Description

In every approach to implementing a Total Quality Management (TQM) system, one factor remains common throughout. There must be a positive environment in place for TQM to take place. A positive environment supports and reinforces the principles of TQM. It nurtures what W.E. Deming described as the critical mass required for TQM to become truly organization-wide. Without a positive environment, implementing TQM is like climbing an ice-covered mountain in bare feet — each step is precarious and if you lose your footing it’s a long, cold slide backwards. Five areas of focus have been identified in the process of developing a positive environment for TQM.