OWNING THE PROCESS OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Looks at three very different organizations which introduced total quality management following a common framework involving a four‐stage approach to implementation. Through the case studies, describes the TQM process which involved diagnosing areas of weakness and strength, commitment building, training in‐house facilitators to help others to use improvement tools and techniques and to facilitate change. Each of the three companies developed their own, different styles of implementing TQM, but all demonstrated that TQM is a process of continuous improvement.