Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

excellent performance, and 2) ‘results’ – the impact of those enablers on staff, customers, society
at large, and ultimately on business performance. These criteria are: leadership, policy and
strategy, people, partnerships and resources, processes, customer results, people results, society
results, and key performance results. Beckford notes that “although the BEM provides a higherlevel
framework to which already ISO-certified organizations should aspire, the lack of objectivity in
measurement and failure to explicitly recognize the dynamic interrelationships between the enabler
and results criteria inhibit full value being achieved from the model.” (Beckford, 2002)
Well, any model is only a model. Life is life. It is complex, multi-faceted, and very fun. Over time it
became clear that ‘quality management systems may look like ‘fish out of water’; they do not work
if they are not part of proper overall management. Everything is related to the quality, directly or
not. Thus, requirements were expanding and developing to a level that was already shaped in
theory and practice as Total Quality Management.
Total Quality Management
The concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) was developed by many authors (Armand
Feigenbaum, Joseph Juran, Allan S Sale, John S. Oakland), actually since the 1960s. By
Oakland’s definition, “TQM is as an approach to improving the competitiveness, effectiveness and
flexibility of a whole organization. It is essentially a way of planning, organizing and understanding
each activity, and depends on each individual at each level. For an organization to be truly
effective, each part of it must work properly together towards the same goals, recognizing that
each person and each activity affects and in turn is affected by others.” (Oakland, 1995)
In the following years, TQM was considered by most authors to be more of a kind of ‘management
philosophy’ than a specific method. Still, Oakland’s ‘Ten Points for Senior Management – The
Foundations of the TQM Model’ are very helpful for analyzing the situation in an organization and
planning corresponding actions. These 10 points are:
1. The organization needs a long-term COMMITMENT to constant improvement.
2. Adopt the philosophy of zero errors/defects to change the CULTURE to ‘right the first time’.
3. Train the people to understand CUSTOMER-SUPPLIER relationships.
4. Do not buy products or services on price alone – look at the TOTAL COST.
5. Recognize that improvement of the SYSTEMS needs to be managed.
6. Adopt modern methods of SUPERVISION and TRAINING – eliminate fear.
7. Eliminate barriers between departments by managing the PROCESS – improve
COMMUNICATIONS and TEAMWORK.
8. Eliminate the following:
• Arbitrary goals without methods.
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