In a Short Essay, Discuss the Concept of Total Quality

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The Answer is A quality revolution swept through both the business and public sectors during the 1980s and 1990s.The generic term used to describe this revolution was 'total quality management', or TQM for short.It was inspired by a small group of quality experts, the most famous being W.Edwards Deming and Joseph M.Juran.TQM is a philosophy of management driven by continual improvement and responding to customer needs and expectations.The objective is to create an organisation committed to continuous improvement in work processes.TQM is a departure from earlier management theories that were based on the belief that low costs were the only road to increased productivity.
The Six Characteristics of Total Quality Management
1. Intense focus on the customer - The customer includes not only outsiders who buy the organisation's products or services but also internal customers (such as shipping or accounts payable personnel)who interact with and serve others in the organisation.
2. Concern for continual improvement - TQM is a commitment to never being satisfied.'Very good' is not good enough.Quality can always be improved.
3. Process focused - TQM focuses on work processes as the quality of goods and services is continually improved.
4. Improvement in the quality of everything the organisation does - TQM uses a very broad definition of quality.It relates not only to the final product but also to how the organisation handles deliveries, how rapidly it responds to complaints, and how politely the phones are answered.
5. Accurate measurement - TQM uses statistical techniques to measure every critical variable in the organisation's operations.These are compared against standards or benchmarks to identify problems, trace them to their roots, and eliminate their causes.
6. Empowerment of employees - TQM involves the people on the line in the improvement process.Teams are widely used in TQM programs as empowerment vehicles for finding and solving problems.

In a Short Essay, Discuss the Concept of Total Quality

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