Total Quality Management (TQM) in Organizations
Case Study: IBM
Submitted by Meric Oztekin
DEFINITION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Firstly, I would like to give few definitions of total quality management (TQM) in order to get a better understanding in this topic. Different authors have given various definitions of TQM.
As defined by ISO, TQM is a management approach of an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organization and to society.
According to Dr.Vadim Kotelnikov, TQM refers to an integrated approach by management to focus all functions and levels of an organization on quality and continuous improvement. It is a very important tool for improving a firm's process capabilities in order to achieve fit and sustain competitive advantages. TQM focuses on encouraging a continuous flow of incremental improvements from the bottom of the organization's hierarchy.
In his study of ‘Managing the Total Quality Transformation’, (1991), Berry defined the TQM process as a total corporate focus on meeting and exceeding customers' expectations and significantly reducing costs resulting from poor quality by adopting a new management system and corporate culture.
On the other hand, Dr. Gomathi Viswanathan defines TQM as an approach to improving the effectiveness and flexibilities of business as a whole. It is essentially a way of organising and involving the whole organisation, every department, every activity and every single person at every level. TQM ensures that the management adopts a strategic overview of the quality and focuses on prevention rather than inspection.
INTRODUCTION
Competition is getting harder and becoming global. Companies now have to be more responsive, offer a better product and keep improving. TQM increases customer satisfaction by boosting quality. It does this by motivating the