How the mighty have fallen: the naked truth about TQM Available to Purchase

This paper focuses on the legacy which the quality gurus have left to managers seeking to embark on, and sustain, a corporate quality initiative. The paper demonstrates that the legacy consists of prescriptions which are not the subject of consensus and which fail to provide the holism demanded by the term “total” in total quality management (TQM). In addition, the paper considers the abstract requirements of an implementational model of TQM and the implementational models which are currently available, by offering a new model that accords with the philosophy underpinning TQM. In the final analysis, by using an empirical example of an attempt to implement TQM in the NHS, the paper further reveals that many of the barriers to implementation can best be removed through adherence to the new model rather than by following the prescriptions of the quality gurus.