be Number 1, 5) The Strategy of Organizational Stability: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It, 6) Antagonism Toward Union: Workers' Interests are Basically Different from Manager's Interests, 7) Bottom Line Driven: The First Test for Every Decision and Action
* Single Goal of TQM: Customer Satisfaction! Single Focus: A Process that Produces Consistent Quality! The basics of TQM philosophy and process can be stated simply: to design and manage a process that satisfies the customer in an increasingly effective way.
* TQM Manager's 4 Key Responsibilities: 1) provide vision and leadership, 2) document and standardize the processes and empower the workers to carry them out, 3) continuously improve the processes, 4) innovate, introducing substantial changes when necessary and feasible
* 8 Principles Underlying TQManagement: 1) Principle of Customer Satisfaction, 2) Principle of Challenge, 3) Principle of Process, 4) Principle of Continuous Improvement, 5) Principle of Collaboration, 6) Principle of Change, 7) Principle of Measurements, 8) Principle of Persistence
* Critical Behaviors of TQManagers: 1) Give priority attention to customers and their needs, 2) empower rather than control subordinates, 3) emphasize improvement rather than maintenance, 4) emphasize prevention by inspection of the process, 5) encourage collaboration rather than competition, 6) train and coach rather than direct and supervise, 7) learn from problems rather than minimizing them, 8) continually try to improve communication
* Walk the Talk! CEO & executives must walk their talk every day. Their actions, rather than their words, will communicate their level of commitment.
Hope this gives some insight for you!!
Carie Andree Muskegon, MI
[email protected]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 10:42:03 -0400 From: [email protected] Subject: Finance Dept/TQM
As I mentioned in my previous message, a couple of the key principles underlying TQM Management are 1) the Principle of Collaboration and 2) the Principle of Measurements. For your Finance Manager to indicate that you should be focusing your time on some other "bigger" department is a clear sign to me that collaboration is not happening here. In fact, the book I'm reading indicates "no part of an organization is self-sufficient and independent....interdependence is the new cornerstone of the customer-driven organization. Each part (including finance) is privy to the data that the others need to do their job in the most effective and efficient manner."
Further, I would believe that the Principle of Measurement would directly affect your Finance department. The book indicates "the principle of measurements was one of Deming's most important contributions and is at the heart of managing by fact and Kaizen. Goals that cannot be measured are merely slogans...measurable goals not only serve to keep people accurate in their assessment of success but also serve to energize people through feelings of accomplishment and challenge."
What greater opportunity exists for a department that hopefully contains individuals with an analytical mind?? Most often the numbers will paint a picture that is more helpful than anything else! Who is closest to the numbers??? Your Finance Department! I would suggest getting them on board!
Carie Andree Muskegon, MI
[email protected]