Introduction
There are several stakeholders in an organization classified as internal and external. For instance, stakeholders may consist of investors, senior executives, employees, customers, suppliers, governments, community, and other interest groups (Susniene & Vanagas, 2005). With such a diverse composition of stakeholders, it would be important to apply specific businesses to aid in understanding the role of stakeholders in the implementation of the quality management process.
Role of Stakeholders
Toyota Motor Corporation was the hallmark of quality in car production. In the recent past, however, Toyota has experienced some major drawbacks in its production system with the ultimate recall of several millions of cars globally (Mojonnier, n.d). It is imperative to improve the quality management processes in the company.
Senior executives at Toyota must act as high-level drivers in implementing a quality management process at the production system. They must drive the goal and objectives and ensure that the process translates into an effective quality management process for the production system.
That is, senior executives must support the process for employees to embrace it. Also, senior executives must prioritize, support funding, and align change strategy within organizational goals to support a quality management process. They should understand the quality management process and technical elements that require their support and approvals. Line managers and employees at Toyota need to understand the functional aspects of a quality management process.
Hence, employees, as end-users, must support and get the information they need to ensure successful implementation of the process. They are the main actors who will support the implementation of a quality management process at the division levels. In this process, managing people transition is imperative for the success of a quality improvement process.
There are safety standards that Toyota must meet during product processes. It is, therefore, necessary for the company to obtain safety standards required from regulatory bodies before implementing a quality management process.
Regulatory authorities would require the reporting processes, necessary data, and intended outcomes. The company’s suppliers should get relevant information and support the company based on the agreed contract. Suppliers will provide external services that Toyota requires to fix its product system by implementing a quality management process.
Target retail store also has its internal and external stakeholders. As competition increases in the retail sector, the company must enhance its quality management processes. Implementing a new IT cloud-based support system can enhance efficiency and save costs at its outlets. In this case, the role of stakeholders would depend on their interests, how the new system will meet their respective needs and challenges they might encounter in the implementation process.
For the implementation of the new IT system to succeed, senior executives must lead the change process, define goals of the system, and align them with the company’s IT strategic objectives. The customer service center would focus on customer data to enhance efficiency while the marketing department would only focus on data that support its role. Any resistance from internal stakeholders may originate from the IT department and other departments where employees must learn and adopt the new system.
The IT vendors must ensure the security and protection of confidential customer data based on the contract with the company.
Conclusion
Organizations have various stakeholders with diverse needs. Therefore, implementing a quality management process must account for the needs of all these stakeholders to avoid resistance. There is significant value in understanding the needs of all stakeholders when implementing any change initiative processes.
References
Mojonnier, T. (n.d). Troubles in Toyota City. Web.
Susniene, D., & Vanagas, P. (2005). Integration of Total Quality Management into Stakeholder Management Policy and Harmonization of their Interests. Engineering Economics, 4(44), 71-77.