The terms ‘quality and ‘quality management have been commonly used in the business world in the last two decades. This is because of the great significance that they have on organizations. In fact, quality management is the secret behind the most successful organizations around the globe. Total Quality Management (TQM) as it is commonly referred to, is a philosophy that entails operating business at the lowest costs while increasing the revenue. Through Quality Management, companies provide quality products and services to the consumers thus satisfying them despite using the lowest costs possible (Kurtus, 2007, para.2). As such, the implementation of a TQM program gives the organization a competitive advantage over other businesses in the same line. In this paper, two organizations, Motorola and Wal-Mart will be analyzed in terms of their quality management implementation.
Despite the many benefits that come in handy with the implementation of TQM in organizations, most of the companies in the United States of America were reluctant to adopt the TQM programs. However, after the formation of the American Society for Quality in 1946 organizations began adopting the programs after facing strong competition from their counterparts in other parts of the globe such as Japan. Motorola was among the first companies to adopt and implement TQM and realized a 10% percent improvement within the first five years of implementation. The main objective of Motorola was total customer satisfaction by producing quality mobile phones and other telecommunication gadgets that would meet the demand of the market. Their improvement was so significant that they received the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 1988.
Wal-Mart, a large chain retailer in America also adopted TQM despite its small size. In its TQM program, Wal-Mart aims at offering quality after-sale services to its customers thus making them want to shop even more from the stores. Through the adoption of TQM, Wal-Mart was able to achieve successful change in its design and construction process. This created a new image and a brand that is difficult to beat in the American market.
The aforementioned two organizations are leading examples of companies that have successfully adopted quality management. As such, other companies can follow their example and adopt TQM in their system. This can be achieved by integrating TQM in their operations such that all products and various services are produced in accordance with the laid down steps of Quality Management. In order to effectively achieve TQM, companies can set up teams that will be bestowed the duty of implementing Quality Management in the organization (Besterfield, et al., 1999). This helps in accountability since those assigned different duties will be earmarked and their progress checked. In addition, companies ought to organize training on TQM through which the members of the organization are trained on TQM issues thus making it easy for them to implement it.
The participation of companies in these organizations would definitely have a positive impact on the success of the companies. This is because TQM has rarely failed organizations and institutions that have adopted it in the right way. For instance, matters such as lack of commitment by the management of the company could significantly affect the success of the TQM program despite its adoption by the company. It is therefore important that companies fully commit themselves during the implementation of TQM. Last but not least, it is important that all the companies’ stakeholders are informed of the adoption and implementation of TQM in the company to ensure the effectiveness of the process.
References
Besterfield, D. et al. (1999). Total Quality Management. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice-Hall.
Kurtus, R. (2007). Using TQM for a Competitive Advantage in Business. Web.