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The practice of Total Quality Management has had a chequered introduction into Asia. Juran and Deming and their original formulations of course were ignored in the land of it's origination before Japanese business imported the ideas and made them work in Japan from two decades ago. Names like Ishikawa became well known in developing TQM. Since then, TQM has been offered as the reason for the success of Japanese business by many observers, and Japanese versions of TQM have been shipped back not only to the US and the Americas, but also Europe. Following massive Japanese investment in other countries such as Thailand, and Singapore saw TQM become popular expecially in those countries where Japanese investment was substantial. Japanese management expertise often came accompanied with TQM, and it also offered a way to manage diverse business systems and investments for the Japanese owners. However implementation has not always been successful and an ISO certificate is often seen as just another "certificate" necessary for submitting tenders or marketing the "quality" of services and products. After a quick look at what TQM really is, three sections of the review below focus on implementations of TWM in various Asian countries and businesses, the transferability of TQM principles among cultures, and the relationship between Eastern Philosophy with TQM. A good introduction to TQM and its definations, including a table summarising the history and variety of definations is available as one of the free articles this week:
Total quality management: origins and evolution of the term The focus of this paper is to trace the origins of the term TQM and clarify the different definitions employed by academics and practitioners. Feigenbaum and Ishikawa are perhaps the greatest contributors to the development of the term. The other recognised quality management gurus such as Crosby, Deming and Juran have shaped the dimensions, practices and mechanism which underpin the concept, but it is noted that none of these three actually uses the TQM term. TQM started to be used in the mid-1980s and only became a recognised part of the quality-related language in the late 1980s. The paper also analyses the key dimensions of TQM and traces their origins.
Keywords: Crosby, Deming, Development, Juran, TQM
Articles summarising TQM implementation in AsiaThere are many articles this week which discuss TQM in different Asian settings. Some of the most relevant abstracts are reproduced below:
Japanese 5-S practice States that Japanese factories and service organizations are well known for their cleanliness and orderliness. Suggests that this results from their ability to instil a sense of responsibility and discipline into their workers, particularly at plant level. Describes the Japanese 5-S practice, the logic behind which is that organization, neatness, cleanliness, standardization and discipline at the workplace are basic requirements for producing high-quality products and services, with little or no waste, while maintaining high levels of productivity. Aims to promote the 5-S technique and explore the reasons why it has been widely used in Japan as the first step towards TQM in both the manufacturing and services industries. Also discusses the implementation of the 5-S with the use of two case examples.
Keywords: Japan, Total quality control, TQM The progress of quality management in Thailand Describes the progress of quality management in Thailand. Quality management is new to Thai industry, but it has been adopted with great speed in recent years. Reports on a major survey, carried out to identify the current position, trends and attitudes within Thai industry. Notes a great increase in certification to the ISO 9000 series standards. Identifies reasons for seeking certification, the key difficulties and benefits experienced in introducing ISO 9000. The implementation of total quality management (TQM) in Thailand was also surveyed. Results indicated that TQM had made relatively little progress and, with the exception of a few large Thai-owned groups, was largely concentrated in foreign-owned companies within the electronics sector. However, increasingly, Thai-owned companies are accepting the challenge of ISO 9000 and looking towards TQM in the future.
Keywords: ISO 9000, Thailand, Total quality management Application of Deming's principles in the management of change - a Hong Kong experience
Wai-Kwok Lo Describes how a Hong Kong company improves its operations and manages the improvement through the application of Deming's principles. Gives the description in terms of Deming's 14 quality principles. Discusses how the principles are applied within the company, and how they help change management. This case study clearly shows that improving quality can lead to substantial bottom-line business success and growth. However, to achieve this success is a difficult path that must be consistently followed. Suggests and demonstrates practical methods to manage such changes. Such methods are applicable and transferable to other organizations, in particular those operating within a similar cultural environment to that described in the paper.
Keywords: Deming, Organizational change, TQM
A journey towards total quality management through ISO 9000 certification - a Singapore experience Highlights the importance of TQM for SMEs to improve their current business practices as well as quality of products and services, to ensure long-term survival. However, there are several barriers to effective implementation of TQM in such organizations, namely, the apparent lack of business experience and knowledge, and limitation of financial as well as human resources. Singaporean SMEs account for a large share of its economy; however, little has been written on how TQM has been applied in these companies in Singapore and the region. Reports the results of a number of case studies conducted among a sample of seven local SMEs in Singapore.
Keywords: ISO 9000, Singapore, Small-to-medium-sized enterprises, TQM Strategy for the successful implementation of ISO 9000 in small and medium manufacturers States that small- to medium-sized manufacturers are finding the ISO 9000 standards difficult to implement. Discusses a research project which investigates the factors influencing the process of ISO 9000 certification for these manufacturers and identifies the critical issues inhibiting its implementation. Uses the findings of the research project to formulate a strategy, which has been proved successful in a number of cases, to assist small- to medium-sized manufacturing companies in obtaining ISO 9000 certification.
Keywords: ISO 9000, Manufacturing industry, Small- to medium-sized enterprises
Total Quality Management in Services: The Case of Singapore's Advertising Industry The advertising industry in Singapore faces an acutely competitive environment which demands a high level of service from agencies with total quality management (TQM) as the perspective. Mere excellence in creativity with its high focus on product, rather than the market, is no longer sufficient. Supports this hypothesis by a survey. Keywords: Advertising, Competitive advantage, Customer requirements, Marketing environment, Objectives, Quality programmes, Service quality, Singapore, Strategic planning, TQM Article Type: Survey Content Indicators: Research Implication- **, Practice Implication- *, Originality- *, Readability- **
Hoshin kanri - a participative way of quality management in Japan The essential steps of "hoshin kanri", or policy management, in Japanese companies are described. They are annual policy and medium- to long-term policy, basic company philosophy and quality policy, converting methodological policy into objective policy, the composition of policy, two deployment styles of target - top-down and bottom-up, target deployment and "catch-ball", and top management internal quality control audit
Keywords: Hoshin kanri, Internal audit, Japan, Quality policy
Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services' practices as management benchmarks
Keywords: Benchmarking, Investment, Markets, Singapore, Standards, Vision
TQM in practice: a survey of Singapore's manufacturing companies on their TQM practices and objectives Presents the findings of a survey on total quality management (TQM) practices of Singapore's manufacturing companies. Details that the sample comprised 27 companies of different country origins, they came from different industries and together, the companies employed more than 16,000 people, which is approximately 5 per cent of Singapore's manufacturing labour force, thus, in the view of the writers, representing a fair sample. Confirms from the findings that TQM is well established in Singapore, especially among medium- to large-sized manufacturing companies, although not in all its facets, hence giving a mixed picture. Fails to confirm that the practice of TQM in companies of different country origins was significantly different, though Japan probably had an edge.
Keywords: Implementation, Manufacturing industry, Objectives, Singapore, TQM Quality issues in nine New Zealand hotels: a research study Based on a strong interest in the academic and practical aspects of the quality movement, a case study research of nine hotels in Wellington was undertaken, focusing on restaurant managers and front-line staff. Reports that a number of findings with practical relevance emerged, on which recommendations have been based. These deal with: what quality means in practice; quality and servitude; shared perceptions of quality; empowering for quality; recruiting for quality; part-time versus full-time employees; quality programmes other than TQM; quality within a wider context; and positive attitudes to complaints.
Keywords: Hotels, Managers, New Zealand, Quality, TQM How universal is TQM?A common misperception is that the standardization inherent in quality management is universal and can be adapted with little change in every business culture. It was a peception encouraged by those with vested interests and those looking for easy answers. A couple of the articles this week focus on the differences in implementation.
A comparative study of nine national quality awards Ever since the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) was established in 1987, many other countries have developed their own version of a national quality award (NQA). These NQAs tend to follow the general framework of the MBNQA with different emphases on criteria items such as leadership, customer focus, resource management and impact on society. This paper is a comparative study of nine major national quality awards (three European, two North American, three Asia Pacific and one South American). It is instructive to note the differences in criteria item emphasis based on a country's stage of economic development. Multinational companies may find it very useful when their overseas subsidiaries apply for the local NQA following the success of their home companies. Countries that have yet to develop an NQA stand to gain from the comparative information gathered.
Keywords: Awards, Economic conditions, Quality management
The fallacy of universal best practices Argues that winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Deming Prize, and the European Quality Award are held up as models of how organizations should be managed. Unfortunately, what may be good for them can be disastrous for your organization. Bases this report on one of the world's largest international management practice's database and provides statistically sound conclusions that can change the way you think about best practices, benchmarking, and the way you are managing your organization's improvement efforts.
Keywords: Baldrige Award, Benchmarking, Demand, Improvement, Model National traits in TQM principles and practices Points out that we have accepted on faith many of our improvement tools without really understanding their impact on the performance of the organization. Challenges some of the basic principles on which total quality management was founded. Presents data from the International Quality Study performed over a three-year period by Ernst & Young and the American Quality Foundation, which, with over two million pieces of information in its database, is the largest, most complete management practice benchmark resource in the world today. Highlights similarities and differences between countries. Defines best practices based on the statistical analysis of the business results achieved internationally. Keywords: Germany, Improvement, Japan, Management techniques, Quality management, TQM Article Type: Survey, Comparative/evaluators Content Indicators: Research Implication- *, Practice Implication- **, Originality- **, Readability- **
Japan/ASEAN TQM project Over the past several years, the Standards Department of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, MITI has rendered technical aid to ASEAN countries: promulgating total quality management (TQM) systems that Japan had developed and found to be very successful; developing human resources; and contributing to the development of industries and economy as a whole. This project was designed to facilitate the implementation and promotion of TQM activities in ASEAN countries in order to develop their industries and promote international trade. This article describes the project.
Keywords: ASEAN, Japan, Projects, TQM The cultural transferability of business and organizational re-engineering: Examples from South-east Asia Re-engineering presumes that organizational structures and processes govern behaviours in an organization; seen as, essentially, a North American approach to management. Investigates the transferability of the re-engineering concept, as proposed by Hammer and Champy, to two companies in Thailand and Singapore. Concludes that, while BPR is difficult to introduce successfully at the best of times, it is close to impossible in a non-Western culture in the forms suggested by its US proponents.
Keywords: BPR, Corporate culture, Implementation, Multinationals, Organizational behaviour, Singapore, Thailand, TQM
TQM and Eastern PhilosophyAlong the way with the intoduction of TQM in Asia, several researchers and observers have attempted to integrate Eastern philosophy with the theory of TQM. Some of these articles are also avilable this week and are available below: A Book of Five Rings: the Samurai way to achieving construction quality Argues that the management of quality in the construction industry is often flawed by people-related problems. Suggests that there is tremendous scope for applying Miyamoto Musashi's lessons in A Book of Five Rings for overcoming some of these problems and for managing construction quality. Just as the samurai strives to perfect his killer instinct, the application of the Samurai way in the building industry can serve to achieve getting the construction quality right first time, every time. Provides a historical account of Miyamoto Musashi's A Book of Five Rings, highlights its teachings and analyses how these can be adapted or applied for managing construction quality more effectively in the building industry. Keywords: Construction industry, Japan, Philosophy, TQM Article Type: Case study Content Indicators: Research Implication- **, Practice Implication- ***, Originality- **, Readability- ***
The Tao of quality - another framework Nowadays, quality practitioners appear confused and divided with regard to the issues of ISO 9000, TQM, business process re-engineering and so on. Opines that the confusion or conflict can be reconciled if one can look at the evolution of total quality detachedly and holistically. Works out a Tao of quality framework. From the analysis of a system view of a business, the MBNQA model and the EFQM model, first highlights the essence of TQM based on the concepts of quality management systems and then combines it with some prevailing life values in a relation diagram to form an open system framework of values. Calls this open system framework the "Tao of quality framework". Supports the view that there are different levels of existence and there is a different TQM model appropriate at each level. To make each TQM model relevant, it has to be associated with the prevailing dominant life values at that level. If an organization culture can perform as is appropriate to that level, it will build up energy and competence. The sustained practice will eventually transform the organization to the next higher level of existence.
Keywords: Management, Quality, TQM
The strategic insights of Sun Tzu and quality management Reports the results of an attempt to relate the military treatise of the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu to strategic quality management. Two sets of 20 statements were compiled, one from the work of Sun Tzu and the other from the concepts of strategic quality management. A group of employees experienced in quality management was then asked to indicate on a discrete scale the relevance of each statement in terms of its applicability on quality management. The rankings and correlations of the statements are presented and discussed. The results indicate a degree of relevance of Sun Tzu's insights to strategic quality management in an Asian context.
Keywords: Quality management, Strategy, War As always we have only skimmed the surface of relevant articles this week and only those that are particulalry relevant for Asia-Pacific managers. Many other articles are available as well as those from the International Journal of Public Sector Management, which will be the subject of a review next year. However, articles from this journal are also available this week too.
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