Introduction
The leadership at the United Arab Bank has been key in their success, and this has been through the corporation of both the top and the middle level management. The bank is currently ranked among the top banks in the MENA region.
The qualities of leadership that promote quality can be explored through the analysis of a leader’s styles of leadership in regard to; cross functional product design, process management, customer involvement, committed leadership, employee involvement, supplier quality management, information and feedback, strategic planning and cross functional training (Mukherjee, 2006).
This paper seeks to explore the total quality management practices as they are employed by managers at the United Arab Bank. It specifically concentrates on a senior relationship manager in the bank’s corporate banking department, by the name of Abdul Moiz Mehta.
Leadership Style at the United Arab Bank
The UAE has had a vibrant economy for a while now which has continued to thrive over the years. This has been fuelled by good leaders both in the business sector and in politics. A successful leader especially in business sector must have good total quality management skills.
These are essential not only in the operations of a company, but also in the formulation of core strategies. It ensures that the total quality management skills of the leader are not limited to the direct interaction of the leader and the individuals that the leaders lead, but are transferred to other individuals in the organization who adhere to the set core principles and strategies.
The United Arab Bank prides itself in having forward thinking and positive leadership. This has been greatly emphasized by Mr. Mehta, who has cultivated a culture of positive thinking ever since he joined the bank.
He has been particularly instrumental in improving customer service and customer experience through motivating the bank’s employees to be positive towards customers and innovative in providing customer service. The bank has not only promoted forward thinking leadership in the organization, but also in the personal lives of the employees by instituting employee development programs (Oakland, 2003).
Cross Functional Product Design
Mr. Mehta identifies that they have adopted a policy where all departments are involved in their decision making processes. This is then replicated in the departmental levels, where all leaders involve the other employees who work under them in the development and design of products.
This has ensured that the top management that has limited interaction with the customers gets to induce an understanding opinion that understands customer needs in product design. This is best achieved by involving lower level employees in the product design as well as development processes since they are the ones who interact with their customers on a daily basis.
The bank also encourages departmental managers such as Mr. Mehta, to design products that are department specific so as to increase customer satisfaction by giving them customer specific products. This has been known to improve the quality of such products since they are designed by individuals who have some practical and fresh experiences with the particular customer needs (Mukherjee, 2006).
The success of the product development process lies in its capacity to complement the efforts of different departments.
This ensures that while the departments involved in product design are committed to the adherence to the set standards of quality, the same is also observed by the other departments in the organization that may be involved in the production or the dissemination of the product so that the quality standards adopted at the beginning of the design process are maintained until the end of the process where the customer finally acquires the product.
This is because there have been cases of good quality products that have been designed in accordance with the set industry or organizational standards, but then end up being poorly transferred or marketed to the customers.
In as far as the United Arab Bank is concerned, Mr. Mehta identify that he attends many cross functional meetings that are held between the different departments in the bank almost weekly, which are indicative of the cooperation that exists between the different departments not only in the design of products, but also in the day to day operations and production as well as the sale of those products.
Process Management
The process management policies at United Arab Bank are quite involving and require the participation of both top management and lower level employees. This has ensured that strategies formulated by the managers are fully and efficiently implemented by those managing the bank’s processes.
They have also invested in efficient departmental managers like Mr. Mehta, through continued training and retraining of their staff who are now more equipped to handle the bank’s processes, which have been improved to handle the financial challenges that the financial sector has been struggling with since 2007.
Mr. Mehta also says that he also promotes team work in the department’s processes and this has yielded them good results especially in regard to efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Mr. Mehta promotes seamless communication which ensures efficiency in team work and cooperation between the top and lower management. With improved communication processes, they are able to monitor the success of their processes in achieving the set organizational goals and if not, identify the parts of the processes that require improvement.
The need to improve their quality of service as well as that of their products has forced them to constantly observe and review current processes to identify any weaknesses that may lead to customer dissatisfaction, and then strive to improve them (Charantimath, 2003).
Mr. Mehta is also keen to build onto his strengths so as to come up with far more superior processes that will increase the quality of service and surpass industry standards, as well as gain a competitive edge. The fact that most of the process management duties are shared between different departments means that the quality standards set are shared between the different departments.
Customer Involvement
For any leader to succeed he or she has to realize that the customers are the main focus of their operations. Any organization without customers cannot realize its set objectives as there would be no business. The United Arab Bank is committed to its customers and has often engaged with them in their strategy formulation as well as product development.
This has ensured that they are always in touch with their customers’ needs and therefore, seek to fulfill them. Customer involvement in the operations of a company in general and in departments, is supported by superior and interactive communication channels that ensure that customers can engage with the providers of goods or services and ensure that their opinions are taken into consideration.
The communication with customers it obviously not complete without the implementation of the opinions forwarded by the customers or the rectification of their complaints. This makes the customers feel appreciated and part of the organization. This has the direct effect of increasing customer loyalty, which in turn stabilizes the company’s revenue streams.
The involvement of customers in determining the quality standards to be set in an organization averts the inefficiencies that may result in such a process especially where the top management setting the standards is disconnected with the market. This is more so where the target market may be large and composed of middle and low income individuals.
The changes in customer preferences are also responsible for organizational failures especially if the organization is caught off guard. In keeping in touch with their market, the bank in this case is able to comfortably tailor their products to the specific needs of their customers. This makes sure that a leader is able to exploit the market fully by targeting as many individuals in the market as possible (Naagarazan, 2005).
Committed Leadership
The leadership at United Arab Bank has been committed to maintaining the highest levels of quality products and processes in the bank and this has paid off in their high rating in the Middle East banking industry. It is important to note that, even though an organization may have high quality standards embedded deep in their core strategies and principles, this doesn’t always guarantee that their operations will replicate the same.
Mr. Mehta identifies that it is always important to have leaders who are committed fully to these core strategies and principles, and who can ensure that all the organization’s process and employees observe those high quality standards.
Committed leaders will not only be effective in the implementation of high quality standards, but will also be involved in the development of quality standards and will always be on the lookout for any new standards that may be set in the market by their competitors. This will ensure that they stay on top of their competitors and maintain a competitive edge by providing the best products or services in the market.
Mr. Mehta in this case, has always recognized the hardest working employees and more so potential leaders who are committed to improving the quality of the bank’s products as well as general operations.
The bank also ensures that all leaders from both top management and middle level management are involved in the strategy and policy formulation processes so that they can set high quality standards that they are sure they can fully implement. The commitment to formulate quality standards ensures that the same is replicated when implementing them.
With increased commitment by the bank leaders, the other employees have been observed to follow in their footsteps and also commit to the achievement of the bank’s quality standards (Oakland, 2003).
This is promoted by efficient channels of delegation where commitment flows from top management to the lowest level employee. Edward Deming suggested that leaders should set examples that suggest adherence to quality practices before they can demand the same from those they lead.
Employee Involvement
The involvement of employees in the day-to-day organizational decision making processes ensures that they are in a position to understand what is required of them in the quest to achieve the set organizational goals.
In the case of the United Arab Bank, they have regular meetings every week where employees can engage the senior managers and inform them of any customer complaints or any other inhibitors to their achievement of quality service delivery.
In such a platform the senior managers such as Mr. Mehta are able to directly identify with the quality needs of both the employees and the customers so as to come up with more efficient policies to manage quality.
Mr. Mehta identifies that while it may be important to demand quality from the lower level employees who are involved in the operations or sale of a company’s products, it is important to note that a company can only achieve its quality standards if they adopt superior quality processes from the top management and from the initial phases of their production.
This ensures that the same superior standards of quality are maintained in the course of production until the customer is fully served and even after feedback is received from the customer (Samuel, 2004). The formulation of superior quality standards and products should include the opinion of employees since they are the ones who have to implement the standards set and also interact directly with the organization’s customers.
Supplier Quality Management
The quality of supplies into an organization obviously translates to a similar level in the quality of the organization’s output. Mr. Mehta identifies that it is, therefore, important to invest in quality raw materials so as to maintain the same high quality even in the final product.
For an organization that is highly dependent on technology and more specifically IT, the United Arab Bank has invested in the best systems that ensure that their customers are able to receive the best quality of services and their employees are also able to disseminate their duties comfortably and, therefore, maintain high quality standards.
With the need to give their customers the best banking experience that their competitors cannot offer, they have had to involve their suppliers in the formulation of their core strategies especially those that revolve around the setting of high qualities. This ensures that their suppliers are aware of what is expected of them before they supply raw materials to the bank.
With supplier quality management, efficiency is also increased and the company, in this case the bank, is able to meet its targets easier and in time. This means that Mr. Mehta is able to increase customer satisfaction and boost customer loyalty, which then translated to the growth in their competitive edge in the industry.
Information and Feedback
The United Arab Bank prides itself in superior communication channels that cover both their internal operations and their external operations. While they are keen on providing their customers with quality products, they are also interested in receiving feedback from them indicating their experience both with the products provided and with the service provided by their staff.
This ensures that they are in a position to improve on issues that may be highlighted as wanting by their customers. Customers also feel needed and appreciated when they are allowed to effectively and comfortably offer their opinion of a company’s products or services. This, in turn increases customer loyalty while at the same time promoting their stability in the market.
Effective internal communication has the tendency to motivate employees since they are able to comfortably and effectively offer their opinion on their working conditions especially when dealing with customers. This has the general effect of motivating employees to produce more and also adhere more to the set quality standards.
This also allows the top management to be more consultative when formulating future strategies and even when making minor decisions in the bank. Internal communication among employees promotes cooperation among them, which in turn increases output as well as the quality of output (Charantimath, 2003).
Strategic Planning
Mr. Mehta has always concentrated on formulating and adopting superior strategies. The fact that they have embedded quality into their organizational goals and also in their core strategies, suggest that the management at United Arab Bank is committed to quality. Strategies dictate the direction and practices of a firm and in this case they are the core drivers of their operations.
The strategy formulation process at United Arab Bank is done in consultation with the lower level employees. This is because, while the top management may be committed to instilling quality in the bank’s core strategies, they are not guaranteed of the same levels of commitment in the lower levels of operations.
The lack of commitment to quality in the lower operation levels totally frustrates any efforts that top management may have at promoting adherence to quality since lower management and operations employees are responsible for the implementation of the formulated strategies (Naagarazan, 2005).
With the cooperation between the top management and lower level employees, there is a universal commitment to quality, which then ensures the success of the bank in achieving its TQM process that are embedded in their core strategies.
Phillip Crosby was particularly interested in this and he went ahead to coin out the phrase ‘getting it right the first time’, to mean that quality should be embedded in the core processes of management before it can be adopted in other subsequent processes.
Cross Functional Training
The bank has put in place great employee development programs, which are adopted by managers such as Mr. Mehta and that ensure that employees are trained and retrained to better perform by building on their knowledge. This not only exposes them to new banking practices, but also ensures that they are in a position to grow and adapt to the changing preferences of their customers.
This is especially important since, while some business practices may be considered to be of the best quality at one point in time, they are prone to change as market forces may render them of lower quality. The emergence of new practices also renders old practices obsolete no matter how effective and efficient they were in promoting quality in the organization.
Cross functional training exposes employees to different organizational practices and this increases their scope of production. It increases production and the quality of services delivered by employees since they are in a position to independently offer assistance to customers without having to refer to other departments for consultation.
The amount of time saved due to a reduction in consultation among departments goes on to improve on service delivery. It also allows employees to work under minimum supervision which then improves the quality of their work. Edward Deming in his 14 points also advised on the importance of training on the job to increase quality.
Personal observation
According to the interviews, it is identified that the leadership at the United Arab Bank is both aggressive and positive. This has enabled the employees to achieve their career development goals by encouraging them to think with a broader perspective of their career. The leadership also promotes team work in the organization and also holds regular meetings that seek to identify personal and work challenges experienced by employees.
The bank is also identified to have excellent communication channels that allow effective interaction between top management and other employees. This is composed of both verbal and non-verbal communication. These are identified to be quite important in the success of their services in terms of the desired quality in the market.
Conclusion
The United Arab Bank has been identified to have leaders who are proponents of most of the principles set by quality gurus such as Philip B. Crosby, Armand V. Feigenbaum, W. Edwards Deming, Kaoru Ishikawa and Joseph M. Juran.
This is because they have been able to maintain high standards of quality in the banking industry in the Middle East to a point where they are among the top ranked providers of banking services in the region. What stands out most is the commitment of their top management to quality.
References
Charantimath, B. (2003). Total Quality Management. Mumbai: Pearson Education India.
Mukherjee, P., N. (2006). Total Quality Management. New York: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Naagarazan, R., S. (2005). Total Quality Management. New York: New Age International
Oakland, J., S. (2003). Total quality management: text with cases. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Samuel, A., A. (2004). Total Quality Management. New York: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.