Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION

As we have seen, total quality management impacts every aspect of the organization. Every person and every function is responsible for quality and is affected by poor quality. For example, recall that Motorola implemented its Six Sigma concept not only in sthe production process but also in the accounting, finance, and administrative areas. Similarly, ISO 9000 standards do not apply only to the production process—they apply equally to all departments of the company. A company cannot achieve high quality if its accounting is inaccurate or the marketing department is not working closely with customers. TQM requires the close cooperation of different functions in order to be successful. In this section we look at the involvement of these other functions in TQM.

Marketing plays a critical role in the TQM process by providing key inputs that make TQM a success. Recall that the goal of TQM is to satisfy customer needs by producing the exact product that customers want. Marketing's role is to understand the changing needs and wants of customers by working closely with them. This requires a solid identification of target markets and an understanding of whom the product is intended for. Sometimes, apparently small differences in product ...