WHAT IS TOTAL QUALITY

MANAGEMENT (TQM)?
Quality Glossary Definition: Total quality management

A core definition of 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.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TQM

TQM 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, or upgrading
computers or software—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
when 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
(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.
 An integrated business system may be modeled after
the Baldrige Award criteria and/or incorporate the ISO 9000 standards. Every
organization has a unique work culture, and it is virtually impossible to
achieve excellence in its products and services unless a good quality
culture has been fostered. Thus, an integrated system connects business
improvement elements in an attempt to continually improve and exceed the
expectations of customers, employees, and other stakeholders.
5. Strategic and systematic approach: A critical part of the management of
quality is the strategic and systematic approach to achieving an organization’s
vision, mission, and goals. This process, called strategic planning or strategic
management, includes the formulation of a strategic plan that integrates
quality as a core component.
6. Continual improvement: A large aspect of TQM is continual process
improvement. Continual improvement drives an organization to be both
analytical and creative in finding ways to become more competitive and more
effective at meeting stakeholder expectations.
7. Fact-based decision making: In order to know how well an organization is
performing, data on performance measures are necessary. TQM requires that
an organization continually collect and analyze data in order to improve
decision making accuracy, achieve consensus, and allow prediction based on
past history.
8. Communications: During times of organizational change, as well as part of
day-to-day operation, effective communications plays a large part in
maintaining morale and in motivating employees at all levels. Communications
involve strategies, method, and timeliness.

These elements are considered so essential to TQM that many organizations

define them, in some format, as a set of core values and principles on which the
organization is to operate. The methods for implementing this approach come
from the teachings of such quality leaders as Philip B. Crosby, W. Edwards
Deming, Armand V. Feigenbaum, Kaoru Ishikawa, and Joseph M. Juran. 

ADDITIONAL TQM INFORMATION

 Benefits of Total Quality Management

 Implementing Total Quality Management
 History and Evolution of Total Quality Management
 Deming’s 14 Points for Total Quality Management
 TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT RESOURCES

Quality management resources act as a catalyst to creating a competitive

advantage. The TQM resources below grant access to knowledge that can help
foster the development of any organization.

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BENEFITS OF TOTAL QUALITY

MANAGEMENT
Note:  Total quality management  (TQM) as a term to describe an organization's quality policy and procedure
has fallen out of favor as international standards for quality management have been developed. Please see our
series of pages on  quality management systems  for more information.

Total quality management benefits and advantages:

 Strengthened competitive position

 Adaptability to changing or emerging market conditions and to environmental and other government
regulations
 Higher productivity
 Enhanced market image
 Elimination of defects and waste
 Reduced costs and better cost management
 Higher profitability
 Improved customer focus and satisfaction
 Increased customer loyalty and retention
 Increased job security
 Improved employee morale
 Enhanced shareholder and stakeholder value
 Improved and innovative processes

Total Quality Management (TQM) Benefit: Methodology Creates an Adaptive Organization

ASQ has collected a series of total quality management case studies to illustrate the impact a TQM system can
have on your organization.

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TQM IMPLEMENTATION AND SYSTEMS

Note:  Total quality management  (TQM) as a term to describe an organization's quality policy and procedure
has fallen out of favor as international standards for quality management have been developed. Please see our
series of pages on  quality management systems  for more information.

When planning and implementing a total quality management system or quality management strategy, there is
no one solution for every situation or workplace.

Each organization is unique in terms of the culture, management practices, and the processes used to create and
deliver its products and services. Quality management strategy vary from organization to organization;
however, a set of primary elements should be present in some format.

Purchase The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook, Fourth Edition

GENERIC STRATEGY MODEL FOR IMPLEMENTING TQM SYSTEMS

1. Top management learns about and decides to commit to TQM. TQM is identified as one of the
organization’s strategies.
2. The organization assesses current culture, customer satisfaction, and quality management systems.
3. Top management identifies core values and principles to be used, and communicates them.
4. A TQM master plan is developed on the basis of steps 1, 2, and 3.
5. The organization identifies and prioritizes customer demands and aligns products and services to
meet those demands.
6. Management maps the critical processes through which the organization meets its customers’
needs.
7. Management oversees the formation of teams for process improvement efforts.
8. The momentum of the TQM effort is managed by the steering committee.
9. Managers contribute individually to the effort through hoshin planning, training, coaching, or other
methods.
10. Daily process management and standardization take place.
11. Progress is evaluated and the plan is revised as needed.
12. Constant employee awareness and feedback on status are provided and a reward/recognition
process is established.

EXAMPLES OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STRATEGIES

Imprints of TQM concepts can be found in modern approaches to quality management, such as the Malcolm
Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and lean manufacturing, as well as
the examples below.

Total Quality Management (TQM) Implementation Strategies

Strategy 1: The TQM element approach

The TQM element approach takes key business processes and/or organizational units and uses the tools of
TQM to foster improvements. This method was widely used in the early 1980s as companies tried to
implement parts of TQM as they learned them. Examples of this approach include quality circles, statistical
process control, Taguchi methods, and quality function deployment.

Strategy 2: The guru approach

The guru approach uses the teachings and writings of one or more of the leading quality thinkers as a guide
against which to determine where the organization has deficiencies. The organization makes appropriate
changes to remedy those deficiencies. For example, managers might study Deming’s 14 points or attend the
Crosby College. Afterward, they would work on implementing the approach learned.
Strategy 3: The organization model approach
In this approach, individuals or teams visit organizations that have taken a leadership role in TQM and
determine their processes and reasons for success. They then integrate these ideas with their own ideas to
develop an organizational model adapted for their specific organization. This method was used widely in the
late 1980s and is exemplified by the initial recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Strategy 4: The Japanese total quality approach

Organizations using the Japanese total quality approach examine the detailed implementation techniques and
strategies employed by Deming Prize-winning companies and use this experience to develop a long-range
master plan for in-house use. This approach was used by Florida Power and Light—among others—to
implement TQM and to compete for, and win, the Deming Prize.

Strategy 5: The award criteria approach

When using this model, an organization uses the criteria of a quality award (e.g., the Deming Prize, the
European Quality Award, or the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award), to identify areas for
improvement. Under this approach, TQM implementation focuses on meeting specific award criteria.

Although some argue that this is not an appropriate use of award criteria, some organizations do use this
approach and it can result in improvement.

Adapted from The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook. Fourth Edition, ASQ

Quality Press.

qual·i·ty

/ˈkwälədē/

noun

1.

the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence
of something.

"an improvement in product quality"

synonyms: standard, grade, class, classification, caliber, status, condition, character, nature,
constitution, makeup, form, rank, worth, value, level; More

2.

a distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by someone or something.

"he shows strong leadership qualities"

synonyms: feature, trait, attribute, characteristic, point, aspect, facet, side, streak, property,
peculiarity, idiosyncrasy, quirk; mark, badge, stamp, hallmark, trademark
"they have many good qualities