The Effect of total Quality Management on Productivity in an Organisation | MBA College in Bangalore with Business Analytics

Posted by Prof. NSR Murthy On 02/12/2021 09:20:47

Introduction
The action plan for the improvement of quality in an organization which intern contributes for the productivity includes employees clustered under teamwork and are as follows:

• Quality Improvement Teams 
• Quality Awareness 
• Employee Education 
• Goal Setting 
• Quality Councils. 

The early establishment of a Quality Improvement Team is vital to the success of the quality improvement process. The quality improvement team is a multi-functional and interdepartmental team whose role is to drive the process as well as to ensure that quality commitment among employees permeates all levels and departments in the organisation. 

The responsibilities of the quality improvement team include the following: 
  • to develop a detailed quality strategy and to action the quality improvement programme.
  • to establish the need for resources, monitor results of the programme and make adjustments where necessary. 
  • to represent their department fully on the team.
  • to coordinate and execute quality decisions made by the team as they affect their department.
  • to contribute creatively to the quality programme.

The quality improvement teams also have a responsibility of developing a complete plan and to meet regularly to administer the plan and review progress.  The team also has the task of assigning each member of the team the responsibility of overseeing one or more implementation plan.

Challenges in TQM

While TQM was quite popular as a possible solution for companies’ poor productivity and quality problems in the 1970s and 1980s. Research has shown that there are more incidences where TQM has failed to solve companies’ problems than where it has helped them.  Managers usually focus on employees mainly to elicit desired output, and without real concern for the employee’s development or wellbeing. 

TQM and Employee Management for Higher Productivity

A great deal of work has been done on the motivation of people.  Among them there is the classical work of Maslow (1954), with his theory of the hierarchy of needs as a motivator; Herzberg (1966), who distinguishes between motivators and hygiene factors; and McGregor (1960), who claims that people are motivated by their dominant need among the need for power, need for affiliation and need for achievement.  These theories are useful in the basic understanding of behaviour usually occurring for a reason, and that understanding this reason would help managers to influence behaviour to a certain extent.   
 

The general limitation of all these theories is that they do not take enough cognisance of the fact that people are different.  They generalise motivators as if people are either motivated by one thing or another.

Cartwright (1999:41-67) proposes nine key motivating factors for continuous improvement.  These are listed below.

  • Identification which defines the uniqueness of each individual.
  • Equity which refers to a balance between expectations and rewards.
  • Equality refers to the fact that while not all employees can be treated equally, everyone should be treated with respect irrespective of status.
  • Consensus is an arrival at a mutual understanding, underscoring the importance of teamwork in quality.
  • Instrumentality which is a means by which to achieve an objective.
  • Rationality which introduces the idea of a scientific approach to management.
  • Development which refers to the continuous improvement of an organisation through the development of its people.
  • Group dynamics refers to intragroup relationships within a group, and intergroup relationships between groups.
  • The internalisation of cultural beliefs and values is the most powerful and permanent motivating factor.

Conclusion

As global competitiveness escalates, companies’ awareness of the cardinal role played by employees in creating a competitive advantage is improving.  A great deal of work has still to be done to transform the culture of workplaces to more respectful equitable and cohesive institutions.  The potential of workers remains locked up in the management styles of their managers.  Largely, managers still do the thinking while workers do the implementation of their thoughts.  Full involvement of employees, in all their diversity, in continuous improvement is the key to the successful implementation of TQM.

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