What Is Total Quality Management (TQM)?

You know what they say: If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. That's where the concept of total quality management comes in. It's a business management strategy focusing on organizational process measurements and controls to improve products and services. Comprehensive quality management (TQM) is a business strategy to improve products and services by focusing on corporate process measurements and controls. TQM aims to eliminate waste and reduce costs while improving customer satisfaction, employee motivation, and organizational effectiveness. The term "total" in total quality management refers to the fact that this approach involves all employees within an organization, not just those working in manufacturing or other production-related departments. In contrast to traditional methods where managers focus on reducing costs only through downsizing or outsourcing labor-intensive tasks, TQM seeks to find ways for all employees—including managers—to contribute their expertise toward improving processes that lead to improved products or services. Unlike most quality management programs, which focus on operations and procedures and are designed to be implemented by management, TQM is a philosophy everyone in the organization can use to improve customer satisfaction. TQM is not just a set of tools and techniques; it's a way of thinking that encourages employees to take responsibility for product quality. When your company fully embraces TQM, you don't even have to worry about implementing specific processes or procedures—your people will do it naturally! The Japanese have always been known for their love of quality. Since they invented sushi and started building robots, they've focused on making the best product possible. Japanese industrialists developed total quality management (TQM) in the 1950s, but it didn't become well-known outside Japan until the 1980s. In recent years, however, TQM has also gained popularity in the United States—and that's not just because everyone wants to eat Japanese food now!