toyota tqm case study

Implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM): Toyota Case Study

Introduction, implementation of tqm in toyota, tqm practices in toyota, benefits of tqm in toyota, examples of tqm in toyota, toyota quality management, toyota tqm implementation challenges.

The Toyota Corporation case study report is based on the implementation of total quality management (TQM) meant to improve the overall performance and operations of this automobile company. TQM involves the application of quality management standards to all elements of the business.

It requires that quality management standards be applied in all branches and at all levels of the organization. The characteristic of Toyota Corporation going through the total quality process is unambiguous and clear.

Toyota has limited interdepartmental barriers, excellent customer and supplier relations, spares time to be spent on training, and the recognition that quality is realized through offering excellent products as well as the quality of the entire firm, including personnel, finance, sales, and other functions.

The top management at Toyota Corporation has the responsibility for quality rather than the employees, and it is their role to provide commitment, support, and leadership to the human and technical processes (Kanji & Asher, 1996).

Whereas the TQM initiative is to succeed, the management has to foster the participation of Toyota Corporation workers in quality improvement and create a quality culture by altering attitudes and perceptions towards quality.

This research report assesses the implementation of TQM and how Toyota manages quality in all organization management systems while focusing on manufacturing quality. The report evaluates the organization management elements required when implementing TQM, identifies, and investigates the challenges facing Quality Managers or Executives in implementing Quality Management Systems.

In order to implement TQM, Toyota corporations focused on the following phases:

• The company extended the management responsibility past the instantaneous services and products
• Toyota examined how consumers applied the products generated, and this enabled the company to develop and improve its commodities
• Toyota focused on the insubstantial impacts on the procedures as well as how such effects could be minimized through optimization
• Toyota focused on the kaizen (incessant process development) in order to ensure that all procedures are measurable, repeatable, and visible.

The commitment from business executives is one of the key TQM implementation principles that make an organization successful. In fact, the organizational commitment present in the senior organizational staff ranges from top to lower administration. These occur through self-driven motives, motivation, and employee empowerment. Total Quality Management becomes achievable at Toyota by setting up the mission and vision statements, objectives, and organizational goals.

In addition, the TQM is achievable via the course of active participation in organizational follow-up actions. These actions denote the entire activities needed and involved during the implementation of the set-out ideologies of the organization. From Toyota Corporation’s report, TQM has been successful through the commitment of executive management and the organizational workforce (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2012).

Through inventory and half the bottlenecks at half cost and time, the adopters of TMS (Toyota Management System) are authorized to manufacture twice above the normal production. To manage the quality in all organizational management systems, the Toyota Production System incorporates different modernisms like strategy or Hoshin Kanri use, overall value supervision, and just-in-time assembly.

The amalgamation of these innovations enables Toyota to have a strong competitive advantage despite the fact that Toyota never originated from all of them. The 1914 Henry Ford invention relied on the just-in-time production model. The Ford system of production, from a grand perspective, warrants massive production, thus quality (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2012).

Kanji and Asher (1996) claim that to manage the minute set of production necessitated by the splintered and small post-war marketplaces, the JIT system focuses on the motion and elimination of waste materials. This reduces crave for work-in-process inventory by wrapping up the long production lines. Toyota Corp wraps the production lines into slashed change-over times, a multi-trained workforce that runs manifold machines, and new-fangled cells into a U shape.

When supplementing the just-in-cells, the system of kanban is employed by the Toyota Corporation to connect the cells that are unable to integrate physically. Equally, the system helps Toyota integrate with other external companies, consumers, and suppliers.

The TQM and the creativity of Toyota proprietors both support the quality at the source. The rectification and discovery of the production problems require the executives to be committed. At the forefront of Toyota operations, the managers integrate a number of forms of operational quality checks to ensure quality management at all levels.

The uninterrupted tests help the Toyota workforce engaging in the assembly course to scrutinize the value of apparatus, implements, and resources utilized in fabrication. The checks help in the scrutiny of the previously performed tasks by other workers. However, the corporation’s own test enables the workers to revise their personal advances in the assembly course.

The Toyota process owners set up the mistake-proofing (Poka-yoke) procedures and devices to capture the awareness of management and involuntarily correct and surface the augmenting problems. This is essential for the critical production circumstances and steps that prove impractical and tricky for Toyota employees to inspect.

Nevertheless, the policy deployment system decentralizes the process of decision-making at Toyota. This context of implementing Total Quality Management originates from Hoshin Kanri’s management by objective (MBO).

This aspect becomes more advantageous to Toyota when dealing with quality management. The system initially puts into practice the coordinated approach and provides a clear structure for the suppliers, producers, and consumers through inter-organizational cost administration. Moreover, Toyota executives can solve the concurrent delivery, cost, and quality bottlenecks, thus replacing and increasing the relatively slow accounting management mechanisms.

Customer focus that leads to the desired customer satisfaction at Toyota Company is one of the major success factors in TQM implementation. For every business to grow, it should have understanding, reliable, and trustworthy customers. The principle of customer satisfaction and focus has been the most presently well-thought-out aspect of Toyota’s manufacturing quality.

The TQM may characteristically involve total business focus towards meeting and exceeding customers’ expectations and requirements by considering their personal interests. The mission of improving and achieving customer satisfaction ought to stream from customer focus.

Thus, when focusing on manufacturing quality, this aspect enhances TQM implementation. The first priorities at Toyota are community satisfaction, employees, owners, consumers, and mission. The diverse consumer-related features from liberty. The concern to care is eminent in Toyota Corporation during manufacturing.

Toyota has three basic perspectives of TQM that are customer-oriented. These are based on its manufacturing process traced back to the 1950s. The strategies towards achieving quality manufacturing, planning, and having a culture towards quality accomplishment are paramount for TQM implementation to remain successful. To enhance and maintain quality through strategic planning schemes, all managers and employers must remain effectively driven.

This involves training workers on principles concerning quality culture and achievement. Scheduling and planning are analytical applications at Toyota Company that purposes in assessing customer demand, material availability, and plant capacity during manufacturing.

The Toyota Corporation has considerable approaches that rank it among the successful and renowned implementers of TQM. From the inherent and designed structure of Toyota, it becomes feasible to comprehend why quality manufacturing is gradually becoming effective. The inspection department is responsible for taking corrective measures, salvaging, and sorting the desired manufactured product or service quality.

The Toyota Corporation also has a quality control system that is involved in determining quality policies, reviewing statistics, and establishing quality manuals or presentation data. Furthermore, quality assurance is one of the integral principles in quality implementation that is practically present at Toyota. The quality assurance and quality inspectors throughout the Toyota Company structure also manage research and development concerning the quality of manufactured products and services.

The Toyota production and operations management system is similarly dubbed as the managerial system. In fact, in this corporation, operational management is also referred to as the production process, production management, or operations (Chary, 2009). These simply incorporate the actual production and delivery of products.

The managerial system involves product design and the associated product process, planning and implementing production, as well as acquiring and organizing resources. With this broad scope, the production and operation managers have a fundamental role to play in the company’s ability to reach the TQM implementation goals and objectives.

The Toyota Corporation operations managers are required to be conversant and familiar with the TQM implementation concepts and issues that surround this functional area. Toyota’s operation management system is focused on fulfilling the requirements of the customers.

The corporation realizes this by offering loyal and express commodities at logical fees and assisting dealers in progressing commodities proffered. As Slack et al. (2009) observed, the basic performance objectives, which pertain to all the Toyota’s operations, include quality, speed, flexibility, dependability, and cost. Toyota Company has been successful in meeting these objectives through its production and operation functions.

Over several decades, Toyota’s operational processes and management systems were streamlined, resulting in the popularly known Toyota Production System. Although the system had been extensively researched, many companies, such as Nissan, experienced difficulties in replicating TPS.

The TPS was conceived when the company realized that producing massive quantities from limited product lines and ensuring large components to achieve maximum economies of scale led to flaws. Its major objectives were to reduce cost, eliminate waste, and respond to the changing needs of the customers. The initial feature of this system was set-up time reduction, and this forms the basis of TQM implementation.

At Toyota Corporation, quality is considered as acting responsibly through the provision of blunder-gratis products that please the target clientele. Toyota vehicles are among the leading brands in customer satisfaction. Due to good quality, its success has kept growing, and in 2012, the company was the best worldwide. Moreover, Toyota has been keen on producing quality vehicles via the utilization of various technologies that improve the performance of the vehicles.

While implementing TQM, Toyota perceives speed as a key element. In this case, speed objective means doing things fast in order to reduce the time spent between ordering and availing the product to the customer.

The TPS method during processing concentrates on reducing intricacy via the use of minute and uncomplicated machinery that is elastic and full-bodied. The company’s human resources and managers are fond of reorganizing streams and designs to promote minimalism. This enhances the speed of production.

Another objective during TQM implementation is dependability. This means timely working to ensure that customers get their products within the promised time. Toyota has included a just-in-time production system comprised of multi-skilled employees who work in teams. The kanban control allows the workers to deliver goods and services as promised. Advancing value and effectiveness appears to be the distress for administrators, mechanical specialists, and other Toyota human resources.

During TQM implementation, Toyota responds to the demands by changing its products and the way of doing business. Chary (2009) argues that while implementing TQM, organizations must learn to like change and develop responsive and flexible organizations to deal with the changing business environment.

Within Toyota plants, this incorporates the ability to adopt the manufacturing resources to develop new models. The company is able to attain an elevated degree of suppleness, manufacturing fairly tiny bunches of products devoid of losses in excellence or output.

The organizational hierarchy and job descriptions also determine the successful implementation of the TQM. Toyota is amongst the few companies whose organizational structure and task allocation have proved viable in TQM implementation. The company has three levels of management. See the diagram below.

Management hierarchy

Despite the hierarchy and task specification, employees are able to make independent decisions and take corrective measures when necessary to ensure quality during production. Team working is highly encouraged at Toyota Corporation, and this plays a significant role during TQM implementation. All stakeholders are incorporated in quality control initiatives to ensure client demands are satisfied.

However, all employees are required to carry out their assigned tasks, and the management closely supervises the ways of interactions between workers. The management ensures that the manufacturing lines are well-built and all employees are motivated to learn how to improve the production processes.

Toyota is among the few manufacturers in the complete automobile industry that consistently profited during the oil crisis in 1974. The discovery was the unique team working of the Japanese that utilized scientific management rules (Huczynski & Buchanan, 2007).

The joint effort in Japan, usually dubbed Toyotaism, is a kind of job association emphasizing ‘lean-assembly.’ The technique merges just-in-time production, dilemma-answering groups, job equivalence, authoritative foremost-streak administration, and continued procedure perfection.

Just-in-time (JIT) assembly scheme attempts to accomplish all clients’ needs instantly, devoid of misuse but with ideal excellence. JIT appears to be dissimilar from the conventional functional performances in that it emphasizes speedy production and ravage purging that adds to stumpy supply.

Control and planning of many JIT approaches are concerned directly with pull scheduling, leveled scheduling, kanban control, synchronization of flow, and mixed-model scheduling (Slack et al., 2009).

Toyota appears to be amongst the principal participants in changing Japan to a kingpin in car production. Companies, which have adopted the company’s production system, have increased efficiency and productivity. The 2009 industrial survey of manufacturers indicates that many world-class firms have adopted continuous-flow or just-in-time production and many techniques Toyota has been developing many years ago.

In addition, the manufacturing examination of top plant victors illustrates that the mainstream them utilize lean production techniques widely. Thus, team-working TPS assists Toyota Corporation in the implementation of TQM.

Executives and Quality Managers face some challenges while implementing Quality Management Systems in organizations. In fact, with a lack of the implementation resources such as monetary and human resources in any organization, the implementation of TQM cannot be successful. Towards the implementation of programs and projects in organizations, financial and human resources have become the pillar stones.

The approach of TQM impels marketplace competence from all kinds of organizational proceeds to ensure profitability and productivity. To meet the desired results in TQM implementation, an organization ought to consider the availability of human and financial resources that are very important for the provision of an appropriate milieu for accomplishing organizational objectives.

In the case of Toyota, which originated and perfected the philosophy of TQM, the Executives, and Quality Managers met some intertwined problems during TQM implementation. The flaw in the new product development is increasingly becoming complicated for the managers to break and accelerate, thus creating reliability problems. Besides, secretive culture and dysfunctional organizational structure cause barriers in communication between the top management, thus, in turn, augmenting public outrage.

The top executives may fail to provide and scale up adequate training to the suppliers and new workforces. As a result, cracks are created in the rigorous TPS system. In addition, a lack of leadership at the top management might cause challenges in the implementation of TQM. Therefore, in designing the organizational structures and systems that impact quality, the senior executives and managers must be responsible, as elaborated in Figure 2 below.

Total Quality Management is a concept applied in the automobile industry, including the Toyota Corporation. It focuses on continuous improvement across all branches and levels of an organization. Being part of Toyota, the concept defines the way in which the organization can create value for its customers and other stakeholders. Through TQM, Toyota Corporation has been able to create value, which eventually leads to operation efficiencies.

These efficiencies have particularly been achieved by continuous correction of deficiencies identified in the process. A particular interest is the central role that information flow and management have played in enabling TQM initiatives to be implemented, especially through continuous learning and team working culture.

The Toyota way (kaizen), which aims at integrating the workforce suggestions while eliminating overproduction and manufacturing wastes, helps the company to respect all the stakeholders and give clients first priority. The objectives are realized through TPS.

Chary, D. 2009, Production and operations management , Tata McGraw-Hill Education Press, Mumbai.

Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. 2007, Organizational behavior; an introductory text, Prentice Hall, New York, NY.

Kanji, G. K. & Asher, M. 1996, 100 methods for total quality management , SAGE Thousands Oak, CA.

Slack, N. et al. 2009, Operations and process management: principles and practice for strategic management, Prentice Hall, New York, NY.

Toyota Motor Corporation 2012, Annual report 2012. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2024, March 30). Implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM): Toyota Case Study. https://ivypanda.com/essays/total-quality-management-tqm-implementation-toyota/

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TQM at Toyota and the Influence on Lean – Past and Present, Japan and U.S.

I'm very excited to be leaving for Japan for another study trip in a month. This will be my second trip this year, this time with Honsha , after previous (and hopefully future) trips organized by Kaizen Institute.

I learn something each time and I've started reflecting a bit on the previous trips. There's still a lot that I haven't blogged about from the last trip.

Even though the previous tours have been focused on Toyota, as well as Lean and Kaizen in various organizations, one common thread is Total Quality Management, or TQM. In many Japanese organizations, TQM has been a solid foundation of practice for two or three decades, where it tended to be a fad here in the U.S., as I've blogged about :

From 1994, But Relevant Today: “Why TQM Fails” & Parallels to Lean

Methods like TQM, Kaizen, or Lean tend to “fail” when an organization gives up on them.

As I mentioned in this webinar recently, when I first visited the Toyota plant in San Antonio a few years ago, one of the people in the tour group was a Six Sigma (or Lean Sigma?) Master Black Belt. He asked the Toyota team member if they use Six Sigma and they said:

“No, but we teach everybody the seven basic Q.I. tools .”

They were, of course, referring to TQM.

When I've visited Japan, TQM has come up as a topic, as I blogged about here :

“Quality Circles” Are Alive & Well in Japanese Organizations; We Might Call it A3 Problem Solving

TQM at Toyota in the U.S.

And, more recently, Tracey Richardson (formerly of Toyota in Kentucky) was sharing some old Toyota materials that directly reference TQM. I've embedded these below for my own future reference (and yours):

Her Day 9 post references control charts (which I write about in my book  Measures of Success ) .

Again, Toyota doesn't use formal Six Sigma (with “belts” and all) in the factories, but they do, again, teach everybody the “ seven basic Q.I. tools ” of TQM, which includes control charts (a.k.a. SPC or Statistical Process Control).

Here's the rest of the TQM material from Tracey…

As I've heard them say in Japan, we “spin the PDCA cycle” as we improve in experimental and incremental ways. I wrote about PDCA/PDSA last week .

More about Lean / TPS and quality:

What Toyota Shared in Japan

During my last trip, we visited a hospital that had some Toyota people coaching and mentoring physicians on quality improvement. They shared a TQM guidebook that wasn't shared in the Toyota plant tour. The cover is pictured here:

The first page of the book lists some “Guiding Principles” that include “[fostering] a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust between labor and management” and “[pursuing] growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management.”

The booklet also says “all personnel” need to “fully demonstrate the best of their unique abilities” in order for the company to be successful.

“TQM activities serve as the foundation for achieving that goal [of ‘creating better cars'] and the entire Toyota family is engaged in TQM activities.”

Toyota adopted “QC training” as a method in 1951 and “started to popularize the quality control concept along with the acquisition of statistical tools.”

Who is to say that Six Sigma has a monopoly on the use of statistical tools?

Toyota then adopted “TQC” (Total Quality Control) in 1961 as a further evolution of quality methods. Toyota was awarded the Deming Prize in 1965. They switched from the TQC term to TQM in 1995.

I love Toyota's description of “genchi genbutsu” (referenced in Tracey's one post) or the practice of “going to see” at the “gemba” (the workplace).

I'm often part of efforts to show hospital executives to follow this same practice to the benefit of their organizations. It's always eye-opening for the executives. What have you seen with executives learning to “go and see?”

The booklet also talks again about the importance of people development and how “timeless” that notion is.

Different Modes of Improvement

I blogged about “quality circles” in the post I mentioned earlier and Toyota says they use quality circles to improve quality, cost, and safety.

“There are currently 4,500 circles…”

Toyota also mentions their “Creative Suggestion System,” where “more than 550,000 suggestions are submitted annually.” They add:

“The fact that nearly all of these suggestions are adopted indicates the high quality of their contents.”

We can call that a “ Kaizen ” methodology. Either way, compare that implementation rate to the classic American “suggestion box” system that has historically seen just a 2% acceptance rate or so.

We see similarly high adoption rates (80% or more) in American hospitals that practice the Toyota style of Kaizen .

More about suggestions, engagement, pride, and quality:

As an aside, I posted another complaint on LinkedIn the other day about the common problem of “Lean Sigma” saying things like “Lean is about speed” (or cost or efficiency) and implying that only Six Sigma can improve quality.

See more about Toyota, TQM, and Lean in the next post in this series:

How Toyota Teaches a Japanese Hospital's Doctors About TQM

What do you think? Please scroll down ( or click ) to post a comment. Or please share the post with your thoughts on LinkedIn – and follow me or connect with me there.

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Hi Mark – Your post, and Tracey’s LinkedIn images, wonderfully demonstrate how Toyota is a rare example of a large company whose senor management has long been committed to running the business according to the facts (de facto), which is in contrast to companies whose senior management is committed to running the business according to “rightful entitlement” (de jure). It is heartening to see organizations in which senior managers have been able to accept de facto thinking and routines to guide management decision-making. We all wish there were a lot more of them.

A follow-up comment: de facto is really the essence of TPS and The Toyota Way. They developed various methods and tools over the years that make people face reality so that the facts cannot be avoided, and so that action is taken based on the facts — in all levels of the hierarchy, from worker to president. This also shows a level of caring for the business and its stakeholders that is hard to find in other big companies, not to mention innovation in management practice and leadership. It is remarkable Toyota management has been able to prevent a complete takeover by de jure (which almost happened under former president Hiroshi Okuda).

The inability of large American companies to have any constancy of purpose is really astonishing. Its like they suffer from sort of chronic Attention Deficit.

Many thanks Mark for sharing this valuable & insightful post. For long time I haven’t heard about TQM except in training or Educational programs. I highly believe in TQM and that it’s the big umbrella that all attractive names like 6 sigma, Lean, Kaizen, etc. can fall under it.

Also thanks for consolidating the valuable & comprehensive posts from Tracey Richardson about Quality Circles & Problem Solving here as well.

Wishing you good luck in your trip.

Here is what Tracey shared about Toyota’s articulation of the 7 QC tools on Linkedin .

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The Contradictions That Drive Toyota’s Success

• Hirotaka Takeuchi,
• Norihiko Shimizu

Stable and paranoid, systematic and experimental, formal and frank: The success of Toyota, a pathbreaking six-year study reveals, is due as much to its ability to embrace contradictions like these as to its manufacturing prowess.

Reprint: R0806F

Toyota has become one of the world’s greatest companies only because it developed the Toyota Production System, right? Wrong, say Takeuchi, Osono, and Shimizu of Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. Another factor, overlooked until now, is just as important to the company’s success: Toyota’s culture of contradictions.

TPS is a “hard” innovation that allows the company to continuously improve the way it manufactures vehicles. Toyota has also mastered a “soft” innovation that relates to human resource practices and corporate culture. The company succeeds, say the authors, because it deliberately fosters contradictory viewpoints within the organization and challenges employees to find solutions by transcending differences rather than resorting to compromises. This culture generates innovative ideas that Toyota implements to pull ahead of competitors, both incrementally and radically.

The authors’ research reveals six forces that cause contradictions inside Toyota. Three forces of expansion lead the company to change and improve: impossible goals, local customization, and experimentation. Not surprisingly, these forces make the organization more diverse, complicate decision making, and threaten Toyota’s control systems. To prevent the winds of change from blowing down the organization, the company also harnesses three forces of integration: the founders’ values, “up-and-in” people management, and open communication. These forces stabilize the company, help employees make sense of the environment in which they operate, and perpetuate Toyota’s values and culture.

Emulating Toyota isn’t about copying any one practice; it’s about creating a culture. And because the company’s culture of contradictions is centered on humans, who are imperfect, there will always be room for improvement.

No executive needs convincing that Toyota Motor Corporation has become one of the world’s greatest companies because of the Toyota Production System (TPS). The unorthodox manufacturing system enables the Japanese giant to make the planet’s best automobiles at the lowest cost and to develop new products quickly. Not only have Toyota’s rivals such as Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, Honda, and General Motors developed TPS-like systems, organizations such as hospitals and postal services also have adopted its underlying rules, tools, and conventions to become more efficient. An industry of lean-manufacturing experts have extolled the virtues of TPS so often and with so much conviction that managers believe its role in Toyota’s success to be one of the few enduring truths in an otherwise murky world.

• Hirotaka Takeuchi is a professor in the strategy unit of Harvard Business School.
• EO Emi Osono ( [email protected] ) is an associate professor;
• NS and Norihiko Shimizu ( [email protected] ) is a visiting professor at Hitotsubashi University’s Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Tokyo. This article is adapted from their book Extreme Toyota: Radical Contradictions That Drive Success at the World’s Best Manufacturer , forthcoming from John Wiley & Sons.

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Total Quality Management (TQM)

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History of TQM

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Reference guide

• Toyota's Approach to Quality Management: Tools and Techniques

In the world of automotive manufacturing, the name 'Toyota' is synonymous with quality, reliability, and innovation. From its humble beginnings in Japan to its position as a global automotive leader, Toyota's unwavering commitment to quality management has been instrumental in its success. In this article, we'll delve deep into Toyota's approach to quality management, exploring the tools and techniques that have been pivotal in establishing its reputation.

1. The Toyota Production System (TPS)

At the heart of Toyota's approach to quality management lies the Toyota Production System (TPS), a set of principles and practices designed to reduce waste and improve efficiency. TPS focuses on two main principles:

• Jidoka (Automation with a Human Touch) : It involves integrating automation with human intervention. If a problem arises during the production process, the machine stops automatically, preventing defective products from being produced.
• Just-in-Time (JIT) : This principle is about producing only what is needed when it is needed, and in the amount needed. It reduces inventory costs and improves cash flow.

2. Kaizen: Continuous Improvement

Toyota's culture is deeply rooted in the philosophy of Kaizen, which translates to "continuous improvement". Employees at every level are encouraged to suggest improvements, no matter how minor. This grassroots approach ensures that improvements are holistic and come from those directly involved in the process.

3. Genchi Genbutsu: Go and See

Literally translating to "go and see for yourself", this principle emphasizes the importance of understanding a situation firsthand, rather than relying on secondhand reports. It promotes hands-on problem solving, ensuring decisions are based on a deep understanding of the situation.

4. Kanban System

Toyota introduced the Kanban system to control the logistical chain from a production standpoint. It uses a card (or 'Kanban') to signal when more goods are needed in the production process, ensuring a consistent supply without overstocking.

5. Root Cause Analysis

When a problem arises, Toyota doesn't just focus on fixing the immediate issue. Using techniques like the "5 Whys", they delve into the root cause of the problem, ensuring it doesn't recur in the future.

6. Standardized Work

For Toyota, standardization isn't about making processes rigid. It's about establishing the best current method and ensuring everyone follows it. This creates a consistent baseline, making improvements easier to identify and implement.

7. Quality Circles

Quality circles are small groups of workers who come together to discuss and solve problems related to work. This collaborative approach ensures diverse perspectives and innovative solutions.

8. Poka-Yoke: Mistake-Proofing

Originating from TPS, Poka-Yoke is a technique to prevent mistakes by designing the process in such a way that errors are impossible or immediately noticeable.

9. Supplier Involvement

Toyota doesn't just focus on its own quality management. They work closely with suppliers, ensuring that parts meet their stringent quality standards. This partnership approach ensures consistency throughout the production chain.

10. Visual Control

Clear visuals help workers quickly identify abnormalities. From colored tags to marked floors, Toyota uses visual cues to maintain standards and quickly spot deviations.

Benefits of Toyota's Quality Management Approach

Toyota's commitment to quality has yielded several benefits:

• Customer Loyalty : Toyota vehicles are known for their reliability, leading to high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Operational Efficiency : Their focus on waste reduction and efficiency has led to cost savings and increased profitability.
• Innovative Culture : By valuing employee feedback and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Toyota remains at the forefront of automotive innovation.

Toyota's quality management isn't just about tools and techniques—it's a culture. Their holistic approach, which values employees' insights, customer satisfaction, and long-term thinking, has set them apart in the automotive industry. For businesses looking to elevate their quality standards, Toyota offers a masterclass in how it's done.

With these insights into Toyota's approach to quality management, it becomes evident that their success isn't accidental. It's a result of decades of dedication, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

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Toyota TQM: Total Quality Management Theory and Practice

Need to write a case study on TQM? Toyota is a great topic to write about! Toyota total quality management is among the best in the world. Read this paper to learn more!

Literature Review

Case study: toyota tqm, conclusions, recommendations, reference list.

Total quality management (TQM) is a systematic approach to quality assurance that is actively used by companies in various sectors. TQM is largely based on the principle of kaizen, which reflects an organization’s commitment to continuous quality improvement (Kiran 2017). As explained by Kiran (2017), TQM is an organization-wide approach to implementing and maintaining a system of tools to help in controlling and improving the quality of services or products delivered to customers. TQM has gained substantial attention in research, and many companies all over the globe have applied the system. One of the most successful examples of TQM implementation is Toyota, which pioneered the use of TQM in the automobile industry. The present report discusses the methodology and operational framework of TQM based on research and Toyota’s case study, providing recommendations for businesses wishing to adopt TQM.

Tools and Techniques

One of the fundamental notions in literature discussing TQM tools and techniques is the approach to quality measurement. Kiran (2017) states that there are five different approaches to quality measurement, including transcendent, product-based, user-based, manufacturing-based, and value-based. In the transcendent approach, quality is defined subjectively, which makes it difficult to apply this approach to products and services (Kiran 2017). Other four measures evaluate quality objectively based on product characteristics, customer satisfaction, process quality, or cost-efficiency of a product (Kiran 2017). Using one of these approaches makes it easier for companies to define the target quality level and adjust operations as necessary to achieve it consistently.

The key approach in total quality management that allows for achieving and maintaining the desired level of quality is the PDCA cycle which consists of four phases: plan, do, check, and act. The cycle was developed by Edwards Deming, who is considered to be the creator of the TQM method (Kiran 2017). It means that organizations seeking to apply TQM need to examine quality outcomes in each of the four steps of production. At the planning stage, processes are designed in a way to ensure the target level of product quality (Dudin et al. 2015). At the production stage, processes need to be monitored consistently to avoid errors that could impact quality. Quality assurance should be applied to the items or services produced to identify defects, variations, and deviations from the set quality level. Lastly, the final stage is to analyze the reasons for any problems found and apply the cycle again to improve performance (Dudin et al. 2015). This approach to quality management ensures continuous quality improvement, which is the primary principle of TQM.

Another topic of concern in TQM literature is the tools that can be used to analyze problems and achieve meaningful change in processes to improve quality. According to Kiran (2017), TQM uses a scientific approach to problem-solving that involves active support from a company’s human resources. In other words, the TQM approach involves evidence-based tools that employees can apply to provide suggestions for process improvement. These tools include Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA), Reliability Analysis of in-service failure Data (RDA), Fishbone Analysis, and many others (Fragassa, Pavlovic & Massimo 2014). Each of these tools is designed to divide a particular process into stages to identify a particular part of the process, causing a quality problem.

An important tool in TQM is a quality circle, which seeks to find solutions and identify the root cause of failure (Kiran 2017). Quality circles consist of various employees who have valuable knowledge and could apply it to propose and discuss solutions. For example, if there is an issue with supply delays, a quality circle might include supply chain managers, logistics workers, operators, manufacturing managers, team leaders, and other relevant staff members. The use of quality circles is beneficial because employees can provide insight into the issue and offer creative, cost-effective solutions (Kiran 2017). By allowing employees to take part in decision-making and problem-solving, organizations can also enhance their levels of engagement, motivation, and job satisfaction, which would have a positive impact on performance (Alsughayir 2014). This means that the TQM approach is beneficial for continuous improvement in various organizational areas, even when it focuses mostly on manufacturing.

Implementation and Outcomes

Factors affecting the implementation of TQM and its success have also been reviewed by scholars. For example, Obeidat et al. (2016) found that beneficial knowledge management practices had a positive influence on the application and success of TQM tools and techniques in various companies. Hence, companies that apply employee training and organizational learning strategies while also using a consistent approach to building organizational knowledge, such as codification, would benefit more from TQM than those that do not. A different inquiry by Aquilani et al. (2017) highlighted organizational culture and strategy to be crucial success factors in TQM efforts, noting that companies with a strong strategy and a customer-focused culture were more likely to be effective in TQM. Cătălin, Bogdan, and Dimitrie (2014) agreed that culture and strategy play an essential role in TQM efforts while also noting that weak employee commitment, lack of guidance, inefficient process management, bureaucracy, and other factors could also create barriers to TQM implementation.

Finally, research on TQM showed the potential benefits of implementing this system correctly in various industries and organizational contexts. As shown in a study by Ngambi and Nkemkiafu (2015), TQM practices have a direct impact on cost reduction in manufacturing firms. Moreover, increased employee training and empowerment associated with TQM also lead to significant increases in financial performance and corporate social responsibility (Ngambi & Nkemkiafu 2015). Furthermore, research by Mwaniki and Okibo (2014) confirmed that the involvement of top management in quality control and continuous improvement contributed to the financial performance of companies in the banking sector. TQM practices were also found to enhance organizational culture and productivity (Valmohammadi & Roshanzamir 2015). Thus, the successful implementation of TQM can bring many benefits to companies.

Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese car manufacturer that produces and sells motor vehicles all over the globe. Its original brand, Toyota is one of the most popular car brands all over the globe, in line with Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia. In 2016, Toyota was the largest car manufacturer in the world by sales volume (Parker 2016). Besides Toyota, the company also produces cards under the brand names Hino, Lexus, and Ranz, which cater to various customer segments. The vehicles produced by Toyota are famous for their high quality and durability, which allows the company to make consistently high profits. This is mainly due to the use of TQM practices, which were implemented by the company back in the 20th century (Toyota Motor Corporation 2012a). The use of TQM has also allowed Toyota to design and establish the Toyota production system, which has been used by many other companies in the manufacturing sector due to its benefits (Amasaka 2014). As will be shown in the case study, TQM practices used by Toyota comply with evidence-based principles and recommendations, which is what enabled them to be extremely effective.

TQM Application

Although TQM in Toyota is focused on increasing the quality and reducing the variability in products, the company applies TQM to all of its activities (Figure 1). These include product planning, profile design, engineering design, research and development, evaluation, production preparation, product engineering, manufacturing, inspection, sales, service, market research, and product management (Amasaka 2014). In the development stage, quality is judged based on examinations of planned performance and characteristics, which allows ensuring the absence of structural or engineering errors (Amasaka 2014). During production-related stages, from preparation to inspection, the quality of processes, materials, individual parts, and final products is monitored based on objective measures (Amasaka 2014). This is essential because for a car to be durable and reliable, quality control has to be applied to every component, from the engine to the paint. A comprehensive and detailed approach to quality at these stages helps to ensure that the company’s products match the consumers’ needs, thus fostering customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Similarly, the sales, service, market research, and product management stages also require quality control in order to improve satisfaction. To achieve this, Toyota conducts regular customer satisfaction surveys and engages customers in quality improvement efforts by allowing them to submit ideas and suggestions, as well as by providing maintenance services after purchase (Amasaka 2014). An essential aspect of quality management in Toyota is that the company uses customers’ claims to identify and address problems. Warranty claim reduction activities and the Dynamic Assurance System (DAS) have been used for this purpose since the 1970s (Toyota Motor Corporation 2012b). All in all, Toyota is an example of best practices in TQM due to how its principles are applied throughout the company.

Best Practices in TQM Toyota

There are four primary characteristics of Toyota’s approach to quality management. First, the company uses quality control and assurance methods that are based on extensive research and testing (Toyota Motor Corporation 2012b). This means that all of the tools applied by Toyota, including FMEA and FTA, proved to be effective through research and experience. Secondly, the company actively engages its employees in the process of quality control by establishing quality circles, conducting training, and performing internal audits (Toyota Motor Corporation 2012b). Thirdly, the application of TQM tools in Toyota is in line with its strategy, which is customer-focused. Toyota Motor Corporation (2012b) states that there are specific committees that are tasked with improving customer centricity on an ongoing basis, including the Customer Delight (CD) Quality Improvement Committee and the Customer Satisfaction (CS) Improvement Committee. Finally, the approach to quality assurance in Toyota is systematic and involves all departments, divisions, and facilities in the company. All of these characteristics are consistent with the definition of TQM and its fundamental methodology. As a result, they address possible barriers to the successful implementation of TQM and allow the company to benefit from the system.

All in all, the present research has achieved its goal of discussing the methodology and operational framework of TQM based on literature and on Toyota’s case study. The literature review provided in-depth information regarding various tools and techniques used in TQM, as well as factors influencing the success of TQM initiatives. The literature review showed that TQM is best used throughout the organization and that it should rely on the company’s definition of quality. This definition, in turn, should be applied to every step of operations using the PDCA cycle, which is at the foundation of TQM (Dudin et al. 2015; Kiran 2017). Research also showed that TQM is a relatively flexible approach to quality improvement because companies can choose techniques and tools that suit their goals, strategy, and operations. This aspect of TQM is vital because it allows applying the framework to any company, regardless of its size, scope, or products.

The thorough review of Toyota’s TQM strategy is also a significant achievement of the work since it shows an example of effective TQM implementation. Toyota has been using TQM for decades to improve product quality and customer satisfaction. The TQM practices in Toyota are useful because the approach to TQM in the company complies with the foundational methodology of TQM. For instance, customer focus, comprehensiveness, and the use of reliable tools are highlighted by Kiran (2017) as the features crucial to successful implementation. Hence, by exploring Toyota’s approach to TQM, the paper discussed best practices in the area, which can be used for quality improvement efforts in various other settings.

The work is significant both to research and to practice. On the one hand, it provides an in-depth exploration of Toyota’s TQM strategy and relates it to the methodology of TQM, thus proving that the theoretical framework proposed in research literature can be successfully applied in practice. The paper also shows the flexibility of TQM methods, which contributes to the literature in the field. Although the flexibility of the TQM approach has been briefly addressed in the literature, there are no recent studies that discuss how companies can use this feature to their advantage. Based on Toyota’s case, it appears that aligning TQM principles with the company’s global strategy helped to produce a working operational framework for implementation.

On the other hand, the work undertaken in the paper can also contribute to practice by providing managers with more insight into TQM implementation. As evident from the literature review, TQM is a rather complex method that has many components, and thus, managers require to apply it carefully to achieve the best results. In particular, it is important to choose the tools that suit the organization’s goals while also removing barriers to successful implementation. Both of these concerns about the TQM application are discussed in the case study and the literature review. Both sections of the paper show that focusing on customer satisfaction as the key desired outcome of the TQM implementation project, as well as engaging employees through shared problem-solving and training, are helpful ways of achieving success.

Moreover, the paper also emphasizes the importance of facilitating organizational learning, creativity, and innovation through discussion boards, such as quality circles or committees. In Toyota’s case, committees perform the function of quality circles because they focus on a particular issue and attempt to find solutions that would help the company to address it at the corporate level. All of these findings can be applied by managers who seek to use the TQM methodology to achieve a significant increase in quality, customer satisfaction, productivity, and cost efficiency.

Overall, there are two key lessons that can be learned from this research report. First of all, it is essential to draw comparisons between literature and practice in the study of various management techniques. The exploration of TQM provided in the paper involves both theoretical and practical perspectives, which contribute to the paper differently. The literature review provides a summary of the topic and highlights critical concerns based on research evidence. For instance, the literature on the barriers to TQM implementation is useful for understanding the relation of the framework to various organizational factors. Since employee resistance, lack of commitment, and poor engagement have a negative influence on TQM, it is obvious that human resources management plays a crucial role in TQM success. Moreover, studies also identify the importance of top management’s involvement in TQM implementation. This means that TQM is also linked both to leadership and to strategy, and thus it should be aligned with other strategic tools used by a company and receive enough support from leaders in the form of information, resources, and guidance.

The case study of effective TQM in Toyota is the ultimate proof of this, and it also suggests more ideas on TQM use. In particular, Toyota’s case highlights the importance of remaining customer-focused as part of continuous quality improvement. The company presents some ways to do it by investigating warranty claims, welcoming suggestions from clients, and creating quality circles (committees) focused on customer satisfaction.

The second lesson is that while there is a substantial volume of research on TQM, scholars have not yet been able to narrow it down into a specific framework due to the flexibility and variability of TQM tools and techniques. While these features are important, they might pose challenges for inexperienced managers who attempt to implement TQM. The best option for managers at the moment is to examine cases of TQM implementation in similar companies, which can help them to design a successful strategy.

Based on the information above, there are two main recommendations for further studies in the area of TQM. Firstly, it is crucial to consider the implementation of TQM from a more practical viewpoint. For example, future research could examine the plans and strategies used by various companies to apply TQM and relate them to financial or quality outcomes. Secondly, it would be beneficial to perform more research using the case study method. As evident from this paper, connecting TQM theory to its applications in large companies can produce results that will be useful for managers. Thus, studies could focus on comparing TQM methodology to the operational frameworks used by other companies practicing TQM successfully.

Alsughayir, A 2014, ‘Does practicing total quality management affect employee job satisfaction in Saudi Arabian organizations?’, European Journal of Business and Management , vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 169-175.

Amasaka, K 2014, ‘New JIT, new management technology principle: surpassing JIT’, Procedia Technology , vol. 16, pp. 1135-1145.

Aquilani, B, Silvestri, C, Ruggieri, A & Gatti, C 2017, ‘A systematic literature review on total quality management critical success factors and the identification of new avenues of research’, The TQM Journal , vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 184-213.

Cătălin, SH, Bogdan, B & Dimitrie, GR 2014, ‘The existing barriers in implementing total quality management’, Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series , vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 1234-1240.

Dudin, M, Frolova, E, Gryzunova, N, & Shuvalova, E 2015, ‘The Deming Cycle (PDCA) concept as an efficient tool for continuous quality improvement in the agribusiness’, Asian Social Science , vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 239-246.

Fragassa, C, Pavlovic, A & Massimo, S 2014, ‘Using a total quality strategy in a new practical approach for improving the product reliability in automotive industry’, International Journal for Quality Research , vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 297-310.

Kiran, DR 2017, Total quality management: key concepts and case studies , Elsevier, Cambridge, MA.

Ngambi, MT & Nkemkiafu, AG 2015, ‘The impact of total quality management on firm’s organizational performance’, American Journal of Management , vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 69-85.

Mwaniki, C & Okibo, BW 2014, ‘Effects of total quality management on financial performance in the banking sector: a case study of national bank of Kenya’, IOSR Journal of Economics and Finance, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 34-30.

Obeidat, BY, Hashem, L, Alansari, I, Tarhini, A & Al-Salti, Z 2016, ‘The effect of knowledge management uses on total quality management practices: a theoretical perspective’, Journal of Management and Strategy , vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 18-29.

Parker, J 2016, Overview: all you need to know about Toyota Motor Corporation , Web.

Toyota Motor Corporation 2012a, Changes and innovations (include the Creative Idea Suggestion System) , Web.

Toyota Motor Corporation 2012b, Quality assurance activities , Web.

Valmohammadi, C & Roshanzamir, S 2015, ‘The guidelines of improvement: relations among organizational culture, TQM and performance’, International Journal of Production Economics , vol. 164, pp. 167-178.

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Total quality management: three case studies from around the world

With organisations to run and big orders to fill, it’s easy to see how some ceos inadvertently sacrifice quality for quantity. by integrating a system of total quality management it’s possible to have both.

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There are few boardrooms in the world whose inhabitants don’t salivate at the thought of engaging in a little aggressive expansion. After all, there’s little room in a contemporary, fast-paced business environment for any firm whose leaders don’t subscribe to ambitions of bigger factories, healthier accounts and stronger turnarounds. Yet too often such tales of excess go hand-in-hand with complaints of a severe drop in quality.

Food and entertainment markets are riddled with cautionary tales, but service sectors such as health and education aren’t immune to the disappointing by-products of unsustainable growth either. As always, the first steps in avoiding a catastrophic forsaking of quality begins with good management.

There are plenty of methods and models geared at managing the quality of a particular company’s goods or services. Yet very few of those models take into consideration the widely held belief that any company is only as strong as its weakest link. With that in mind, management consultant William Deming developed an entirely new set of methods with which to address quality.

Deming, whose managerial work revolutionised the titanic Japanese manufacturing industry, perceived quality management to be more of a philosophy than anything else. Top-to-bottom improvement, he reckoned, required uninterrupted participation of all key employees and stakeholders. Thus, the total quality management (TQM) approach was born.

All in Similar to the Six Sigma improvement process, TQM ensures long-term success by enforcing all-encompassing internal guidelines and process standards to reduce errors. By way of serious, in-depth auditing – as well as some well-orchestrated soul-searching – TQM ensures firms meet stakeholder needs and expectations efficiently and effectively, without forsaking ethical values.

By opting to reframe the way employees think about the company’s goals and processes, TQM allows CEOs to make sure certain things are done right from day one. According to Teresa Whitacre, of international consulting firm ASQ , proper quality management also boosts a company’s profitability.

“Total quality management allows the company to look at their management system as a whole entity — not just an output of the quality department,” she says. “Total quality means the organisation looks at all inputs, human resources, engineering, production, service, distribution, sales, finance, all functions, and their impact on the quality of all products or services of the organisation. TQM can improve a company’s processes and bottom line.”

Embracing the entire process sees companies strive to improve in several core areas, including: customer focus, total employee involvement, process-centred thinking, systematic approaches, good communication and leadership and integrated systems. Yet Whitacre is quick to point out that companies stand to gain very little from TQM unless they’re willing to go all-in.

“Companies need to consider the inputs of each department and determine which inputs relate to its governance system. Then, the company needs to look at the same inputs and determine if those inputs are yielding the desired results,” she says. “For example, ISO 9001 requires management reviews occur at least annually. Aside from minimum standard requirements, the company is free to review what they feel is best for them. While implementing TQM, they can add to their management review the most critical metrics for their business, such as customer complaints, returns, cost of products, and more.”

The customer knows best: AtlantiCare TQM isn’t an easy management strategy to introduce into a business; in fact, many attempts tend to fall flat. More often than not, it’s because firms maintain natural barriers to full involvement. Middle managers, for example, tend to complain their authority is being challenged when boots on the ground are encouraged to speak up in the early stages of TQM. Yet in a culture of constant quality enhancement, the views of any given workforce are invaluable.

AtlantiCare in numbers

5,000 Employees

$280m Profits before quality improvement strategy was implemented

$650m Profits after quality improvement strategy

One firm that’s proven the merit of TQM is New Jersey-based healthcare provider AtlantiCare . Managing 5,000 employees at 25 locations, AtlantiCare is a serious business that’s boasted a respectable turnaround for nearly two decades. Yet in order to increase that margin further still, managers wanted to implement improvements across the board. Because patient satisfaction is the single-most important aspect of the healthcare industry, engaging in a renewed campaign of TQM proved a natural fit. The firm chose to adopt a ‘plan-do-check-act’ cycle, revealing gaps in staff communication – which subsequently meant longer patient waiting times and more complaints. To tackle this, managers explored a sideways method of internal communications. Instead of information trickling down from top-to-bottom, all of the company’s employees were given freedom to provide vital feedback at each and every level.

AtlantiCare decided to ensure all new employees understood this quality culture from the onset. At orientation, staff now receive a crash course in the company’s performance excellence framework – a management system that organises the firm’s processes into five key areas: quality, customer service, people and workplace, growth and financial performance. As employees rise through the ranks, this emphasis on improvement follows, so managers can operate within the company’s tight-loose-tight process management style.

After creating benchmark goals for employees to achieve at all levels – including better engagement at the point of delivery, increasing clinical communication and identifying and prioritising service opportunities – AtlantiCare was able to thrive. The number of repeat customers at the firm tripled, and its market share hit a six-year high. Profits unsurprisingly followed. The firm’s revenues shot up from $280m to $650m after implementing the quality improvement strategies, and the number of patients being serviced dwarfed state numbers.

Hitting the right notes: Santa Cruz Guitar Co For companies further removed from the long-term satisfaction of customers, it’s easier to let quality control slide. Yet there are plenty of ways in which growing manufacturers can pursue both quality and sales volumes simultaneously. Artisan instrument makers the Santa Cruz Guitar Co (SCGC) prove a salient example. Although the California-based company is still a small-scale manufacturing operation, SCGC has grown in recent years from a basement operation to a serious business.

SCGC in numbers

14 Craftsmen employed by SCGC

800 Custom guitars produced each year

Owner Dan Roberts now employs 14 expert craftsmen, who create over 800 custom guitars each year. In order to ensure the continued quality of his instruments, Roberts has created an environment that improves with each sale. To keep things efficient (as TQM must), the shop floor is divided into six workstations in which guitars are partially assembled and then moved to the next station. Each bench is manned by a senior craftsman, and no guitar leaves that builder’s station until he is 100 percent happy with its quality. This product quality is akin to a traditional assembly line; however, unlike a traditional, top-to-bottom factory, Roberts is intimately involved in all phases of instrument construction.

Utilising this doting method of quality management, it’s difficult to see how customers wouldn’t be satisfied with the artists’ work. Yet even if there were issues, Roberts and other senior management also spend much of their days personally answering web queries about the instruments. According to the managers, customers tend to be pleasantly surprised to find the company’s senior leaders are the ones answering their technical questions and concerns. While Roberts has no intentions of taking his manufacturing company to industrial heights, the quality of his instruments and high levels of customer satisfaction speak for themselves; the company currently boasts one lengthy backlog of orders.

A quality education: Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies Although it may appear easier to find success with TQM at a boutique-sized endeavour, the philosophy’s principles hold true in virtually every sector. Educational institutions, for example, have utilised quality management in much the same way – albeit to tackle decidedly different problems.

The global financial crisis hit higher education harder than many might have expected, and nowhere have the odds stacked higher than in India. The nation plays home to one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for business education. Yet over recent years, the relevance of business education in India has come into question. A report by one recruiter recently asserted just one in four Indian MBAs were adequately prepared for the business world.

RIMS in numbers

9% Increase in test scores post total quality management strategy

22% Increase in number of recruiters hiring from the school

20,000 Increase in the salary offered to graduates

50,000 Rise in placement revenue

At the Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies (RIMS) in Bangalore, recruiters and accreditation bodies specifically called into question the quality of students’ educations. Although the relatively small school has always struggled to compete with India’s renowned Xavier Labour Research Institute, the faculty finally began to notice clear hindrances in the success of graduates. The RIMS board decided it was time for a serious reassessment of quality management.

The school nominated Chief Academic Advisor Dr Krishnamurthy to head a volunteer team that would audit, analyse and implement process changes that would improve quality throughout (all in a particularly academic fashion). The team was tasked with looking at three key dimensions: assurance of learning, research and productivity, and quality of placements. Each member underwent extensive training to learn about action plans, quality auditing skills and continuous improvement tools – such as the ‘plan-do-study-act’ cycle.

Once faculty members were trained, the team’s first task was to identify the school’s key stakeholders, processes and their importance at the institute. Unsurprisingly, the most vital processes were identified as student intake, research, knowledge dissemination, outcomes evaluation and recruiter acceptance. From there, Krishnamurthy’s team used a fishbone diagram to help identify potential root causes of the issues plaguing these vital processes. To illustrate just how bad things were at the school, the team selected control groups and administered domain-based knowledge tests.

The deficits were disappointing. A RIMS students’ knowledge base was rated at just 36 percent, while students at Harvard rated 95 percent. Likewise, students’ critical thinking abilities rated nine percent, versus 93 percent at MIT. Worse yet, the mean salaries of graduating students averaged $36,000, versus $150,000 for students from Kellogg. Krishnamurthy’s team had their work cut out.

To tackle these issues, Krishnamurthy created an employability team, developed strategic architecture and designed pilot studies to improve the school’s curriculum and make it more competitive. In order to do so, he needed absolutely every employee and student on board – and there was some resistance at the onset. Yet the educator asserted it didn’t actually take long to convince the school’s stakeholders the changes were extremely beneficial.

“Once students started seeing the results, buy-in became complete and unconditional,” he says. Acceptance was also achieved by maintaining clearer levels of communication with stakeholders. The school actually started to provide shareholders with detailed plans and projections. Then, it proceeded with a variety of new methods, such as incorporating case studies into the curriculum, which increased general test scores by almost 10 percent. Administrators also introduced a mandate saying students must be certified in English by the British Council – increasing scores from 42 percent to 51 percent.

By improving those test scores, the perceived quality of RIMS skyrocketed. The number of top 100 businesses recruiting from the school shot up by 22 percent, while the average salary offers graduates were receiving increased by $20,000. Placement revenue rose by an impressive $50,000, and RIMS has since skyrocketed up domestic and international education tables.

No matter the business, total quality management can and will work. Yet this philosophical take on quality control will only impact firms that are in it for the long haul. Every employee must be in tune with the company’s ideologies and desires to improve, and customer satisfaction must reign supreme.

Contributors

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, tqm implementation issues: review and case study.

International Journal of Operations & Production Management

ISSN : 0144-3577

Article publication date: 1 June 2000

TQM is a philosophy mainly dominated by large companies. Small businesses are lagging behind larger ones when it comes to introducing and adopting new managerial philosophies and advanced technology. Many small companies have stopped at quality system certification, such as ISO 9000, in their quality journey rather than pursuing further continuous improvement efforts through TQM. Small businesses must understand the need to go beyond the quality system stage and work towards a total approach for quality. Only through this total approach will their quality effort be a success. Discusses the various issues confronting small businesses when embarking on TQM. First, reviews the subject of TQM and the quality initiatives undertaken by small businesses (which are treated as small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs)) such as ISO 9000 and TQM. The small business characteristics are also examined. Second, presents a case study conducted in a small manufacturing company. Culminates with conclusions and discussions drawn from both the review and the case study with suggestions for future research directions.

• Implementation
• Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises
• Case studies
• Supply‐chain management

Yusof, S.M. and Aspinwall, E. (2000), "TQM implementation issues: review and case study", International Journal of Operations & Production Management , Vol. 20 No. 6, pp. 634-655. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570010321595

Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited

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Hot Oceans Worsened Dubai’s Dramatic Flooding, Scientists Say

An international team of researchers found that heavy rains had intensified in the region, though they couldn’t say for sure how much climate change was responsible.

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By Raymond Zhong

Scenes of flood-ravaged neighborhoods in one of the planet’s driest regions stunned the world this month. Heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates and Oman submerged cars, clogged highways and killed at least 21 people. Flights out of Dubai’s airport, a major global hub, were severely disrupted.

The downpours weren’t a total surprise — forecasters had anticipated the storms several days earlier and issued warnings. But they were certainly unusual.

Here’s what to know.

Heavy rain there is rare, but not unheard-of.

On average, the Arabian Peninsula receives a scant few inches of rain a year, although scientists have found that a sizable chunk of that precipitation falls in infrequent but severe bursts, not as periodic showers. These rains often come during El Niño conditions like the ones the world is experiencing now.

U.A.E. officials said the 24-hour rain total on April 16 was the country’s largest since records there began in 1949 . And parts of the nation had already experienced an earlier round of thunderstorms in March.

Oman, with its coastline on the Arabian Sea, is also vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Past storms there have brought torrential rain, powerful winds and mudslides, causing extensive damage.

Global warming is projected to intensify downpours.

Stronger storms are a key consequence of human-caused global warming. As the atmosphere gets hotter, it can hold more moisture, which can eventually make its way down to the earth as rain or snow.

But that doesn’t mean rainfall patterns are changing in precisely the same way across every part of the globe.

In their latest assessment of climate research , scientists convened by the United Nations found there wasn’t enough data to have firm conclusions about rainfall trends in the Arabian Peninsula and how climate change was affecting them. The researchers said, however, that if global warming were to be allowed to continue worsening in the coming decades, extreme downpours in the region would quite likely become more intense and more frequent.

Hot oceans are a big factor.

An international team of scientists has made a first attempt at estimating the extent to which climate change may have contributed to April’s storms. The researchers didn’t manage to pin down the connection precisely, though in their analysis, they did highlight one known driver of heavy rain in the region: above-normal ocean temperatures.

Large parts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have been hotter than usual recently, in part because of El Niño and other natural weather cycles, and in part because of human-induced warming .

When looking only at El Niño years, the scientists estimated that storm events as infrequent as this month’s delivered 10 percent to 40 percent more rain to the region than they would in a world that hadn’t been warmed by human activities. They cautioned, however, that these estimates were highly uncertain.

“Rainfall, in general, is getting more extreme,” said Mansour Almazroui, a climate scientist at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and one of the researchers who contributed to the analysis.

The analysis was conducted by scientists affiliated with World Weather Attribution, a research collaboration that studies extreme weather events shortly after they occur. Their findings about this month’s rains haven’t yet been peer reviewed, but are based on standardized methods .

The role of cloud seeding isn’t clear.

The U.A.E. has for decades worked to increase rainfall and boost water supplies by seeding clouds. Essentially, this involves shooting particles into clouds to encourage the moisture to gather into larger, heavier droplets, ones that are more likely to fall as rain or snow.

Cloud seeding and other rain-enhancement methods have been tried around the world, including in Australia, China, India, Israel, South Africa and the United States. Studies have found that these operations can, at best, affect precipitation modestly — enough to turn a downpour into a bigger downpour, but probably not a drizzle into a deluge.

Still, experts said pinning down how much seeding might have contributed to this month’s storms would require detailed study.

“In general, it is quite a challenge to assess the impact of seeding,” said Luca Delle Monache, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. Dr. Delle Monache has been leading efforts to use artificial intelligence to improve the U.A.E.’s rain-enhancement program.

An official with the U.A.E.’s National Center of Meteorology, Omar Al Yazeedi, told news outlets that the agency didn’t conduct any seeding during the latest storms. His statements didn’t make clear, however, whether that was also true in the hours or days before.

Mr. Al Yazeedi didn’t respond to emailed questions from The New York Times, and Adel Kamal, a spokesman for the center, didn’t have further comment.

Cities in dry places just aren’t designed for floods.

Wherever it happens, flooding isn’t just a matter of how much rain comes down. It’s also about what happens to all that water once it’s on the ground — most critically, in the places people live.

Cities in arid regions often aren’t designed to drain very effectively. In these areas, paved surfaces block rain from seeping into the earth below, forcing it into drainage systems that can easily become overwhelmed.

One recent study of Sharjah , the capital of the third-largest emirate in the U.A.E., found that the city’s rapid growth over the past half-century had made it vulnerable to flooding at far lower levels of rain than before.

Omnia Al Desoukie contributed reporting.

Raymond Zhong reports on climate and environmental issues for The Times. More about Raymond Zhong