Question

Discuss key challenges in implementing total quality management and provide your solution to develop an effective quality management system. Feel free to provide examples from your work experience including the challenges you have seen or experienced, and the lessons you have learned in effective implementation of quality management.

Answer 1

Here are the challenges that are faced in total quality management and also mentioned the solutions that can be implemented to make it effective:

• The major challenge is that management needs to be responsible & take ownership to ensure effectiveness in business and lead the total quality management approach: TQM is a change management process which requires time and support from the management. The leaders need to ensure that a TQM behavior is accepted and promoted in the organisation. Management needs to take the lead to build the culture around quality management and efficiency in product or service. Example - The organisation that allow cross communication and have greater feedback process strive to produce high-quality products for the market. They take the feedback and improve the product further.
• The second challenge is to ensure regular improvement in operations to deliver a quality product: The business needs to ensure that they continuously monitor the quality aspect of the product development and increase the productivity by maintaining focus on total quality management. For example, Apple over the years has not only shown innovation but continuous improvement in product & technology. They listen to customer feedback and bring improvement to the product.
• The continuous focus on customer and external market is an important basic challenge for total quality management. The business needs to ensure that customer inputs are given due consideration during product operations. The customer feedback helps to bring upgrade and innovation to the product. Customer satisfaction leads to an increase in revenue, retention of customers and an increase in the market share. Example: It is Amazon's faster delivery process, offering a wide range of products appealing to diverse customers and quality service that makes it a great organisation.
• Ensuring proper process management & improvement in operational efficiency is another major challenge. The floor and operational plan need to have defined processes and clear guidelines help to produce high-quality products. Management and leadership should provide enough training resources and support to its employees so that are equipped to deliver quality products and services. For example - Most popular food joints like KFC and Burger kinds have a defined mission, procedures and operations standards making sure quality is delivered to customers.
• Another challenge is to provide a work environment that is open to innovation and adaptation of new technologies: It is important for the leadership to ensure the work environment supports challenging each other, open to feedback and working towards improved products. The business should be willing to adopt new technology ensuring better operational process. Example - Zappos is an organisation which has a belief in an open work culture. Employees can challenge the seniors and together they work as a team to come up with quality solutions and upgrade ideas for operations.
• Long-term focus and strategic planning: It is important for the business to have a long-term thinking approach. Every decision should be carefully analysed using data and other information. The firm should strategically define the future of the company and improve its operational processes. The business should be able to forecast the results of current actions. Example - Google keeps thinking long-term and understands what the future demands of its users will be like. It brings constant changes by carefully analysing its impact in the future.

Development of team and ensuring greater business outcomes: TQM depends on the skills of the team implementing it. It becomes important for the leadership team to work towards skill building for its employees. Development of human resource helps to implement changes and leads to continuous improvement in the quality of the product. The business has to ensure results & higher productivity to build the trust of employees towards TQM approach. Example - Sports brands like Nike have created quality products through a lot of development & training of its employees. The business results have given the brand its value and a benchmark of meeting high-quality standards.

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