Deming's 14 Points on Total Quality Management

Introduction

Total Quality Management (TQM) refers to a management strategy in which the business strives to achieve customer satisfaction to realize long-term success (Parker 26). All key players and policymakers must participate to accomplish this goal and ensure improved processes, products, and service delivery to realize a positive customer experience. This tool has proved phenomenon to many organizations such as IKEA and Walmart which are realizing long-term success due to their commitments to ensure TQM. There are many influencers to this management strategy. This paper focuses on the William Edwards Deming who showed interest in TQM and came up with his 14 points to achieve TQM popularly known as Deming's 14 points. Deming's 14 points of management were first published in his book "Out of Crisis" in 2000. Many authors have also expounded on the Deming's 14 management points. Organizations however big or small, profitable or non-profitable must implement the 14 points from inside to the outside.

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As a management consultant, Deming came up with Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) in which he emphasized on the need for continuous improvement in an organization instead of making changes only after failing. He established that PCDA reduce costs that accrue as a result of rework such as wastage of materials (Neave 561).

In developing the 14 points in achieving TQM, Deming emphasized the need for applying them throughout the organizational management levels to achieve a total transformation (Deming 253).

Deming's 14 points for Management

Create Constancy of Purpose

After working on the availability and consistency of products and services, organizations should ensure that constant improvement of services and products is attained. This runs includes service delivery, how they are delivered and when they are delivered. There should be an improvement in all these areas. Any gradual improvement from customer compliments or complains is crucial for customer retention and loyalty (Deming 253). This improvement should be incorporated into the production processes to reduce the number of defects and product recalls.

Adapt to New Philosophy

New economic times offers a chance for a change and challenge. Therefore, management should ensure that their management strategies give room for adapting to such times. Business competitions are always increasing, and organizations should adhere to such changes to survive (Deming 253). Borrowing ideas from the competitors and adjusting accordingly is essential or risk being wiped out in the market. Previously, modal T was the dominant car design; today there are many shapes available with different specifications. Those companies that retained the modal T specifications were wiped out.

Cease Dependence on Inspection to Achieve Quality

Fail early and often is a strategy that organizations should employ. When a product fails soon, it saves the company the costs of reworks. Inspections for quality after production leads to delays and in most cases quality is not achieved. The organization should employ interim improvements to reduce dependence on the inspections. Quality checks should be done in the process so as changes can be made earlier.

End ‘Lowest Tender’ Contract

The company should shift from having many suppliers and focus on a single supplier with whom it can foster trust and loyalty. It is always good practice to reduce cost when doing procurements but the company should shift from choosing suppliers based on lower prices. Valuing suppliers in essential to earning their trust. Long-term commitment to one supplier makes it easy to get materials on credit. It reduces costs for transportations as it would be the case when sourcing from many suppliers. IKEA is a good example as they source their products in bulk from one supplier, enjoying economies of scale thereby creating a competitive advantage.

Improve Process, Production and Service Continually and Forever

As discussed earlier, continuous process improvement leads to improved quality as well as productivity. Cost reduction is realized during this process as there is less wastage of raw materials and the cost as a result of rework.

Institute Training on the Job

Personal Employee development plan should include training. A trained and an informed employee is a valuable asset as the knowledge is reflected in the final product and service quality. Training enables workers to be informed and adapt to the new technology. An organization that does not support employee development risks failure especially when their knowledge becomes obsolete.

Institute Supervision

Managers should be leaders and not bosses. They should stimulate leadership which entails supervising workers and creating a positive rapport with them. They should delegate duties. This ensures that nothing happens without their notice thereby achieving both employee and machine efficiencies. Bosses do not interact with workers and focus on the results alone forgetting that employee lies between the results and the inputs.

Drive Out Fear

Nobody likes to work when nervous or emotionally unbalanced. Many accidents that are reported in the workshops are as a result of operating under tension (The Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1970). Management should ensure that workers feel safe in their work floors. Members should be assigned duties in areas they are best skilled. There should be transparency in communication as well as interactions between managers and employees (Deming 253).

Break Down Barriers Between Staff Members

Managers should strive for flat departments, that is, eliminate hierarchy. This can easily be achieved through creating multifunction teams each with equal authority and thereby open for exchange of ideas.

Eliminate Exhortations

Any stimulating slogans should be scrapped from the workforce. These slogans and exhortations are usually perceived as humiliating. Since quality is achieved through the system, this should be avoided.

Eliminate Quotas and Numerical Goals

Setting targets for the workforce makes workers focus on achieving the goals without putting the focus on quality. If the organization relies on inspections after production; there would be many defects thus low productivity and high costs. If there are daily margins, employees work in a hurry thereby being prone to making mistakes.

Remove Annual Ratings and Merit Systems

The management should eliminate barriers to celebrating individual pride of workmanship. This leads to employee satisfaction and motivation thereby being able to execute their duties excellently and professionally. This is improved by eliminating deadlines.

Institute Education and Self-Improvement Programs

This connects with the sixth points, but this emphasizes the individual training and self-development rather than the general training of the staff. Strengths and weaknesses vary from one employee to another and therefore a need for individual training. By doing this, employees realize their full potential.

Involving All Workers in the Transformation

Instilling a culture that views transformation as a goal for everyone makes players take it their responsibility. This is achieved by laying forward concrete objectives that would realize change throughout the organization (Stotz 54).

Conclusion

When organizations and employees are open to transformation, they are open to any change no matter the uncertainty. These transformations achieve TQM.

Works Cited

Deming William Edwards. Out of the Crisis. The MIT Press, 2000, pp. 253-300.

Neave, H.R. "Deming's 14 points for management" the framework for success. The Statistician, 1987, pp.561-570.

Parker, James. Deming's 14 Points on Total Quality Management, A Management Strategy, 2018, pp.26-29.

Stotz, A. "Transform Your Business with Dr. Deming's 14 Points." CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015, pp.54-57.