Total quality management

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach that originated in the 1950s and has steadily become more popular since the early 1980s. Total Quality is a description of the culture, attitude and organization of a company that strives to provide customers with products and services that satisfy their needs. The culture requires quality in all aspects of the company’s operations, with processes being done right the first time and defects and waste eradicated from operations.

History[edit | edit source]

The roots of TQM date back to the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. Joseph M. Juran, and Armand V. Feigenbaum, all of whom taught the importance of managerial responsibility for quality and all of whom argued against the responsibility of quality being left solely to the production workers. The concept of TQM was developed on the basis of the teachings of these quality gurus.

Principles[edit | edit source]

The key principles of TQM are as follows:

Management Commitment
Employee Involvement
Focus on the Customer
Continuous Improvement
Quality Measurement
Supplier Quality

Benefits[edit | edit source]

The benefits of TQM include:

Improved quality
Increased customer satisfaction
Reduced costs
Improved employee morale
Increased productivity

Criticisms[edit | edit source]

Despite its many benefits, TQM has also been criticized for being too focused on the quantitative aspects of quality management, and not enough on the qualitative aspects.

See also[edit | edit source]

Total quality management Resources
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