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ELEMENTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT:
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Ekin Öztoprak
Abstract
The aim of this study includes an overview of the elements that are stated in total quality management.
Total quality management can be evaluated in history of quality concept. Thereon, the first topic of the
study includes information about quality in general. Total quality management has several elements. The
elements of total quality management contributes to perspective of total quality management. Moreover,
the second topic of the study includes the elements of total quality management in details. Conclusion has
take place in related topic consequently.
Key Words: Total Quality Management, Elements of Total Quality Management, quality,
quality assurance and total quality management
since the beginning of mankind (Erkan, Üçok,
Tosun, 2008: 90).
1. Introduction
In this chapter, definition of the quality is given
and the total quality management is emphasized
in historical view.
Separation of agricultural goods from the others
for suitability via visual inspection by the
recipients indicates the concept of inspection. In
the later years of civilization, customers’s
seperation of goods by looking at the skills and
reputation of the masters represents controlling
of the quality. Later, development of the
specifications by organizations called guild is
considered as a separate subject taking place in
the history of the quality, where guilds required
their own members to abide those specifications
that support punitive and incentive applications.
Furthermore, during the same period, the quality
was in the responsibility of the masters due to
fact that the masters of that period and buyers
had face to face talk. However, development of
technology and addressing to vast amount of
customers moves the producers and customers
out of reach of each other. In the age of
automation following the Industrial Revolution,
together with the specifications and tests
developed as a result of growth of business
organizations and evolution of Taylor model,
quality responsibility is occupied by quality
control
departments
formed
with
the
establishment of laboratories (Şimşek, 2007: 1516).
1.1. Quality
Deming defines the quality as aiming at the
needs of the customer, at present and the future.
According to Juran, quality is fitness for use or
purpose. Broh describes it as the level of
excellence
at
an
acceptable
price
(Janakiraman&Gopal, 2006: 2). Crosby relates
quality to conformity on requirements (Efil,
2010: 8).
As is clear from above definitions, quality is a
concept
implying the organization’s
products having an acceptable price and a
particular level of excellence, thus matching of
those products for the use and conformity on
requirements, targeting customer’s present and
possible future needs.
1.2. History of Quality
Quality concept, associated with a request of
consistent investigation of better and excellent, is
discussed in the framework of the historical
development of inspection, quality control,
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continuous development and improvement
(kaizen) and business employee training. All
these elements are considered as parts forming a
whole by complementing each other and can not
be considered separately from each other
(Şimşek, 2007: 134).
Quality control departments took on the
responsibility for task of seperation of finished
goods. In other words, separation between good
and poor quality, namely usability control began
to be held by quality control departments. After
the First World War, with the increasing
production volume by mass production and
product variety, brought the necessity of use of
mathematical methods in quality control and
utilization of statistical quality control
techniques with Shewhart's studies. These
developments led the publication of first quality
control books in United States and England.
During the years of the Second World War,
quality control methods are improved to try to
reduce the inspeciton costs. However, necessity
to assure a production system that no inspection
would be needed is arised. Integration of quality
assurance with the involvement of top leadership
and employees and with the customer
satisfaction brought the arise of total quality
management (Şimşek, 2007: 16-18).
As a result above explanations, it is possible to
line up elements of total quality management as
top management leadership, customer focus,
team work, quality circles, continuous
development and improvement, business
employee involvement and training, change and
innovation, organizational culture and zero
defects.
2.1. Leadership of Top Management
Total Quality Management is defined as an
approach that covers entire of an organization
towards the quality. Furthermore, enhancements
and continuous improvement by all the
employees of entire organization is present in
Total
Quality
Management
approach
(Ersoy&Ersoy,2011:7).
In the late 1980s, as it is understood that
competition and quality leadership couldn’t be
achieved with the methods and techniques by
management;
when
the
subject
of
implementation of lessons learned, i.e. benefiting
from sample models, became visible, it can be
said that total quality management as a
coordinating definition is in use at all levels and
in all functions of organization (Çetin, 2010:
356). The most important reason for the failure
on quality is the lack of necessary support of top
management for the total quality management
implementations (Erturgut, 2012: 146).
2. Elements of Total Quality Management
2.2. Costomer Focus
In this section, elements of total quality
management will be classified and explained in
the light of prior studies held on total quality
management.
Customers play a role in the achievement of
economic objectives such as profitability and
growth of businesses. To achieve the economic
objectives, enterprises should search profitable
customers, gather information about them and
analyze this data. To provide this, focus on
business processes, management processes and
basic processes such as marketing and human
resources are required (Demirel, 2006;
Doğan&Kılıç, 2008: 9-10). Total quality
approach is a set of activities based on the
establishment of cooperation in business
functions that aim to ensure and improve the
quality of products to meet the needs and
expectations of internal and external customers
(Aktepe, Baş, Tolon, 2009: 32).
As presented by İlğan et al., principles of total
quality management is listed as leadership,
change and innovation, continual improvement
(kaizen), organizational culture, customer focus,
participation of management, zero defects
mentality, quality circles and education (İlğan,
Erdem, Taştan, Memduhoğlu: 75-78).
Şimşek groups the elements of total quality
management in five items as top management
leadership, customer focus, team work,
99
knowledge, skill, competence and apetite to act
in decision within certain limits defines the staff
augmentation (Çetin, 2010: 115).
2.3. Team Work
Team work in total quality management is
defined for definite objectives as; focusing of
each emloyee’s on all levels of organization both
in "thinking" and the "application" of these ideas
instead of subordinates’ agreeing and applying
the ideas of superiors directly (Uryan, 2002).
2.7. Change and Innovation
“Change is unavoidable”. Especially in recent
years, together with the economic, social,
technological and legal changes, change has
taken place in all businesses regardless of sector
and size. The change lived maintains its
continuity. Besides, the change starts with
people. People, within their creativity and
knowledge,
performs
the
changes
in
organizations (Barutçugil, 2004: 155-156).
2.4. Quality Circles
Quality circles, according to Japanese Union of
Scientist and Engineers (JUSO), are the groups
of volunteers of 3-10 persons, working in the
same department and meeting at certain times,
discussing solutions related to departments
regarding quality, manufacturing processes and
various problem issues (Kobu, 2010:567).
2.5.
Continuous
Improvement
Development
In accordance with Turkish Language Institution
(TDK), making new changes is defined as
innovation. Innovation, as defined in the Oslo
Manual, is the implementation of new or
considerably improved products, processes, new
marketing methods or new organizational
methods, use of them in workplace organizations
or external relations. In this sense, innovation
can be associated with product, process,
organizational methods or organizational
management (Yavuz, 2010: 145).
and
Kaizen, in Japanese, formed by the combination
of the words "kai" which means change and
"zen" which is means good (Haftacı, 2010: 213).
Deming describes the phases of the continuous
development process, with the loop known under
his name. Deming Cycle, incudes planning,
implementation & construction, evaluation &
auditing and action & correction stages (Çetin,
Akın, Erol, 2001: 481).
2.8. Organizational Culture
Culture differentiates according to risk taking of
different organizations, attitudes on employees,
rules and regulations, team work, views on
conflict and criticism issues and reward systems.
Furthermore, the resources of these factors also
differ (Williams, 2003: 246).
2.6. Employee Involvement and Training
Employee participation is realized in various
ways. One of them can be considered as the
provison of participation of the employees on
management with quality circles (İlğan, Erdem,
Taştan, Memduhoğlu: 78). In a different
viewpoint, when the involvement of employees
is concerned, the concept of empowerment is
mentioned.
Employee
empowerment,
is
considered as a more advanced form of
employee involvement. In the first stage, the
staff who are in direct contact with the customer
are authorised on identification of customer
needs, respecting and dealing with them by
encouraging, authorising and putting them in
charge. In other words, the employees'
Griffin defines the organizational culture as a set
of values beliefs and symbols that guide
behavior. Consequently, innovation can be
supported with a strong culture that is founded in
correct way and is focused in the organization
(Griffin, 2003: 203). In a similar way, Hofstede
defines the organizational culture as shared
values and beliefs by members of the
organization. With these values and beliefs, it is
manifested towards the means used to achieve
them (Tata&Prasad, 1998: 704).
Factors constituting the culture are listed as use
100
of initiatives, risk apetite, goal definition, cross departmental working (work of departments
together), self - definition styles of employees,
reward systems, promotion administration,
communication realization (Alkış&Temizkan,
2010: 75-76).
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