Essay - Public Management Tqm—total Quality Management in the Workforce—fad or Fascinating...

Public Management

TQM—Total Quality ***** in the Workforce—Fad or Fascinating Management tool—or both?

***** Quality Management has the unfortunate distinction of being an excellent management system that bears a name that sounds more like a trademark than what it is, a philosophy of management that ***** both psychologically astute and scientific in its nature. Ra*****r than po*****ting fingers at individual employees, it encourages managers to take responsibility for their staff as a whole ***** implement solutions to clearly defined and remediable problems, thus producing real results rather ***** mere corporate reshuffling of staff.

From a definitional, knowledge perspective, the concept ***** total quality management or TQM, stresses that quantitative or scientific measurement by managers "should be used as a helpful tool, not a weapon." (Hunicke, 2001) From the level of comprehension, one can, by using TQM, increase *****'s understanding as a manager of how processes are operating with an organization ***** ********** where did ***** process break down, rather than taking the punitive perspective of asking, ***** instance, 'why did sales factors decrease during ***** last quarter?' Instead of targeting individuals, managers should *****, according to the TQM *****, looking at specific fac*****rs such as "How many delays were encountered in entering or filling customer orders? ***** often was the warehouse out of stock? How much equipment downtime occurred on second shift? What were ***** costs (and causes) of engineering changes?" (Hunicke, 2001)

Thus, to apply TQM, to one's own workforce, one must listen and learn to ask the right questions. Yes, TQM might seem to be a management fad. And in some ways, one could characterize it as such ***** the sense ***** it is a brand name or a label that adapts o*****r ex*****ting effective management styles and structures in***** its f*****m. But this does ***** mean it should be dista*****ed. True, to analyze its philosophy of applying quantitative strategies to qualitative or subjective management goals ***** as improved production or employee attitudes, TQM does have considerable overlap with Jack Welch's Six Sigma school of management. But although Six Sigma may ***** a different structured or brand named trademark of buzzw*****d verbs, to engage in a synthesis ***** these two ***** programs is certainly possible.

***** most successful ***** programs deploy at le*****t something similar to the core ***** philosophy of management. TQM stresses th***** the areas ***** measured by management must be important ***** the customers. Each ***** ***** be part of a defined *****nd documented *****. What is being measured in each measurement should be clearly defined and feasibly remedied ***** managers ***** supervisors. Also, when engaging in an evaluation, TQM stresses amongst its core pr*****ciples that ***** employees in a TQM ***** must "believe they can do someth*****g to streamline or improve the process; knowledge and auth*****ity to make changes," and "rust that *****ir actions will be focused on the process, not the people involved." (*****, 2001)

The br*****ing of 'Total Quality ********** may or may not ***** a relatively permanent feature of ***** management