Total Quality of Management

Off-site combined training-cum-seminar on management of change for both top-

management and union leaders is an effective strategy; co-learning helps break

barriers. Management ought to have patience as building bridge with trade unions

means overcoming the age-old antagonistic outlook and mental block prevailing

on either sides. The political, emotional, and cultural aspects are critical, and

therefore, need to be sensitively tackled. Fostering co-operative role with trade

unions should form the integral part of corporate strategy; faithful adherence to

this strategy would ultimately culminate in partnership with the trade union.

ADDITIONAL POINTS ON SHAPING THE CULTURE

Expressing or constructing the TQM culture, though an arduous process is a one-

time exercise. However, ‘shaping’ the culture is an on-going process; the TQM

culture cannot be ordered nor can it be installed like a software program.

Defining, sharing and articulating the vision, mission and values does not mean

that the organization has successfully embraced the TQM culture; it has to live the

values and mission to accomplish the purpose and vision. Employees in general tend

to doubt the real intentions of the top management. Hence, the top management’s

commitment and its visibility are critical in shaping the culture; management

must lead the initiatives.

Reorienting an existing culture is a demanding task—ingrained perceptions

and traits over the time create a unique organizational ‘gene’ that has lingering

effect. Negative perceptions and wrong easily overpower good characteristics and

bad practices become part of the company culture. Such ingrained cultures even

sway new employees disable novel ideas at the inception itself and continue

unless something drastic is done to change the culture.

The first real obstacle in shaping the culture is the over-bearing cultural distor-

tion. Hence establishing the credibility of vision related exercises are crucial. But

this is not good enough … in fact the hard work begins only after vision and other

statements are adopted and published. Right at the beginning management

should declare their resolve to institutionalise the adopted TQM philosophies,

and to scrap the existing policies and systems that are not compatible with TQM.

Adherence to the letter and spirit of this declared policy is crucial in shaping the

culture. Compromises, short cuts, and inconsistent management behaviour dis-

suades the promotion of TQM culture are indicative of management hypocrisy.

For example, manipulative actions to obtain ISO 9000 certificate cause tremendous

damage to the management’s credibility; all future attempts or exhortations about

TQM culture is thereafter viewed by employees with utter disdain. Many man-

agers do not practice the seven QC tools (known to solve 80–85 per cent of the

problems) as they think that it is below their professional dignity to use such simple

tools that are also being used by frontline employees or workers engaged in quality

circles. Such lackadaisical and hypocritical attitudes are not conducive to the TQM

culture. Top management has to ensure that all the top and senior members of the

management embrace the philosophy and consciously reorient their attitude and

128 PHILOSOPHIES AND CONCEPTS