TQM Process Improvement Strategies Essays

TQM Process Improvement Strategies Essays TQM Process Improvement Strategies Essay TQM Process Improvement Strategies Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: TQM Process Improvement Strategies There is an unprecedented increase in the level of competition in the various business fields and markets. This has been driven largely by the presence of technological improvements and changes in the consumer needs resulting in diversified products for satisfaction of such consumer needs and wants. Hence, in an increasingly competitive society, in the business world, there is a dire need by organizations and modern manufacturers to ensure continued evaluation of their management principles. Constant evaluation of the existent strategies of management, operation and other practices in the organization aims at providing the highest management process in line with the trends in the market in terms of changes. Hence, success in the modern business world is achieved through efficiencies brought about by improvements through total quality management. Essentially, total quality management is defined as the chronological approach used by management in continuous improvements in operations, organizational process and functions. This is usually achieved by understanding the consumer needs and wants and striving to exceed such consumer expectations through efficiencies in the organizational processes. In addition, the main objectives for the use of TQM are to ensure adequate focus on the consumer, continuous improvement of the organizational processes, and participation of all individuals in the organization, in the TQM activities (Gupta, Shakti Kant, 2). Accreditation is an essential asset to an organization irrespective of the field of operation. Hence, organizations usually select and aim for goals, which are realistic and achievable with the resources available to the organization. Establishment of standards enables an organization achieve the select goals and objectives and thus in the process ensuring the satisfaction of the consumer needs and wants. Hence, the presence of goals with respect to the existent standards provides managers in an organization with the opportunity to focus on achievement of such on a holistic platform. Hence, daily activities in the organization are relegated to the lower hierarchal executives for execution. This focus is essential as it entails the need for constant evaluation of the existent standards and goals in the organization (Imai, 19). The effectiveness or appraisal of the standards in existence, in an organization, is evaluated through the focus on either the structural aspect or the outcomes because of the existent standards. Accreditation programs in the contemporary organizations focus on three essential aspects in the execution of tasks in the organization. The first is the focus on the structural aspect of the issue of services or the development of products. The second is the focus on the process aspect in an organization. The third and last focus is on the outcome of the procedures in the organization during execution of tasks (Gupta, Shakti Kant, 5). Accreditation is usually used as a means of achievement of quality in the organization. Accreditation programs in organizations play a significant role in continued updating of standards of quality in any organization. Continued evaluation and subsequent improvements in organizational processes and products is essential for the achievement of the consumer satisfaction. This is achieved because of the guaranteed high quality, considerable costs and the delivery of the service by an organization. This is a means of seeking and subsequently achieving and ensuring consumer satisfaction. Hence, the means of constant evaluation of the existent goals and standards in organizations is a means of ensuring the achievement of competitive advantage. Thus, the improvement of quality in the organizational processes and thus ensuing that the efficiencies accrue numerous benefits to the organization such as reduced process costs, increased profitability, better consumer relationships from satisfaction through high quality goods and services and the achievement of a strong brand image. Hence, improvements are used to align the existent resources such as the skills, labor and funds with the organization’s strategic goals and objectives (Gouranourimi, 48). For instance, manufacturing organizations around the world have increased their use of Total Quality Management practices and business process re-engineering (BPR) programs aimed at achievement of the consumer satisfaction. The advantages accrued form the use of such programs is the need to ensure a strong relationship based on consumer experiences. Consumer experiences are essential in that they determine they determine the relationship of the organization with the existent consumers of the services and products issued by the organization. It is an express indication of the ability of the organization to provide high value goods and services that provide the much needed consumer satisfaction. In an organization, the management is tasked with initiating and talking up the act of decision-making in order to align the organizational processes with the organizational goals and objectives. This is considered as the provision of the strategic direction with the aim of accruing long-term results, which are usually achieved in terms of the financial position of the organization. This entails the decision-making in terms of the competitive priorities of the organization, the policies used in the various processes in the organization and other sectors, as well (Powell, 21). The second phase is the improvement planning which involves the identification and prioritization of the improvement actions, which essentially contribute to the achievement of the overall strategic goals and objectives. Improvements could take the form of new designs or ensuring continued improvements in the organizational processes to achieve the goals and objectives of the entity in its market of operation. Essentially improvement projects are selected based on their levels of contribution to the organizational efficiencies and effectiveness of the processes in the competitiveness of the organization in its market of operation. Prioritization of such essential processes provides the organization with the much-needed focus for the achievement of the strategic goals and objectives. It is also essential to ensure refined select competitive priorities, which should undergo continuous improvement (Powell, 21). This is also actualized on continued investigations into the consumer needs, wants, expectations and preferences and how such relate to the performance of the organization when compared to other organizations in the market of operation. Additionally, the processes, which are prioritized for continuous improvement, are selected based on their level of impact related competitive priorities of the organization identified for improvement. TQM is a process, which applies quantitative models and human resources to improve the resources supplied by an organization to the consumers. Such ensures that the consumers of the goods and services are the primary targets of the TQM processes and activities. The execution and implementation of the TQM strategies has several salient features. Such include the presence of a distinct approach or TQM model, elements of quality in the process, the leadership in the TQM processes, multifaceted and dimensioned approach in the TQM process for maximization of the benefits or results of the process. Leadership in an organization is essential to ensure the success of the TQM processes. Leadership is at times characterized as animalistic in terms of the approach used by the organization. Commitment from the top management of the hierarchal order of the organization in terms of provision of the direction of the TQM processes. Good management is essential in the processes to ensure the achievement of the organization’s strategic goals and objectives. Involvement of the organization’s top management falls as a critical aspect in the TQM processes because of the issue of guidance and direction in the entire process. The involvement of top management ensures the ability of evaluation of all the organizational processes to gain information of the priorities in the organization. Such priorities are related to the relationship of the organization with consumers and the entire market in general. They usually provide the direction in terms of obvious areas as which accrue larger costs to the organization. Additionally other issues such as quality of services and products rest with the various organizational departments (Powell, 27). The commitment of the management should be driven by a strong desire by the organization to ensure improved quality in the processes, services and products to consumers for eventual satisfaction of the consumer needs and wants. TQM results usually focus on the presence of long-term benefits. Hence, there is a dire need to delegate duties, responsibilities and tasks to the senior mangers for the overall achievement of the strategic goals and objectives. Such should also be replicated in the entire organization to ensure that all employees are in active participation, in the TQM processes. Top management provides monitoring and control as it acts as an oversight authority towards the achievement of the possible benefits of the TQM process. Management also provides direction in terms of the corrective actions required as well as the adoption of new processes in the organization from the TQM processes. The involvement of the top management of the organization is essential in TQM in that it enforces the gravity of the need for evaluation of the processes in the organization using TQM processes. Contemporary organizations identify that customer needs, wants and expectations in terms of the services and products provided by the organization are the primary drivers of the need for evaluation of the processes in the organization. Additionally, connection between the improvement deployment process and the strategic competitive priorities of the organization is needed. TQM focuses on the presence of incremental changes and the eventual improvement, even though gradual, of the process in an organization. Such could be considered as a forward-looking approach as it aims at the achievement of positive results (Gouranourimi, 49). The results of TQM are usually measured best from an economic perspective. Such effects could lead to bankruptcy or financial success based on the approach used in the TQM process. Results of TQM are at times determined by the resources held by an individual organization. The differences in terms of results and benefits are due to the presence of imperfect imitability. This means that organizations are exposed to different conditions and resources leading to the difference in circumstances and thus the results of the TQM process. This is brought about by the presence of what is described as isolating mechanisms. Isolating mechanisms include time compression diseconomies whereby issues such as skills and experience may take longer to accrue leading to slow realization of the benefits of the TQM process (Imai, 41). Others include the presence of connectedness of resources in that an organization might acquire resources, which might require additional resources, which an organization mi ght be unable to achieve or acquire. Hence, resources cannot be imitated by an organization resulting into varied benefits of possibly failure of the TQM. TQM requires dedication in terms of the allocation of resources by the organization for actual achievement of the goals and objectives in target by the organization. The goals and objectives should be formulated with respect to the available resources. Dedication of the resources is based on the uniqueness of the organization in terms of its ability to achieve the provided goals and objectives form the use of the TQM (Yousaf, 9). This requires adequate top management involvement, as well as the general employee population in terms of understanding their roles in the achievement of the provided goals and objectives using the TQM processes provided. Work Cited Imai, Masaaki. Kaizen (ky’zen), the Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. New York: Random House Business Division, 1986. Print. Gouranourimi, Farshad. â€Å"Total Quality Management, Business Process Reengineering Integrating Them for Organizations’ Improvement† American Journal of Scientific Research, 46 (2012): 47-59. Print. Gupta, Shakti Kant, Sunil. â€Å"Total Quality Management and Accreditation Strategic Essentials for the next Millennium† Hospital Notes, 2. 2. (April-June 1999): 1-6. Print. Powell, C. Thomas. â€Å"Total Quality Management as Competitive Advantage: A review and Empirical Study† Strategic Management Journal, 16. 1. (1995): 15-37. Yousaf, Nadeem. â€Å"Top Management Commitment for TQM-a process model† Pakistan’s 10th International Convention on Quality Improvement. (2006): 1-11. Print.