Total Quality Management (TQM) describes a management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services, and the culture in which they work.

Total Quality Management Principles: The 8 Primary Elements of TQM

Total quality management can be summarized as a management system for a customer-focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses strategy, data, and effective communications to integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the organization. Many of these concepts are present in modern Quality Management Systems, the successor to TQM. Here are the 8 principles of total quality management:

1. Customer-focused

The customer ultimately determines the level of quality. No matter what an organization does to foster quality improvement—training employees, integrating quality into the design process, upgrading computers or software, or buying new measuring tools—the customer determines whether the efforts were worthwhile.

2. Total employee involvement

All employees participate in working toward common goals. Total employee commitment can only be obtained after fear has been driven from the workplace, when empowerment has occurred, and management has provided the proper environment. High-performance work systems integrate continuous improvement efforts with normal business operations. Self-managed work teams are one form of empowerment.

3. Process-centered

A fundamental part of TQM is a focus on process thinking. A process is a series of steps that take inputs from suppliers (internal or external) and transforms them into outputs that are delivered to customers (again, either internal or external). The steps required to carry out the process are defined, and performance measures are continuously monitored in order to detect unexpected variation.

4. Integrated system

Although an organization may consist of many different functional specialties often organized into vertically structured departments, it is the horizontal processes interconnecting these functions that are the focus of TQM.

• Micro-processes add up to larger processes, and all processes aggregate into the business processes required for defining and implementing strategy. Everyone must understand the vision, mission, and guiding principles as well as the quality policies, objectives, and critical processes of the organization. Business performance must be monitored and communicated continuously.
• _________ _______ __________ ______ _____ ___ ___.
  _______ ________ ___ ____ _______ ___ ____.
  ___ ____ __________ __________ _________ _______ ____ ____ ___ _________ ____.
  ________ ___ ____ ______ ____ ______ _______ ___ ____.
  _______ _______ __________ _____ _______ _________ ______ _____ ___ ______.
  ________ ___ _____ ___ __________ ___ ___ ___.
  _______ ___ _________ ___ _____ _____ ____ ___ ______ _____ ___ ________.
  _________ ______ _______ ________ ________ _____ ______ _____ ___ ______.
  ______ ____ ________ ________ _____ _____ _________ ______ _________.
  ______ _____ ________ ____ _________.
  ______ ____ _______ _____ ____ ______ __________ _______ _________ _________ _________ ______.
  ______ _________ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ________ ___ ___.
  ________ ___ ____ _____ __________ ____ ____ __________ _______ _____ __________ ______.
  ____ __________ ________ __________ _____ ________ _____.
  ___ _______ ________ _________ _______ _______.
  ____ ___ ____ _____ ____ _________ ____.
  ______ ____ _________ _______ ______ __________ ____ ______.
  _______ ______ ___ ________ ________ ________ ____.
  _________ ________ ______ __________ __________ _______ ____.
  ______ _________ _______ ___ _______ ________ ____ _____ ______ _____.
  _________ __________ _________ _______ _____ ___ _________ ______ ______ _________ __________.
  ________ ____ _________ _________ _________.
  ______ ______ __________ ________ ________ __________ ________ __________.
  _______ ________ ______ ________ ________ _______.
  ___ _____ __________ ________ ________ _____ ___ ____ ______ ________ ___.
  ________ ______ __________ _________ _____ __________.
  __________ ___ _________ ________ ___ _________ ____ ______ __________ __________ _____.
  _____ ______ ____ ____ ____ _____ ______ _________ _______ _______ ________ _______.
  ___ __________ _________ ________ ___ ______ __________.
  ________ _______ _________ ________ ____ _________ _________ __________ __________ ____ _____ __________.
  ______ ___ _______ ______ _________ _____.
  _________ ______ ____ ______ __________ ______ ___ ______ _______ ________.
  ___ ________ _________ ___ _________ ________ _________ ___ ______ ______ _______.
  ______ __________ ___ _________ _____ ____ ______ _____ ___ _____ ______ ___.
  __________ ___ _____ ________ __________ _________ ___ ________ _______ ___ __________ ______.
  ____ _____ _______ __________ ________ ______ ________.
  ________ __________ ________ _____ ____ _____ _____ _____.
  _______ __________ _______ ____ ______ _______ _____ ________ ___ _____ __________ ____.
  _______ _______ _____ ________ _____ ____.
  _______ ________ _________ ____ _________ ___ _______ _______ ___ ________ _______ ______.
  __________ ___ _______ _________ __________ _________ _______ _____ _________.
  _______ ______ _____ ____ __________ _________ ___ ________ ____ __________.
  ____ __________ _____ _________ ______ _____ __________ ________.
  _______ ________ ________ _________ ______ ______ _________ ________ _________ ____ ____.
  ________ __________ ______ ______ _______ ____ _______ _________ __________.
  ___ ________ __________ _____ ___ ___.
  _________ _______ ______ __________ ________ ____ _______.
  ____ _______ _____ ___ _________ __________ _____ __________ ______.
  ___ ____ __________ _______ _______ ______ __________ _______ __________ _______ ___ ____.
  _____ _________ ___ _____ ____ ____ __________ __________.
  _____ _____ _______ _____ ___ _______ ______ ________ _______.
  __________ ________ _________ __________ __________.
  _________ __________ __________ ____ _______ ___ _________ ____ __________ ______ ________ ______.
  __________ _____ _____ ______ _________ ________ _______ _____ ___ ______ ________ __________.
  _______ ____ __________ __________ _____ ___ ______ _______ ________ _________ __________ ___.
  ______ ________ _____ _________ _________ ______ _______ ________.
  ____ ____ _________ ______ ___ _____ ____ ________ _________ ____.
  _____ __________ _______ _______ _________ _____ _________ ________ _______ __________ __________.
  ________ _________ ____ ___ _________ ___ ________ _______ __________ ______ _______ _________.
  __________ ___ ______ _________ ____ ________.
  ____ ______ _________ ___ __________ _____ ____ __________ ________.
  ______ ______ ___ _____ ______ _____ ___ ________ _____ _________.
  ____ ____ __________ _________ _____ ________ ______ ___ ____ ______ _______ __________.
  _________ ___ ________ _____ __________ ________ ________ _______ ________ ______ ________ ____.
  ____ _____ _____ _________ _______ _____.
  ________ __________ ___ ___ _________ _______ ____ _______ ________ ______ ________.
  ___ _______ ________ ________ ______ ______ ______ _____ ____ ______ ___.
  _______ ______ __________ ____ _______ __________ ________ ____.
  ___ ____ _____ ___ ____ __________.
  ____ ____ ___ __________ _________ ______ ____.
  __________ _______ ___ __________ ________ ________ _______ __________ _______ ______.
  _________ ______ ______ _________ ____ ___.
  _____ ________.
  
  ×

  IGNOU ACADEMY

  Your IGNOU journey, made easier.

  • Solved Assignments
  • Study Notes
  • Guess Papers
  • Question Papers

  Call Us WhatsApp

  STUDY • PREPARE • SUCCEED

  Skip in 10
  Continue Reading — It's Free

  Sign in with Google to unlock more of this answer.

  ✓ Free access
  ✓ Unlock up to 60% of the answer
  ✓ No payment required

  Quick Google sign-in. No separate registration form.