Total Quality Management 305

With TQM, management's role changes significantly. There is the move from the boss-oriented top-down direction to moving to the role of coach and facilitator. Leadership involves defining the Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives of the organization. These form the basis for defining the strategy and implementing appro­priate action plans. The ongoing task is ensuring congruity of all plans and actions as well as ensuring that all energies and resources are channelled to moving towards the vision and attaining the goals.

The enabling element for "slaying the sacred cows" is total employee involvement. Who is responsible for quality? Quality attainment must be in the hands of the operator, given that product design and process design provide for achieving and maintaining the quality level. To achieve that objective the operator must:

1. Know the Standard

2. Know the actual (Output)

3. Be able to make correction

The responsibility for continuing improvement belongs to both line and staff. As the focus moves from problem resolution to problem avoidance, the process is:

• Suggestions

• Data Collection

• Data Analysis

• Correction Implementation

The enabling method for these approaches are education and training.

The power of teams will be the means for turning the mission into an agenda. Process Quality Management (PQM) is the method­ology for making teams work. The steps are:

• Gather the Team

• Understand the Mission

• Spell Out Your Goals

• Determine What Matters the Most

• Follow-Through

Many of the traditional views of quality and Total Quality Management must be changed. Change ranges from the definition of quality, through organizational changes, to new methods, processes and measurements.

Quality must extend to:

• Quality of communications

• Quality of understanding

• Quality use of resources

Other companies are doing this. You can do this. However, in the words of Dr. W. Edwards Deming,

You don't have to do any of this. Survival is not compulsory.