Introduction
In today’s society, many individuals are in constant search of quality. Undeniably, many consumers often express the desire and willingness to pay for quality products and services. The aspiration for excellence has prompted many organizations and companies across the globe to develop different techniques in their efforts to deliver the quality that customers require. Total quality management commonly abbreviated as TQM is one such approach which is focused on the organization’s success through customer satisfaction. TQM is a widely used technique in many organizations in different sectors as a means of attaining excellence through upholding the needs of the consumers. TQM is applied in many manufacturing companies to achieve quality superiority and as such gain a competitive edge and subsequently increase profit margins.
The Concept of TQM
TQM is primarily a management model that focuses on the long-term success of an organization through upholding customer satisfaction. TQM concentration on the consumers illustrates that it is only the customers who determine if an organization’s dedication to quality is worthwhile. Indeed, despite what a particular organization does to foster excellence it is the consumers who decide if the products or services meet their expectations. TQM encompasses the management and control of quality throughout the organization (Seetharaman, Raj, & Seetharaman, 2015). All the employees in the organization irrespective of their department actively participate towards common objectives. For instance, the marketing department collects data from the customers through marketing research, provides information to the developmental and design sector, which then provides details for the manufacturing department.
The entirety of the process indicates TQM is a process-centered technique since it involves a series of pre-determined steps that are continuously monitored in efforts of preventing or mitigating the occurrence of unexpected variations. TQM is an integrated organizational system focusing on the horizontal and vertical interconnection of roles and responsibilities of the different departments in the organization, which are the focus of TQM (Seetharaman, Raj, & Seetharaman, 2015). Undeniably, TQM is a strategic approach to the delivery of quality to the consumers. Strategic management related to TQM entails formulation of a plan that integrates quality as a core attribute of the organization. One of the significant components of TQM is the model’s focus on continual improvement. Continuous and steady enhancement in the organization’s activities is essential in analytic and creative enhancements that are necessary for an organization to achieve a competitive edge and resultantly increase profit margins. Moreover, since TQM requires regular collection and analysis of data, the technique facilitates fact-based decision making.
The success of the application of TQM in an organization lies with the management at an individual and organization level and the company’s definition of quality. Research indicates that the administration of a company is responsible for roughly 95 percent of all the quality problems (Seetharaman, Raj, & Seetharaman, 2015). Such statistics point to the influence of an organization’s management to the TQM model. Moreover, the focus on quality entails an organization’s conformity to the needs which the corporation itself has pre-determined for their products and services grounded on the expectations of the consumers. As such, aspects of acceptable quality limits and waivers on low-quality products represents the failure to a particular organization rather than success. Fundamentally, the concept of quality in TQM is grounded on three core aspects of quality planning, quality improvement, and quality control.
TQM Implementation in Manufacturing Environment
The manufacturing environment encompasses organizations or organizational departments where there is low involvement with the consumers such as heavy industry, mining or power plant. The process of manufacturing includes a physical transformation, alteration in form and utility of a particular resource. The implementation and the impact of TQM in the manufacturing industry have been a topic of study by many scholars in the past three decades. Indeed, the various studies indicate there is a multitude of TQM practices that are vital in the effective implementation of TQM in the manufacturing sector. According to Talib and Rahman (2012) some of the methods associated with TQM in manufacturing include; top-management commitment, benchmarking, employee participation, internal application of quality information, training and empowerment of the employees, supplier application of quality management, customer focus, supplier performance in addition to merchandise quality. While the results of the TQM practices in manufacturing industry differs according to the authors, many researchers acknowledge the importance of quality data reporting, the influence of management, employee associations, supplier quality management, human resource development and quality guidelines and policies to the practical application of TQM in the manufacturing environment (Talib & Rahman, 2012). The TQM practices applied in the manufacturing industry allow different companies involved in manufacturing practices to implement TQM in a bid to satisfy their consumers and eventually achieve a distinct competitive advantage.
The implementation process of TQM in manufacturing involves an effective assessment of the organization’s current situation. Some of the relevant aspects to take into consideration include the organization’s history, current requirements, precipitating activities that have led to the necessity of TQM and the current employee quality (Topalovic, 2015). Indeed, the implementation process relies on how the TQM procedures and activities will affect the organization. As such, it is crucial for the current situation of the organization to reflect the necessary precondition for the success of TQM otherwise it is paramount for the implementation to be delayed.
The implementation of TQM essentially illustrates a manufacturing entity ability to adapt to change. Undeniably if an organization has been previously successful in improving its operations, the prospective of the implementation being successful is higher. The initial stage of the implementation procedure involves using the management audit to assess areas that require improvements and changes. Before the application, it is vital for the organization to be healthy regarding finances, administration, managerial practices, and employee motivation and morale. (Topalovic, 2015) However, it is also crucial for the individual to feel the need for change for TQM implementation to be successful. The application of TQM is a strategic decision to change the systems and involves several steps of transition including identifying tasks associated with TQM, facilitating necessary management systems, building commitment to change, designing structures for communication and the assignment of resources (Topalovic, 2015).
There are various advantages accrued to a manufacturing company that implements TQM practices. One of the main benefits is the achievement of competitive advantage. When manufacturing companies apply TQM, they produce quality products and achieve a reputation of quality in the market. In recent years, TQM has become a mandatory tool in manufacturing organizations considering that many players in the market intended to achieve a level of superiority to navigate the highly competitive business environment. TQM implementation is also advantageous to the consumers beyond the aspect of delivering quality since TQM as a model is entirely focused on customer satisfaction. Moreover, apart from ensuring customer satisfaction, TQM is important in boosting the revenues and subsequently the profit margins through minimizing inputs and maximizing output (Talib & Rahman, 2012). The implementation of TQM ensures high productivity through effective management of the supply chain, human resource, the administration and the organization as a whole.
Conclusion
While there is no single theoretical formalization of TQM, the model facilitates a competitive advantage for manufacturing entities since it is grounded in continuous improvement, inclusivity, it is consumer-centered and emphasizes the importance of quality as the core outcome of the organization. The implementation of TQM in the manufacturing industry relies on how an organization embraces and adopts changes. Initially, it is important to assess the situation in the firm, identify areas requiring improvement, develop a strategic plan that identifies quality as a core attribute and eventually navigate the transition process.
References
Seetharaman, A., Raj, J. R., & Seetharaman, S. A. (2015). The implementation of total quality management in controlling the cost of management. Journal of Distribution Science, 13(8), 27-40.
Talib, F., & Rahman, Z. (2012). Total quality management practices in manufacturing and service industries: A comparative study. International Journal of Advanced Operations Management, 4(3), 156-172.
Topalovic, S. (2015). The implementation of total quality management in order to improve production performance and enhancing the level of customer satisfaction. Procedia Technology, 19, 1016-1022.
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