Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management is a structured system for satisfying internal and external customers and suppliers by integrating the business environment, continuous improvement, and breakthroughs with development, improvement, and maintenance cycles while changing organizational culture. A remarkable thing is happening as we see the awakening of the individual and the collaboration of empowered people in the team effort of total quality management. It is a renewing, a reinforcing and a building of a bridge of trust among the individuals responsible for accomplishing a common goal (The Total Quality Review; May 1994). One of the goals is to build an organizational environment conducive to job redesign and cross training in order to facilitate job flexibility. TQM initiatives in areas of common concern provide an opportunity to form and better control the relationship with a company's external vital customers and suppliers. TQM is essential for companies seeking to provide quality goods and services to their customers. The end result is that they will enjoy prosperity and long-term growth. "In order to compete in a global economy, our products, systems and services must be of a higher quality than our competition. Increasing Total Quality is our number on priority here at Hewlett-Packard. -John Young, President of Hewlett-Packard" (www.dmu.ac.uk.htm). Often companies find themselves faced with a dilemma that is rooted to a lack of TQM. This was the case with Apple Computers. They were unable to conceive a working, productive relationship between their managers and engineers. Apple found themselves unable to alleviate this problem, which ultimately hindered it from responding to environmental changes. The positive effects of TQM has transcended down through the ranks. Non-profit organizations have begun to embrace TQM throughout their organization, relying on the positive results found throughout the business world. Ev...