Undag, Beulah Ursula QUALITY TCOA

Chapter Questions
1. Define the term management and outline its importance today A set of activities (including planning and decision making, organizing, leading and controlling) directed at an organization resources with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner Griffin, 1993 The process of getting activities completed efficiently with and through other people Robbins and Mukeriji, 1990 2. Define the term TQM and outline the benefits to an organization implementing this management philosophy TQM is an organization-wide commitment to getting things right. Atkinson, 1990 o TQM affects everyone in an organization, and it is thought that in order for the organization to be competitive and therefore successful, the philosophies, principles and practices of TQM must be accepted by everyone. TQM is an approach to improving the effectiveness and flexibility of business as a whole. Oakland, 1989 o TQM requires a revolution, a cultural revolution, in the way people do things in an organization. 3. Explain what Asian managers do Indonesian management is patriarchal and hierarchically oriented, and international practices like empowerment, participation, and incentive orientation are irrelevant or, at best, need to be adjusted to and are secondary to Indonesian indigenous characteristics. (Habir and Larasati, 1999) Japanese companies appear to attempt to implement the same management practices in Japan in any foreign satellite operation. These companies, as far as their internal operations are concerned, have tried to implement their primary practices in spite of cultural differences, although sometimes with negative outcomes. (Basu and Miroshnik, 1999) Korean businesses tend to be run in a hierarchical, authoritarian, and centralized manner. They are not bogged down by the Japanese style need to develop extensive consensus throughout the hierarchy before making a move. This more decisive style, however, can also mean that decisions are not adequately vetted by staff and may be made on the basis of insufficient knowledge. (Fukuyama, 1995) 4. Describe the requirements of managerial skills to an individual, who has just been promoted to his first supervisors position Katz (1974) identified four basic skills that managers use in the pursuit of their managerial endeavours. a) Technical that are developed to effect proficiency in a given task, eg. finance or production b) Human social and related skills that help a manager relate to others effectively, eg. a manager motivating and communicating with subordinates

c) Conceptual the ability to evaluate, holistically and systematically, problems within and outside an organization, discern interrelationships and evaluate a balance of outcomes. d) Administrative this relates to the regulation of the activities under consideration. They may relate, to some degree, to conceptualization, but may or may not be catered for, within a given situation. 5. Evaluate the managerial roles found in an organization you have knowledge of Interpersonal relate to the continuous application of routine managerial behaviors. Managers do this because they act as the central nervous system in the management and control of their unit areas. Informational relate specifically to the receiving and transmitting of information. Decision Making managers initiate innovation and change to make their unit more operationally efficient and effective. 6. Explain the basis and development of TQM Powell (1995) make the points that the origin of TQM can be traced to 1949, when the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers formed a committee of scholars, engineers, and government officials devoted to improving Japanese productivity, and enhancing their postwar quality of life. The quality management eras seem to provide a basis for the continuous and discrete development from one management period to another. However, the focus of each era has been different. This is highlighted in Table 1.1: ERA Inspection Control Quality Assurance TQM
Table 1.1 The Focus of Quality Management Eras

FOCUS Product Process System People

7. Discuss the various issues surrounding the implementation of TQM The Organization an attitude of an organization could be created, working adversely against the foundations of TQM, which is centered on teamwork. Management Commitment introducing the quality management system, without thinking about its consequences on people, will lead to failure. Commitment by management, at the highest levels in the organization, must be genuine and visible. Culture Change the resistance to TQM is partly due to unfamiliarity with the new approach and how it will affect the staff in their job. 8. Outline and evaluate the necessary steps towards the implementation of TQM Goetsch and Davis (1995) developed a TQM implementation approach with 20 steps which are stated as: a) Gain the commitment of top management b) Create the total quality steering committee c) Build the steering committee team d) Train the steering committee in the essentials of quality management

e) f) g) h) i) j) k) l) m) n) o) p) q) r) s) t)

Develop the quality vision statement and quality guiding principles Set quality objectives Publicize and communicate the quality vision Identify strengths and weaknesses of the company Identify advocates and resisters Establish a baseline for employee attitudes and satisfaction Establish a baseline for customer satisfaction Tailor the implementation for maximum effect and measurement Identify relevant quality projects Establish quality team composition Train the teams Activate the teams Provide team feedback to the steering committee Collect and use customer feedback Collect and use employee feedback Change the company infrastructure