Summary
This article compares the ideas of W. Edward Deming with modern Total Quality Management (TQM) approaches. In this paper, Peter Peterson discusses how Deming’s theories evolved and how he applied them. Furthermore, the author speaks about the views of such quality experts as Joseph Juran and Phillip Crosby.
One of the arguments expressed in this work is that Deming’s methods and principles can and should be applied in their entirety to any organization, whereas TQM methods are usually adjusted to the needs of a particular company. Moreover, TQM methods are often used only temporarily in order to solve a certain organizational problem, although such application contradicts the very goal of TQM.
In addition, Peter Peterson believes that many TQM initiatives fail because they lack philosophy or guiding principles. The article briefly describes the main strategies and concepts introduced by W. Edward Deming, for instance, 14 points for the management or the deadly diseases of Western management. Overall, the author argues that the theories of this quality expert are still viable and that they are still applicable to the needs of modern companies.
Key Learning Points
It is possible to single out several learning points in this article. First, it clearly describes a set of specific strategies that can be adopted in order to transform many modern businesses and make them more competitive and agile. For example, the author identifies the main obstacles which prevent many companies from growing, in particular, orientation toward short-term objectives, focus on quantitative rather than qualitative results, or excessive mobility of the management, or lack of cooperation between senior management and employees.
Secondly, this article is beneficial to the extent that it shows how these problems can be overcome, for example, by eliminating barriers between various departments of the organization or by simplifying workplace hierarchy. Additionally, this article demonstrates how the causes of poor quality can be identified and analyzed. It should be noted that Deming regarded organizational inefficiencies as the root cause of defects. Therefore, the management should not overemphasize the mistakes of individual workers. This failure to pinpoint the factors leading to poor performance or quality is the main reason why so many companies become less competitive.
Another important learning point is that modern managers should not believe that TQM approaches and Deming’s ideas are interchangeable. Despite the fact that the name of W. Edward Deming is often associated with TQM, his methods and theories are much more consistent and specific. Certainly, the author does not fully explain why TQM initiatives can be unsuccessful. Nevertheless, he shows the common pitfalls that should be avoided, for instance, lack of constant purpose and principles or failure to gain the commitment of senior management.
If these problems are not properly addressed, many TQM techniques will not yield the expected results. Overall, these issues can be of great importance for quality managers and administrators.
Relevant Statements to the Session
There are several statements that are quite relevant to the session. It is acknowledged in the article TQM is often misunderstood, especially when it is not applied to the entire organization and each of its business processes. The students and practicing quality managers should do everything possible to overcome this pitfall. In this way, they will not transform the culture of the company or the values of its workers.
The second argument, which is of crucial importance, is that the ultimate goal of quality management is the prevention of problems rather than their elimination. Nonetheless, this is a very common misconception that runs contrary to the ideas of W. Edwards Deming and other prominent experts in quality management. Quality management techniques should not be applied only when a specific problem arises; only continuous use of these methods can bring significant improvement.
It is also worth noting that quality management practices have to be guided by some overarching principles and rules. Without some guiding idea or philosophy, these strategies lack focus and purpose. In other words, many managers fail to formulate the main objectives that their companies are supposed to achieve. These are the main statements that are relevant to this session.
Critical Analysis
The efficiency of different quality management techniques has been discussed by many scholars. This question is the subject of heated debates because many approaches, including TQM, do not bring the expected improvements. In part, it can be explained by the fact that these methods are not applied to every organizational activity. As it has been said before, these initiatives are often temporary and narrow. In contrast, W. Edward Deming’s theories proved to be successful in many Japanese and American companies. However, it was normally applied to manufacturing enterprises rather than service companies.
More importantly, Deming’s applied his theories to less globalized companies. The thing is that modern businesses have to operate in different cultural environments, and it might be difficult for quality managers to establish the same principles throughout the organization. Therefore, one should not overlook hypothetical challenges that can hinder the practical implementation of Deming’s theories or any other quality management techniques.
The author of this article points out that W. Deming’s theories are premised on certain principles that should not be modified or adjusted to the needs of a specific company. This is one of the requirements that Deming, himself, set when he consulted the managers. Nonetheless, one should not forget that this lack of flexibility can be unacceptable for many modern businesses. Modern organizations can differ in terms of structure, business model, products, target audience, supply chain, and many other aspects. Thus, it may be difficult to find a certain universal model or approach that would fit every organization. Still, despite these hypothetical limitations, the conceptual tools introduced by Deming, such as Shewhart or PDSA cycles or 14 points for the management, appear to be quite feasible.
Practical Implications
The ideas discussed in this article can be successfully applied to various companies. First of all, they are quite suitable for manufacturing companies, especially if they want to improve the quality of the production process or eliminate internal inefficiencies such as the slow flow of information within the organization. Furthermore, these techniques can be suitable for the needs of the service industry. These enterprises often fail to address the needs of their clients because there are too many organizational barriers within them. Admittedly, Deming’s ideas can be applied to the solution of separate problems. Nonetheless, their real purpose is to create such an organization in which employees take pride in their work. Hence, these theories do have many practical implications.
The strategies that can be adopted in many modern businesses are analysis of variation causes, elimination of the so-called “deadly diseases,” or the development of a knowledge management system within the organization. Such methods can serve different purposes.
For instance, they can identify the drawbacks of the organizational structure and its components. Moreover, on the basis of this analysis, the managers will be able to take specific actions related to quality improvement. As it has been said before, the organizational environment can vary, but there are several indispensable conditions for success, namely long-term commitment of every senior manager, long-term planning, and employee engagement. These are some of the objectives that quality managers must attain in order to succeed.
Learning Reflections
The ideas discussed by Peter Peterson were not entirely new to me, but this article attracted my attention to some very important concepts and principles. There are several distinct lessons that one can learn from this article and from some of Deming’s ideas. First, quality management has to encompass every organizational activity; it should not be related only to one specific problem. In this way, the managers will be able to only mitigate the symptoms of a certain organizational disease without actually curing it. However, many modern companies choose to act just in this way. Thereafter, this narrow focus partially explains why TQM does not always yield positive results.
The second and probably more important lesson is that managers must be able to critically evaluate different approaches to quality control or improvement. The problem is that many quality management strategies lack specificity or a sense of purpose. As Peter Peterson points out, some of the existing theories are dominated by buzzwords and abstract concepts which do not actually help people develop proper organizational strategies. Lastly, the success of an enterprise cannot be measured only by quantitative measurements such as the profitability of production rates. Such assessment contradicts the very principles of quality management.