A framework for business system and quality management integration

Many articles have been written on how to implement total quality management (TQM) and have stated that customer satisfaction is the key to long‐term profits. However, there has been little explicitly stated concerning how a company can meet customer requirements and ensure achievement of business objectives. Traditional TQM approaches have had only an implied relationship to a company’s business system and, therefore, have not in practice been integrated within the business system of the company. This paper presents a framework for an approach that integrates the TQM philosophy within the business system context. This framework is illustrated with examples from the Missouri Plant of the Square D Company and the results of implementing the framework over the past four years are discussed.