officer, the timing is ideal for putting new ideas into place (Verespej, February 7, 1994, p. 35). Organization mission statements are, by their nature, vague, but such a mission statement would set the tone for the company as a whole, and would encourage other divisions and departments to develop their own mission statements in support of the company-wide mission.
Once the mission statement has been developed, the company would need to implement a company-wide training program which would include all employees, regardless of their rank or job function (Williams, 1994, p. 17). Each employee would receive training in TQM, and learn how to apply its principles to accomplishing the tasks at hand. Employees would be encouraged to become more active in their job design, so that they are able to make recommendations on how to improve the ways in which they perform their jobs.
This employee involvement also requires that managers receive training in TQM, as well (Schmidt, 1993, p. 41). Not only do managers need to understand the principles behind TQM, but they also need to rethink their relationship with employees. Instead of imposing their will and ideas on employees, managers need to listen to the suggestions of their employees on how and where improvements can be made. It is this aspect of TQM which is critical to the success of the program. If employee involvement groups (sometimes called quality circles) are established but not responded to, the company will not only not accomplish its quality goals, but it will do damage to the morale of the organization as a whole.
One of the key aspects of TQM suggests that each employee learn to consider the needs of his customers, anticipate those needs, and provide solutions to those needs every time and on time. In the case of General Motors, "customers" include more than just the ultimate car buyer. In the manufacturing process, it includes the next person on the assembly line. ...