Command and Control & TQM Methods

The traditional American management style of "command and control" can be compatible with total quality control methods.

One of the difficulties with employing management methodologies is defining the relative differences between styles, especially in an age where customer driven total quality management seems to be leading the charge. The use of "command and control" leadership in business management is useful only to a degree, being in many cases a reaction to situations that have already occurred. Traditional management too often relies on mechanistic planning and organizing, pushing products and people. "Command and control" is useful in that it proceeds from a positive leadership point of view. However, it is not truly leadership that transpires, it is charismatic spin control (Evans & Lindsay, 1996, 193).

The use of total quality management as a business methodology can act as a centering force for management. "Command and control" can proceed from TQM, but not the other way around. Total quality management is a structured system for satisfying internal and external customers and suppliers by integrating the business environment, continuous improvement, breakthroughs with development, improvement, and maintenance cycles while changing organizational culture (Integrated quality dynamics, 1997). The use of TQM does imply a change in culture.

TQM is a process of implementing a quan

. . .
command economies that were prevalent in the communist block countries of Eastern Europe. Because the process of production was centrally controlled, managers had no real idea of what the market was, what a fair price was, or how to respond quickly to customer needs. In fact production was more a matter of filling quotas than of responding to market forces. The systems of mass production as pioneered in the United States and Europe took the idea of more efficient manufacturing methods to undreamed up levels. The difficulty was, considering that these economies were working within a relatively rich resource base, the need to conserve and create quality did not readily translate to mass production. Thus "Command and control" became more a means of handling an ongoing process of production. Management, rightly or wrongly, is used to increased production coming from increased worker pools or the use of more efficient machinery. Although there are advantages to be gained in these areas, the adaptation of part or all of the seven stages of quality as defined by the Japanese appears to require a fundamental alteration. No one has said that the American worker does not produce or care about quality. But to bring TQM to the leve
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Modes Adaptation, TQM Total, TQM American, United Europe, Control TQM, Deal Kennedy, Conclusion Command, Evans Lindsay, Granted TQM, American TQM, command control, total quality, quality management, total quality management, seven stages, change culture, mass production, stages quality, evans lindsay 1996, american tqm, 1994 tqm, quality dynamics 1997, planning organizing, integrated quality dynamics, command control leadership,
Approximate Word count = 1598
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)