Fostering TQ in the Workplace

To promote quality in their organizations, middle and lower-level managers must open the doors of communication (Evans, 2014).  It is not uncommon for mid-level managers to be eliminated as the workforce becomes flatter - that is, there is less of a bureaucracy as opinions and concerns of the individual concern all.  Top-level managers have the duty of interacting more so with middle and lower-level managers.  Top-level can have a more open door with lower-level management, and not make it too uncommon to join the fieldwork where most workers dwell.  There is nothing that screams bureaucracy more than a closed office door in both the literal and figurative sense.  The emphasis in promoting quality is a collectiveness, or realization that the company is working towards the same goal.

Union and management should be able to talk to one another and share the same goals.  The well-being of the company is everyone’s prerogative because what is good for the company is good for the individual and vice versa.  Management needs to ensure that the workplace is safe for workers to express their concerns, for if they feel unsafe doing so the channels of communication will not be open, and tenets of TQ such as teamwork and trust cannot flourish (Evans, 2014).  Value must be placed on the workforce instead of customers. The mindset of workers and management must be togetherness towards a common goal.  There is a common misconception that piles of data must be collected to successfully implement policies, or that it will only work within larger companies.  This might be the case sometimes but no matter what, management must be ready to teach their workers about the new company culture that will include changes in processes and organizational design.  Moreover, there is no best version of how to run a TQ model. The most successful companies recognized the uniqueness of their labor force in their diversity, and customized approaches tailored to these specific characteristics.

Reference

Evans, R., J. (2014) Quality & Performance Excellence. Location: Cengage Learning.