Total quality management (TQM) has gained much attention in recent years as American manufacturers seek to improve their productivity and their profitability (Dobyns & Crawford-Mason, 1991, p. 4). At the heart of successful TQM programs is the requirement that all employees at all levels of the organization be committed to the TQM process. In small organizations, getting all employees to be involved in the process can be accomplished through internal communications and training programs. The process is essentially the same in larger organizations, but because large organizations are more complex and pose more logistical considerations, problems can arise when a TQM program is implemented.
Any TQM program requires the commitment of the highest levels of the organization at the outset (Crosby, 1992, p. 13). Without this commitment, the organization cannot put the necessary resources into the TQM program, and the program will be destined for failure. Since TQM represents a major shift in the way that most companies do business, it is not an inexpensive process, nor is it a short-term program. Effective TQM programs will have a long-term effect on the way that the organization does business.
General Motors seems to be an ideal type of company where TQM would be able to make a positive difference in the organization. The company's core business is the manufacture of automobiles, which means that it can use quality management techniques at various levels in the manufacturing process to implement a TQM program. Quality management has been particularly successful in the manufacturing sector, and has gained much attention in the manufacturing of automobiles. Japanese automakers have been especially successful in implementing TQM programs.
At General Motors, the implementation of TQM would begin with a new mission statement from the highest levels of the organization. Since the company recently installed a new chief executive ...