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Many companies continue to operate under a management philosophy which stresses quantity over quality. This emphasis is often traced to the end of World War II, when two factors combined to shape American management philosophy: (1) widespread shortages of consumer goods, and (2) the almost total lack of any foreign competition. During the War, most domestic industries were engaged in the production of war material. Quality was obviously very important. After all, lives depended upon the reliability of the military supplies available. When the War ended, however, industry shifted back to the production and manufacture of consumer goods. There was an almost immediate shift in management philosophy from one of quality to one based almost entirely on quantity. Within many companies, it has remained that way for the last 50 years.
The reality of the global market, however, and the increased competition it has precipitated, has caused many companies to look seriously at various management strategies based on quality instead of quantity. The tremendous success of programs such as Total Quality Management have caused many companies to realize that there might indeed be a better way of doing business. Management strategies that are based on quality rather than quantity offer companies a means of insuring both efficiency as well as heightened responsiveness to customer demands. Quality management emphasizes internal cooperation, employee participation, customer satisfaction, ongoing assessment and measurement, and continuous process improvement in order to better meet the challenges of external competition.
Example of the content of a typical 2-hour introductory training session:
Topics covered include: (1) the history of how traditional approaches to management were developed, (2) the strengths and weaknesses of management strategies that are based more on quantity than quality, (3) the meaning of true quality and why it is considered so important to the survival of many companies and industries, (4) examples of companies that have regained the lead in their particular markets using quality management concepts and strategies, (5) what types of changes an organization can expect to have to make as a result of shifting to a quality emphasis, (6) how short-term inconveniences may have to be endured in order to facilitate long-term improvements, and (7) a step-by-step outline for implementing a management philosophy based on the concept of quality.
This training session is appropriate for top management, mid-level managers, production and hourly workers, and clerical /support staff; i.e., anyone who actively contributes toward accomplishing company goals and objectives. It will involve providing useful information, individual and organizational assessments, group participation, case studies, and audio-visual presentations.
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