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IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP IN TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP IN TOTAL

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Dr. Manoj Kumar Verma

Assistant Professor
Department of Library and Information Science
Mizoram University
Aizawl - 796004, Mizoram
e-mail: manojdlisbhu@gmail.com

Abstact:
Globalization in the business theater is driving companies
toward a new view of quality as a necessary tool to compete
successfully in worldwide markets. A direct outcome of this
new emphasis is the philosophy of total quality management
(TQM). In essence, TQM is a company-wide perspective that
strives for customer satisfaction by seeking zero defects in
products and services. Quality experts state that ineffective
leadership can hinder and even destroy efforts to implement
total quality management (TQM). However, they rarely
discuss the specific actions leaders should take in
implementing TQM and when leaders should take them. This
article discusses a TQM implementation model that includes
specifications for leadership actions at each step.

1.1 Introduction:
Total quality management or TQM is defined as an integrative
philosophy of management for continuously improving the
Quality of products, processes and services.TQM functions
on the premise that the quality of products, processes and
services are the responsibility of everyone who is involved
with the creation or consumption of the products or services
offered by an organization/institution. In other words, TQM
capitalizes on the involvement of management, workforce,
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

suppliers, and even customers, in order to meet or exceed

customer expectations.
Making quality improvements was once thought to be
the sole responsibility of specialists (quality engineers,
product designers, process engineers and service provider).
Today, developing quality across the entire systems can be
an important function of leadership. a failure on leadership’s
part to recognize this opportunity and act on it may result in
the loss of TQM implementation responsibilities to other
departments with less expertise in training and development.
The ultimate consequence of this loss is an ineffective
piecemeal of the TQM strategy. Thus, leadership should act
as the pivotal change agent necessary for the successful
implementation of TQM.
Implementing TQM requires a team effort headed by
organization’s leadership team. Each person involved in
change management has their responsibilities, and it is
important for the entire organization to understand the role
of leadership in TQM to make delegating responsibility more
effective.
TQM is an enhancement to the traditional way of doing
business and work. It is an art of managing the whole to
achieve excellence. The meanings of three words which
constitute TQM are:
T=Total= everyone in the organization is revolved in
creating and maintaining the quality of the services and
product offered.
Q=Quality= the Organization through individual and
collection focuses on meeting customer needs recognizing
that customer perception identifies quality. It is the customer
satisfaction through product or by services.
M=Management= in meaning the system, the emphasis
lies on continuously improving this system in order to achieve
the best results.
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1.2 Definition of TQM:

Total Quality Management is a “management philosophy and
company practices that aim to harness the human and material
resources of an organization in the most effective way to
achieve the objective of the organization.” (BSI, 1991)
According to Capezio & Morchouse (1993) –”TQM refers
to a management process and set of discipline that are
coordinated to ensure that the organization consistently meet
and exceed customer requirements. TQM engages all of its
strategy and operations around customer needs and develop
a culture with high employee participation. TQM companies
are focused on the systematic management of data of all
processes and practices to eliminate waste and pursue
continuous improvement.

1.3 The Importance of TQM:

The process of quality improvement in an organization is in
a close bond with improving of effectiveness of individuals,
groups and the organization in whole. To enhance the
efficiency it is needed to know what is working, to know
how to work, to have all the means that are needed for getting
the work done, to be able to measure theproduce and to be
able to get information back from all parts of the organization.
Basically this is Total Quality Management. The success of
the company which managed to achieve the quality control
is based on these key concepts:
♦ concern for the consumers
♦ continual improvement
♦ process control
♦ taking preventive actions
♦ leadership and team work
Clearly leadership is one of the important concepts of TQM.
The principles and practices of Total Quality Management
can be deferent between various industries and enterprises,
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

but there is a universal agreement about the importance of

leadership for its achievement. Good management is a
precondition for the success of strategies and planes. Those
enterprises that succeeded to achieve total quality control
managed that because of the strong leadership. The leader is
the one that promotes the importance of quality in the
organization, provides conditions for continuous education
and training of employees, as well as maintaining constant
contacts with the employees, consumers and suppliers.
Primarily, the leader needs to be a strong instigator of the
organization, provocateur of changes, by seating aggressive
goals of constant improvement and by searching for
opportunities for making a larger benefit he has to primarily
have the needs and expectations of the costumers. Within
the organization he has to be seen as a trainer, instead of a
boss.

Figure-1: TQM Model

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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

The success of the organization depends of the abilities of

the leader and the behavior of the top management. In that
case, it is necessary that:
♦ To create a convenient organizational culture and
selectionof appropriate policies for initiation and
application ofquality control in an organization;
♦ The quality control to be a part of the activities
ofemployees and to be formulated into a promotional
planand promoted through the organization;
♦ To acquire the necessary education and proper
informationabout the quality control and how to
implement it;
♦ To provide a system for protection of quality;
♦ To check if the actions for implementation of the
qualitycontrol correspond with the previously
determined plansand policies and if it’s necessary to
take correctiveactivities;
♦ To establish a control system of the individual functions
ifit is necessary to accomplish the control
morethoroughly;
♦ All this instructions don’t refer just to the managers;
theyalso have to be understood, accepted and applied
by theemployees of all levels of the organization.

1.4 Principles of TQM:

Management scientists have derived certain principles from
the philosophy of TQM concepts and they can be describing
as below:
a) Leadership: Effective leadership of foundation of
TQM. Top management should provide the leadership
for quality awakening in the organization. They should
evolve effective plans and provide leadership in
achieving the objectives.

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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

b) Internal & external customers: The external

customers are the outsider who uses organization’s
product & services. The internal customers are staffs/
members of organization including that not in direct
contact with the external customers. These staffs interact
with other staff as they are involved in dispensation of
services of the organization. In these ways the customer
organization can pervade the organization.
c) Customer Satisfaction: The customer has to decide
what the standard should be and not the supplier/
producer. If the organization decides the standard, the
product/services may not satisfy the customer
requirement.
d) Performance Measurement: Preferment measurement
need to be based upon timely measure and feedback on
performance through superior quality information
system.
e) Measure of Success: Every organization has to define
what the criteria for success in their operation are and
how to measure it. For instance, one of the measures is
sales of products and resulting profits. Through it is
difficult to measure the customer satisfaction. It can be
measured through indirect indicators such as increase
in sells, repeated order, export etc.
f) Continuous Improvement: continuous improvement
should be the responsibility of everyone in the
organization. The organization should not be satisfied
with one time success. It should aim at sustaining
success through continuous improvement because
customers always expect better service and product than
earlier they enjoyed.
g) Essential Training & Education: The manual
specifies the jobs and what they are supposed to do and
how they can do them. The employee should be educated
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

and trained in their trade otherwise they cannot

understand the documentation and manual.
h) Communication: Right communication is to be
maintained to carry out the right jobs in the right way.
Manuals and other such documentations help to achieve
proper communication. The organization should also
improve communication through newsletters, notice
board, problem solving session and departmental
meetings.
i) Attitudes towards Quality: Every employee should
develop on attitude to improve the quality of the
organization.
j) Team Work: The organization has to make every effort
to mould the employee to work as a team. It is only way
through which an organization can achieve its objectives
and practices of TQM. Reorganization of achievement
also equally essential for the success of the TQM
programme.

2.1 What is leadership:

Leadership is the quality to lead others to accomlish the set
goals of organization and who occupies the quality, is leader.
Hersey and Blanchard (1988) felt three basic competenties
nevessary for leader:
a. Ability to to interaction and undersatnding the situation
b. Adapting the ability to change behaviour and resources
in the light of satuation
c. ability to communicate with other member of the
organization to get acceptance and understanding.
In the four feramework approach, Bolman and Deal (1991)
suggeted that leader display leathership behaviour in one
of the four types of framework: Structural, Human Resource,
political or symbolic. This model suggeted that leader can
be put into one of these four categories and ther are times
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

when one approach is appropriate and time when it would

not be. Plunketted said that leadership is the ability to get
work done with and through others while winning their
respect, confidence, loyality and willing cooperation. These
definition clear that leadership belives in togetherness.

Figure-2: Prospectives of Leadership

2.2 Principles of ethical Leadership
North use has listed five principles of ethical leadership.
Actually the origins of these can be traced back to Aristotle.
These principles provide a foundation for the development
of sound ethical leadership. According to these principles
ethical leaders respect others, serve others, are just, are honest
and build community. To be an ethical leader, we must be
sensitive to the needs of others, treat others in ways that are
just and care for others.

Figure-3: Quality of ethical leaderships

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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

There are 10 tips for leaders who want to build and sustain
newsroom cultures that value and practice quality ethical
decision-making:
1. Make ethical discussion and decision making a routine
part of news meetings; anticipate the ethical challenges
that stories may present. At the same time, value the
concept of “prosecuting the copy”; expect editors to
question facts, ask for verification, and minimize the
use of unnamed sources.
2. Recognize the difference between those who ask good
questions about ethical challenges or concerns and
“story killers.” Help people understand the difference
between critical thinking skills and simply criticizing.
Listen to people who dare to bring bad news to their
leaders.
3. Help people identify and use language that encourages
“green light” thinking. “How can we tell this challenging
story, taking into consideration our ethical concerns?”
“What are some good alternatives we could consider?”
Language is part of the culture. What words define
ethical decision-making in yours?
4. Recognize that strong vocal personalities can intimidate
others, and may chill valuable contrarian views. Support
and encourage employees to speak up, even if they are
introverted, new to the team, or feel they lack the
standing. Be wary of the perception or reality that “star
performers” in your organization are held to different
standards than others.
5. Develop and use written ethics guidelines, but
encourage people to use them as part of deeper
discussion and decision-making, not as a rulebook.
Consistency is not always a virtue. “What we did last
time” may not be the best decision for a situation with
different dimensions.
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6. Always be available to help your team make tough calls,

but resist the temptation to do it all yourself. The best
leaders build teams that can make sound decisions on
their own.
7. Bring other voices - from other news sections, to interns,
to the maintenance crew into ethical decision-making.
The newsroom benefits from other perspectives and the
invited voices become more knowledgeable about
journalistic decision-making. Contacting outside experts
and seeking advice is a sign of strength, not weakness.
8. Consider ethical decision-making skills when
interviewing, hiring, evaluating, and promoting people.
Consider it an essential competency; measure it and
reward it as you would other talents. Cultures are defined
by what they reward and celebrate. They are defined by
the stories they tell about themselves, their successes,
their failures.
9. Help all staff members understand the importance of
sharing ethical decision-making with the people they
serve; explain coverage decisions in publications and
newscasts; respond to those who contact them with
concerns.
10. Remember that written codes of conduct, ethics or
practice tell employees what the organization stands for
(or won’t stand for), but the primary influence on the
staff is you, the leader. Your works and deeds set the
standards for your team. They watch you and listen to
you for the real story of what matters.

2.3 Level of Leadership:

Maxwell’s defined the five level leadership whish are
explained in following diagram.
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

Figure-4: Level of Leadership

2.4 Leadership Roles and Responsibilities:

A team will definitely perform the best if it is guided by a
good leader. Leadership is considered as one of the most
essential aspects of the corporate process. Here we are talking
about leadership in general terms, such as a team lead, a
practice head, or anyone from the top management of the
organization. Every leader, depending on his position in the
company hierarchy has a set of business leadership roles and
responsibilities. However, there are some very general
responsibilities that a leader has to consider.
Few of such roles and responsibilities are providing
motivation to the employee, resolving conflicts and
employment discrimination, and similar others. Following
is a general explanation of leadership roles and management
functions practiced in the corporate environment.

a). Leadership Development

Leadership development is a crucial function that a top-level
executive has to follow. This includes setting up leadership
down in the hierarchy line of the company. The top-level
executive has to strategically plan and set line managers for
different processes. And the same responsibility goes for the
line managers as well.
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

b) Planning and Implementation

Planning and implementation should also be carried out by
leaders of the company or a process. For example, the
company director should plan the standard processes in
individual practices of the company. In addition, he should
also meet with other top-level officials and prepare policies
for the smooth running of the firm.

c) Employee and Process Assessment

Employee management is one of the typical corporate
leadership roles and responsibilities of a line manager. For
example, a project manager is responsible for how his
members perform. On the other hand, a director may be
responsible for managing the departments, and making sure
they are working fine.

d) Employee Motivation
It is a fact that a leader without employee motivation skills
is not a leader at all. A leader should obligatory motivate
employees to overcome their weak points. He should
encourage them by all means possible such as appreciation
mails, financial incentives, employee recognition awards, and
similar other methods.

e) Decision Making
Be it any leader, he certainly needs to have the decision-
making skills. These skills are very important, as he is the
one on whom the final decision rests. However, decision
making should be supported by strategic planning and
thinking. A leader can always consult with his peers before
taking a suitable decision.

f) Conflict Resolution:
There may be times when a leader might be required to
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

address to a complaint by an employee against another

employee. In such situations, the leader’s conflict resolution
skills show their significance. The leader should consider
resolving the conflict with a professional attitude, impartial
thinking, and total understanding of the situation.

g) Problem solving:
The need for problem solving usually arises in daily work of
the managers. A problem can relate to a hurdle in the project
deliverables or any other process matter. Here again the leader
has to think professionally, obtain complete understanding
of the problem, sort out and compare probable solutions,
and finally reach one.

3.1 TQM and Leadership:

Leadership is defined in the context of TQM as providing
and driving the vision (Mittal, 1999). It is a management
approach of an organization concerned on quality based on
the participation of all of its members aiming at long term
success through customer satisfaction and benefits to all the
members of the organization and to the society. Total quality
can be achieved through continuous improvement and it
result in continuous success of the organization. TQM
philosophy believes in continuous success. Leadership in
TQM thinking requires a continuous cultural change and
people need to be guided through the change. Continuous
improvement can be attained through motivated employees,
who work in a team and utilize productive tools for the
purpose of increasing user’s satisfaction. A leader or librarian
in TQM system must direct leadership. This leadership works
for continuous learning, service orientated attitude, full of
positive energy and trusts in other people of the organization
because TQM is people oriented. So, TQM leader as well as
his team is responsible for quality, but it is important to make
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

sure that team’s decision is matched with quality statement

of the organization. It requires development of problem
solving and decision making ability to the lowest appropriate
level by assigning authority and responsibility. The needed
resources must be provided to train employees in the TQM
tools and techniques, so that they can fulfill their job
requirements.
In a library environment, librarian must be visibly and
actively engaged in the quality effort by serving on teams,
training teams, and teaching seminars. A very important role
of librarian is to hear internal and external users of the library
through visits, focus groups and surveys this information is
translated into core values and process improvement projects
and his very important role is the communication. The
objective is to create awareness of the importance of TQM
and communicate its benefits for library. Leadership is
essential during every phase of implementation process and
particularly at the beginning and always it starts from top
level management. Some principles and practices of TQM
may differ among one organization to another because of
their different nature of work, but there is a common
agreement as to the importance of leadership by top
management in implementing TQM.
Teamwork is one of the important needs of the
management system. It is also true for TQM. Every member
of the team has his own responsibilities for the organization.
The team needs a leader and leader works as a catalyst for
his/her team but that does not mean assign all the functions
to one person. This is the denial of the true teamwork. The
major role of leadership is to insure that all the necessary
functions are being properly exercised, and to pull them
together, so that the team truly functions as a unit. In a library
environment continuous improvement in user satisfaction is
a must because continuous improvement leads to perfection.
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

As the old proverb said-”Practice made a man perfect”.

Continuous pace on work and competencies make it possible.

3.2 Effective Leaders:

The most effective leadership is where a leader has the ability
to sustain the tension between personnel goal and
organizational goal. The effective leadership requires the
ability to diagnose, adopt and communicate. Communication
must be the quality guide for effective leadership and it
ensures that communication is frequent, open and honest.
Total quality management hold true for those manager
wishing to implement changes or adopt new styles
management in organization. Successful leader throughout
the history have always had a vision for a change from current
state to a new enhanced state. About the Library situation,
Metz (2001) said that effective library leadership requires
extraordinary ability to maintain a delicate and continually
shifting balance in the management of technical, financial
and human resources to serve the academic mission of our
college and universities. Leader must be as competent as to
take right decisions when library is in hybrid phase. He should
have a blend of boldness of risk taking consultation of
subordinates. He needs to acquire analytical powers,
abundant common sense, vibrant creativity, reasoned
judgment and passionate commitment to the objectives and
goals of the institutions. Therefore, Library needs Leaders
instead of pure administrator.

4.1 Conclusion:
Quality improvement in an organization is in a close relation
with improving the efficiency of individuals, groups and the
organization in whole. For all of this to be achieved the most
important thing is leadership. The success of the organization
to achieve quality control depends on the ability and attitude
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 VISTAS OF EDUCATION

of the top management. A leader considers people as the

critical factor for success. He takes leading as a challenge
for his organization benefit. Staffs orientation is a key strategy
for success either of traditional management or TQM.
Leaders sincerely believe in people, respect human dignity
and provide opportunity to show the hidden abilities. They
help their subordinates to do a better job with less effort by
improving systems and removing the causes of failure and
frustration. Leader inspire people and make confidence to
realize heir full potential, enhance their self-esteem and take
pride in their roles as a part of organization. A leader works
with the employees and learns by practice and experience.
He believe in team rather than one man dictatorship which
exactly same like TQM approach i.e. organization success
as a whole.

References:
1. Bolman, L and Deal, T (1991). Reframing
Organizations, Josses-Bass: san Francisco.Metz, Terry
(2001). Wanted: Library leaders for a Discontinuous
Future, Library issues,21 (3),2-3.
2. Gershenoff, A. G., &Foti, R. J. (2003). Leader
emergence and gender roles in all-female groups: A
contextual examination. Small Group Research, 34(2),
170-196.
3. George J.M. (2006). Leader Positive Mood and Group
Performance: The Case of Customer Service. Journal
of Applied Social Psychology :25(9), 778 - 794.
4. Janakiraman, B. &Gopal, R.K.( 2006). Total Quality
ManagementTextand Cases, New Delhi, PHI Learning
Pvt. Ltd.
5. Bono, Edward de and Heller, Robert (2006), Teamwork:
The Natural Way to Total Quality Change Your Business
in Seven Days, 30 page report with management
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intelligence, Newsletter. http://

www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/team-
management.php. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
6. Steve Wolinski (2010). Leadership theory. http://
managementhelp.org/blogs/leadership/ 2010/ 04/21/l
eadership-theories/. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
7. Chandra, Arya (2012). Leadership in Total Quality
Management. University News; Vol. 50 (24), 16-20.
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section.Businessballs.com:http://
w w w. b u s i n e s s b a l l s . c o m / l e a d e r s h i p -
theories.htm#integrated-psychological-leadership2012-
02-24. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
9. M.Sc. Serafimovska H, M.Sc. Ristova E. The Impact
of Leadership on Achieving Total Quality Management;
http://mech-ing.com/journal/Archive/2011/7/
23_Hristina%20Serafimovsk.pdf . Retrieved 2012-10-
15.

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