Putting Total Quality Management to Work: What TQM Means, How to Use It, and How to Sustain It Over the Long Run

Total quality management (TQM) has become a hot topic in the business world with most major companies establishing TQM programmes. This concise introduction explains in simple terms exactly what quality management means in practice and shows how the basic principles can be implemented in large and small organisations. The authors provide an overview and history of the major approaches to quality management. The present the contributions of the movement's founders, including Deming, Juran, Ishikawa, and Feigenbaum, and explain how their approaches differ. In a succinct fashion, they: define the checkpoints of the quality management process; describe new and traditional tools of TQM; show how the entire process is rooted in the culture of an organisation; and explain how to create and lead a TQM culture.

Although another entry in an often confusing array of Total Quality Management (TQM) books, this one fills a niche for the lay reader. Without the confusing technical jargon, it explains the importance of organizational culture and its eight "cultural elements"--beliefs about the way things should work in an organization. Some TQM background is provided as well as a review of the statistical control charts used, in an appendix. Other appendixes list key TQM resources and information concerning the Baldridge Award, the national quality award established by Congress. Authors Sashkin and Kiser both have university backgrounds and do well documenting their work in chapter endnotes. This is not a cookbook or step-by-step manual for TQM techniques, but it is a good starting point. Recommended for general collections.
- Joan A. Traugott, Amityville
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.