Question

Describe in no more than 200 words the TQM techniques used by the London Business School, which may be implemented by the NWU Business School to position it as a leading global business school. You may use three of the following four TQM techniques, namely (1) Continuous improvement (ii) Employee empowerment (iii) Benchmarking or (iv) Just in time (JIT).

Answer 1

1. Customer focus - The first of the Total Quality Management principles puts the focus back on the people buying your product or service. Your customers determine the quality of your product. If your product fulfills a need and lasts as long or longer than expected, customers know that they have spent their money on a quality product.
2. Total employee commitment - You can’t increase productivity, processes, or sales without the total commitment of all employees. They need to understand the vision and goals that have been communicated. They must be sufficiently trained and given the proper resources to complete tasks in order to be committed to reaching goals on time.
3. Process approach - Adhering to processes is critical in quality management. Processes ensure that the proper steps are taken at the right time to ensure consistency and speed up production.
4. Integrated silos - Typically a business has many different departments, each with their own specific functions and purposes. These departments and functions should be interconnected with horizontal processes that should be the focus of Total Quality Management.