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Total quality management

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Since the late 1980s, firms around the world have launched Total Quality Management (TQM)
programs in an attempt to retain or regain competitiveness in order to achieve customer
satisfaction in the face of increasing competition from around the world in this era of
globalization. TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the
quality of products and processes. [1]

TQM functions on the premise that the quality of the products and processes is the responsibility
of everyone who is involved with the creation or consumption of the products or services offered
by the organization. In other words, TQM capitalizes on the involvement of management,
workforce, suppliers, and even customers, in order to meet or exceed customer expectations.
Considering the practices of TQM as discussed in six empirical studies, Cua, McKone, and
Schroeder (2001) identified the nine common TQM practices as cross-functional product design,
process management, supplier quality management, customer involvement, information and
feedback, committed leadership, strategic planning, cross-functional training, and employee
involvement. [2]

[edit] TQM and Six Sigma

The Six Sigma process improvement originated in1986 from Motorola’s drive towards reducing
defects by minimizing variation in processes through metrics measurement. [3] Applications of
the Six Sigma project execution methodology have since expanded to include practices common
in Total Quality Management and Supply Chain Management, such as increasing customer
satisfaction, and developing closer supplier relationships. [4]
The main difference between TQM and Six Sigma (a newer concept) is the approach. TQM tries
to improve quality by ensuring conformance to internal requirements, while Six Sigma focuses
on improving quality by reducing the number of defects and impurities.[5]

[edit] References
1. ^ Ahire, S. L. 1997. Management Science- Total Quality Management interfaces: An
integrative framework. Interfaces 27 (6) 91-105.
2. ^ Cua, K. O., K. E. McKone, and R. G. Schroeder. 2001. Relationships between
implementation of TQM, JIT, and TPM and manufacturing performance. Journal of
Operations Management 19 (6) 675-694.
3. ^ Anand, G., P. T. Ward, and M. V. Tatikonda. 2010. Role of explicit and tacit
knowledge in six sigma projects: An empirical examination of differential project
success. Journal of Operations Management 28 (4) 303-315.
4. ^ Hoerl, R. W. 2001. Six Sigma black belts: what do they need to know? Journal of
Quality Technology (4) 391–406.
5. ^ "Six Sigma vs. Total Quality Management". http://www.pmhut.com/six-sigma-vs-total-
quality-management. Retrieved April 19, 2010.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_quality_management"

Categories: Quality management | Process management | Business terms

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