TQM in the Public Sector

1. City of Irving, Irving, Texas

Through the application of TQM in the City of Irving, Texas, the city has wisely expended its tax revenues (and more efficiently than its neighboring counties) to provide better service for its community as a whole. According to the website, the city places emphasis on input from its citizens, and regularly surveys the community for feedback in order to collect data as to the city’s performance levels. As a result, Irving’s quality of service ratings are higher than those for each of the state, county and federal governments. Citizens are also active participants in the city’s multiple volunteer programs and community groups (including an active crime watch program). In order to enhance employee performance, employees of the city regularly participate in cross-functional teams, ensuring that all employees are able to work together cohesively and efficiently. Individual employees are regularly recognized for their work, increasing the level of employee satisfaction and improving employee retention. Overall, the city’s strategic plan ensures that the leadership is focused on achieving targeted goals in line with the city’s mission, values, and vision.

2. Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Maryland

Montgomery County Public schools works to develop its reputation through established programs which provide quality education to its students, with its students performing greater than both the state and national rates in high school placement exams and standardized achievement tests. The district collects data from parents and employees regarding parent and work satisfaction, and exceeds national ratings for this as well. This is evidenced by the districts low levels of employee turnover. The data is also used to direct the district’s focus for the future. The district’s budget is also a model of efficiency with 61.3% of funds dedicated to intuitional missions, also exceeding the state and county averages. Montgomery’s “Our Call to Action Program” (posted on the district’s website) aligns all employees to accomplish common goals relating to education and performance. This school district is another example of TQM in action.

3. Iredell-Statesville Schools, Statesville, North Carolina

The Iredell-Statesville Schools is another model of TQM. Through the implementation of various models (such as the performance excellence model), the school system has involved the entire staff to switch its focus from teaching to one that is focused instead on learning. This has the district as a whole looking towards measurable deliverables from the students, including student performance. As such, graduation cohort rates have increased, test scores have reached unprecedented levels, and the student attendance rates are also the highest in the state of North Carolina. The school system has used data obtained from multiple sources to restructure its safety and security programs, resulting in a safer school system for everyone. The district has also made sure that all of its resources are being put to the best and most efficient use, with implementation of energy programs which translated into over a $4 Million savings for the system.

4. City of Coral Springs, Coral Springs, Florida

This city involves the entire community in order to build its model of quality. Each year, the city holds meetings in order to obtain information from the citizens regarding progress and performance in the community. Data received from these group meetings allows the city to identify priorities and make decisions as to the future direction of the city. In fact, the citizens (or customers) are one of the stated core values of the City of Coral Springs. Internally, the city empowers its employees to achieve the city’s goals and focus on the city’s priorities. This is done through employee recognition programs and various other financial incentives as a motivator, resulting in a low turnover rate within the city and high satisfaction ratings from the employees. Financially, the city wastes nothing, and operates ethically. Once of its proudest achievements is that external auditors have found nothing of material value within the city for the past eleven years. Its strategic processes across multiple levels make the City of Coral Springs an exemplary model.

5. U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey

The last example of TQM in the public sector is the ARDEC, whose primary guiding principle is a team approach to all strategic planning and goal-setting activities. The center frequently partners with many other government agencies in order to collaborate on ideas and achieve the best deliverables for its clients. Further, in an era when military spending is often questioned, ARDEC has established a reputation as a reliable provider, and held its firm position in the market. This has also translated into measurable results in levels of customer satisfaction, as evidenced by scoring from annual surveys. The findings from these surveys are also used to influence future business decisions for ARDEC. Employees are ARDEC are empowered to succeed through receipt of specialized training, which also results in employee satisfaction (also measured by annual surveys) with satisfaction levels reaching nearly 90%.

References

Homepage. (n.d.). City of Coral Springs, Florida. Retrieved from http://www.coralsprings.org

Homepage. (n.d.). City of Irving, TX. Retrieved, from http://cityofirving.org

Homepage. (n.d.). Iredell-Statesville schools: Overview. Retrieved from http://iss.schoolwires.com

Homepage. (n.d.). Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD. Retrieved from http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org

Homepage. (n.d.). Picatinny homepage. Retrieved from http://www.pica.army.mil