Total Quality Management in UAE
The total quality management (TQM) approach stemmed from a series of successful attempts to increase efficiency and quality in Japanese organizations during the 1980s. Since then, the concept has spread in many Western countries, and quality has become a goal and a standard in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia among others. Substantially, TQM identifies some quality areas, such as leadership, planning, customers, employees, processes, suppliers, and results, and provides a series of standards and tools to encourage strategic initiatives to improve the global performance of a company. Though the TQM approach thrived in developed nations, it can also be applied in developing countries or within specific cultural environments, such as in the United Arab Emirates.
From an economic perspective, the UAE is a developed nation, with part of the national richness deriving from the oil and gas extraction, and part from flourishing business and tourism sectors. However, the UAE has some cultural characteristics typical of developing countries which suggest a tailored TQM approach. Notably, the UAE features a considerable power distance among leadership and subordinates, where the roles of decision-makers and employees leave little room for changing.
This static situation suggests the implementation of a specific methodology which takes into consideration the social, cultural, and economic conditions of the UAE. Perhaps, a TQM strategy would be more effective in those markets segments that require to conform to international standards, such as the hotel-touristic industry.
Improving Quality Management Within the UAE Educational System
The UAE educational system is quite recent, and consists of 14 years of compulsory education, from kindergarten to secondary school. During the last decade, the central government has given a particular priority to education, and public schools are offered free of charge. Meritorious students can also be granted with a state-funded scholarship to study abroad. Also, the Emirate Ministry of Education is developing the Education Program 2020, aimed at bringing the primary and secondary school to an international level.
Besides the public educational sector, the progressive internationalization of the population of the Emirates has led to the rise of a thriving private educational business. These schools developed to meet the demand of the growing foreigner population and have gained a strong reputation for their international educational approach.
Within the UAE, adopting excellence models to support continuous improvement to education and introducing self-assessment practices would benefit the educational system remarkably, also considering that the country seems to be oriented toward increasing globalization of its businesses. However, as already highlighted, and adaptation of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) should adapt to the local culture.
Explicitly, the Education Program 2020 founds on Islamic heritage, National heritage, and the country’s constitution. In such contest, leadership needs to include these pillars in pursuing excellent performance. Involving human resources, developing planning strategies, and implementing processes should lead to results that resonate with the guidelines set by the government and the cultural environment of the UAE.
Strategic Planning for Business Excellence in UAE
As highlighted in the previous sections, developing business excellence is paramount for the current political and economic situation of the UAE, decidedly oriented towards global competition. Supposing that a company in the United Arab Emirates is merging with a parent company, the strategic planning process developed for the Australian firm is suitable. However, within the planning process, mission, vision, and values will reflect the cultural environment, where Islam and traditional values play a consistent role in shaping life and business.