The Impact of Quality Management on Productivity

Management approaches based on improvements in all aspects of quality are being vigorously promoted by private consultants and government agencies as the route to improved organizational performance. Raises the question of whether these approaches work and attempts to answer it by describing a study of several companies undertaking quality processes which are generally based on total quality management concepts. Concludes that these approaches have had a significant impact on operations and relationships inside the organizations, which have probably contributed to their long‐term viability. Qualifies this conclusion by adding that, as measured by traditional overall company performance indicators, the direct impact of these quality‐oriented processes is greatly overshadowed by the effects of the other internal and external factors which influence business performance.