Introduction
The main principles of total quality management (TQM) are created to move organizations forward and reach maximum customer satisfaction by using all available resources. Thus, the focus of many TQM practices lies in the improvement of companies’ internal structure through working with employees and materials that a business already has. For instance, concentration on the idea of employee focus is one of the leading ways to implement a TQM system into a business.
Employee focus is a complex system of practices that includes various levels of worker empowerment and involvement. Various activities can be offered to employees to improve their performance and create an interactive and open atmosphere. Different establishments can achieve better results in their customer satisfaction levels because of employee empowerment. For example, universities can implement these practices to raise the satisfaction levels of their students. This paper aims to investigate practices and initiatives that have been adopted at Zayed University to support the idea of employee focus.
Employee Focus
Zayed University is the first university of the UAE to have an international accreditation (Zayed University 2017). The personnel of this establishment consists of teachers that come from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Thus, the university strives to have a diverse educational structure. According to Yeh (2003), there are several changes that companies can do to improve employees’ performance and satisfaction.
First of all, employee involvement is one of the primary actions that can lead to workers being more active in their jobs. Zayed University offers some ways for employees to participate in the university’s operations. The university has a peer-reviewed journal, in which scholars and university employees can write about their practice at Zayed (Zayed University 2017). This journal, called Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives allows teachers to explore various topics that are in some way connected to their work.
Moreover, according to the university’s website, Zayed offers a range of training and development opportunities for its employees (Zayed University 2017). Employee training is also a crucial part of the employee focus idea. Chang (2106) states that providing learning opportunities to employees is essential for companies that want to improve the quality of their service. Thus, this university uses this particular TQM practice to help workers learn more about their duties.
Moreover, language courses are available for all employees, which can also impact their performance and positively influence customer satisfaction as a result. Goetsch and Davis (2014) note that such employee empowerment can significantly affect the success of a company. It is safe to assume that the university wants to attract international workers and, thus, utilizes various practices for that purpose.
Conclusion
All in all, Zayed University utilizes several practices to support the idea of employee focus and follow the principles of the TQM. The university provides its employees with an opportunity to grow not only in their field but also in their leadership and communication abilities.
Reference List
Chang, JF 2016, Business process management systems: strategy and implementation, CRC Press, New York.
Goetsch, DL & Davis, SB 2014,Quality management for organizational excellence, Pearson, Upper Saddle River.
Yeh, YJ 2003, ‘Implementing a sustainable TQM system: employee focus’, The TQM Magazine, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 257-265.
Zayed University 2017, About the university. Web.