TQM and BPR: Beyond the Beyond Myth

Total quality management and business process re-engineering: A study of incremental and radical approaches to change management at BTNI

The new faces of total quality in Europe and the US

Total Quality Improvement efforts and activities have become an integral way of life for many organizations around the globe. These efforts are aimed at improving economic outcomes and creating competitive edge. The attempt to achieve system‐wide changes of quality, and to maintain them, depends on cultural transformation. While ample literature exists on TQM, its context and implementation, very little scientific knowledge can be found on the impact of TQM on the organizational culture. This paper explores some of the challenges of continuous quality improvement in creating new corporate culture. We start by identifying some of the main features of TQM implementation in Israel. Based on a comparative in depth study of TQM efforts—in a paper mill and an insurance company—we highlight some cultural aspects of the change process. Lessons and directions for future research are discussed.RésuméDe nos jours, l'amélioration de la qualité totale fait partie intégrante du monde de vie de nombreuses organisations dans le monde. Par ces efforts, les entreprises espèrent accroître les retombées économiques et se tailler une place concurrentielle. La réussite des changements systémiques de la qualité et de leur maintien dépend de la transformation culturelle. Il existe une littérature abondante sur la GQT et son contexte d'implantation, mais très peu de connaissances scientifiques sur les répercussions de la GQT sur la culture organisationnelle. Le présent article explore certaines difficultés de l'amélioration continue de la qualité pour créer une nouvelle culture d'entreprises. Nous avons commencé par identifier certaines caractéristiques principales de la mise en oeuvre de la GQT en Israel. En nous fondant sur une étude comparative approfondie des efforts de GQT—dans une usine de papier et une compagnie d'assurance—nous avons souligné certains aspects culturels du processus de changement. Nous avons tiré des leçons et abordé des pistes de recherche.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of total quality management (TQM) implementation in Libyan manufacturing companies (LMCs), and evaluates the impact of ISO 9000, and company size on its implementation.Design/methodology/approachA framework, comprised of six TQM elements is proposed. Data was collected by means of a survey questionnaire distributed to those companies which agreed to participate.FindingsThe results are the responses of a comprehensive survey which showed that Libyan companies are still struggling to effectively embark on TQM. The correlations among the six investigated TQM elements were positive and significant. This study also investigated whether the level of TQM implementation is influenced by contextual factors, including company size and ISO 9000 certification. It was found that there were no differences between TQM elements across ISO and non‐ISO certified companies. The findings also revealed that there is no significant difference between small and medium (S&M)‐sized companies (on each of the TQM elements) and those of large companies.Research limitations/implicationsA longitudinal and wider research is required to investigate TQM implementation across private manufacturing and other companies.Originality/valueThis analytical study is the first to determine the degree to which TQM has been adopted in the Libyan industrial sector (LIS). The results will contribute to the literature by examining the relationship between the proposed TQM elements, and investigating the impact of contextual factors (ISO 9000, company size) on each element of TQM. This research should prove valuable for the Libyan Government in its stated efforts to motivate companies to embark on a TQM program and improve their business performance which, in turn, will improve the Libyan economy.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to delineate the factors responsible for the decline of total quality management (TQM) in the National Health Service (NHS). It is suggested that if these factors were initially identified and eliminated prior to implementation, the decline of TQM as a strategy for improving the provision and delivery of quality patient care could have been prevented. Design/methodology/approach – The case study approach was chosen because it is the preferred method when “how” or “what” questions are being posed. It is applicable as is evident in this paper where the researcher has little control over events and when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life context. The case study enables the researcher to give an accurate rendition of actual events; it contributes uniquely to the knowledge of individual, organisational, social, and political phenomena. The semi-structured face-to-face interview constituted the main data collection technique of the research. Interviews were held with 23 quality management managers in the British NHS. The central focus of the interview was on “what” factors contributed to the rapid decline of TQM in the NHS. The respondents were chosen because they were directly involved with the implementation of TQM. They were in the vintage position to offer a full insight into the TQM initiative. The analysis of the case is based on Yin's analytic technique of explanation building. Findings – The decline of TQM in the NHS could have been prevented if top executives in hospitals had adopted the sequential steps to quality improvement: In the authors opinion, to land a man on the moon needed a belief in the possibility and breakthrough in the attitudes that viewed space travel as pure science fiction as opposed to a practical reality, and so it should have been with TQM in the NHS. However, the attitude of many NHS managers was that TQM was all right for “other institutions” because “they need it” whereas in the NHS, “we don’t”. This negative attitude should have been overcome if TQM was to be accepted as a corporate, all encompassing philosophy. Research limitations/implications – The limitation of the research may be the sample size of the respondents, which was limited to 23 quality managers that had hands-on experience and the leadership role to lead and implement TQM in the NHS. Future research may consider a broader sample size. It may also be considered for new research to use surveys to identify a broader set of reasons why TQM declined in the NHS. Practical implications – This paper is the first constructive insight to determine reasons for the decline of TQM in the NHS from the individuals who had the sole responsibility for implementation. Any other, group would have amounted to hearsay. Therefore, to constructively delineate the reasons for failure, it was pertinent to learn from the quality managers directly and to ensure that the reasons was representative of their experiences with TQM. The practical implication is to prepare future managers about how to avoid failure. Originality/value – The paper clearly suggests the systematic process required for effective implementation of TQM in a healthcare setting by identifying factors that must be avoided to ensure the successful and sustainable implementation of TQM.

Customer service plays an essential role in firm performance. In this perspective, customer service process should be constantly improved to meet the expectations of customers. Despite the essence of customer satisfaction and its relations to organizational performance firms still fails to satisfy its entire customer segments. This study examines how the interaction between service innovation and total quality management can contribute to customer satisfaction. The study proposes a framework that seeks to aid firms on how to develop and implement quality customer service for its customers. This model takes into consideration the perceived expectation of customers in relation to value and quality.

Is total quality management really unique?

Chapter 4 - Basic Principles of Business Process Management

Business process re‐engineering is a hot topic around management and information systems areas. However, the verdict of the new idea is not clear and reports of successful cases are not numerous. Analyses the definitions and characteristics of business process re‐engineering (BPR). Reports on a literature survey on the critical failure reasons and success factors. Recognizes that the lack of clear concepts and understanding of BPR definitions creates many problems and, therefore, compares the BPR effort with other improvement programmes such as automation, downsizing, total quality management (TQM) for a better understanding of BPR. Suggests a methodology which can be used as general guidelines for management and re‐engineers in performing BPR to enhance success for BPR efforts.

This paper examined Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation in Research and Development (R&D) organisations with empirical data from South Korean and Taiwanese manufacturing firms. A literature review established three hypotheses in regard to similarity in TQM implementation patterns, the impact of TQM for innovation performance and the mediating role of hard TQM. TQM measures were based on the six criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, while innovation performance measures consisted of product quality and product innovation aspects. Our findings indicated that TQM practices were uniformly applied across the two countries. TQM were also found to have a significant impact on product quality and product innovation. However, the hypothesised mediating role of hard TQM was dismissed.

Background: Financial institutions in South Africa are implementing business process re-engineering (BPR) on a regular basis because of the fast-changing industry. However, the success of these projects is low because of the lack of clearly defined roles, an unclear definition of what BPR is, the inability to link BPR projects to organisation strategies and the lack of documentation to guide BPR activities. Accordingly, there is a need to define a framework to guide the implementation of BPR projects. Objectives: The researchers embarked on this study in order to define a framework to ensure improvement of BPR in financial institutions. The framework should assist in providing guidelines when conducting BPR activities and will enable plans for BPR projects in terms of knowing which skills and roles to source for these projects. Method: A conceptual BPR framework was developed and BPR experts from financial institutions were then engaged to determine whether the framework would work. The engagements included understanding the challenges faced and how they could be combated, understanding the roles involved and determining if organisations had BPR frameworks in place. This subsequently led to a final framework being consolidated. Results: This study presents the recommended BPR framework that can be used by financial institutions to achieve success in their projects. The framework incorporates project management and change management processes and ensures alignment of BPR activities with the project phases. It also ensures that the activities are clearly stipulated and the roles performing the activities are clearly defined. It considers time management, planning aspects and effective communication within BPR projects. Conclusion: The proposed framework can be used by financial institutions to manage their re-engineering projects. This framework overcomes most of the known challenges and combines two disciplines, that is, project management and business process re-engineering.

“School/madrasah as an educational institution is an institution that serves as an agent of change to solve the nation's problems. Therefore, in order to produce the quality of education, it is necessary to implement the concept of TQM (Total Quality Management) that in history has successfully led the business world in creating production quality best and can even exceed the satisfaction of customers standard. This study used a qualitative approach with methods of library research. The formulation of the problem involves understanding implementation of TQM, TQM in education, implementation of TQM principles in educational institutions, the pillars of TQM in educational institutions, measures the implementation of TQM in education and description of the failure in the implementation of TQM. The study results were obtained, among others; The first, implementation of total quality management (TQM) is an implementation or embodiment of a management concept that involves all components in the organization to jointly contribute to the organization's policies oriented to the improvement of product quality to customer satisfaction. Second, in educational institutions, implementation of TQM are used to improve administrative functions and operations, to manage the educational process as a whole, integrate TQM in the curriculum, the use of TQM in teaching methods in the classroom, the use of TQM for managing research and development activities. In addition, educators must be responsible for their duties proactively, they must develop a problem-solving process that makes sense and can identify and towards the main cause, capable of being the organization model and can measure what's working well and what is not, so that we will get a good system in institutional schools / madrasah. Third, in applying TQM, there are some principles that should be held, among others; focusing on consumers (users of educational services), broad involvement (teachers, staff, students, and community), their measurements, to understand education as a system, and their continuous improvement. Fourth, the five main pillars of TQM here are their products, relying on the process undertaken, the leader who moves in producing quality products, and a commitment among the leaders in the organization. Fifth, steps in implementing TQM in educational institutions include; the preparatory phase, the planning phase and the implementation phase. Sixth, the failure may occur in implementing TQM in educational institutions, if; there is a gap in the commitment of top management, one focus of attention, lack of adequate staff and support, relying solely training, the hope of obtaining results of a moment and force adopt a method that doesn’t comply with the requirement.”

Business process re-engineering — the route to integrating TQM into the business strategy

While the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) continues to be high among large organisations, small organisations are still behind in considering such systematic and comprehensive quality efforts. One reason for this might be that many advocates of TQM consider the concept as a fixed entity to be utilised by any organisation independent of size. However, the specific characteristics of small organisations imply a need for a more tailored approach when initiating such considerable organisational changes as TQM. Therefore, further knowledge regarding quality management in the context of small organisations is needed. This paper is based on a multiple-case study and describes quality-related work in a number of small organisations, which have received a quality award for their successful work with TQM. The focus is on how successful small organisations organise their TQM-related activities and components. The TQM implementations were sustained by approaches focusing on external and internal customers, where measurements of external customer satisfaction and employee development, involvement and satisfaction comprised common TQM components. The empirical findings also indicate that small organisations can reach, and sustain, a successful TQM implementation without a thorough and formal organisational structure for quality.

The focus of the paper is to examine the characteristics and behaviour of organizations that are not committed to the ideals of total quality management (TQM). In the five cases presented a number of conditions have helped to stifle the TQM initiative including: the lack of a plan, inadequate understanding of TQM, TQM seen as a necessary evil by senior management, inappropriate management style, poor channels of communication, no attempt to understand the needs and requirements of customers, proposals for improvement blocked by senior management, lack of integration between the ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ issues of quality management, a failure to understand the basics and linkages between concepts such as business process re-engineering, people empowerment and TQM, emphasis on quick-fix solutions and fire-fighting, and extending employee responsibility without adequate training. In turn these types of conditions have resulted in a lack of willingness by employees to participate in improvement initiatives and quality is seen as an added cost and something to be avoided.