TQM'S THEORETICAL AMBIGUITY BREEDS PRACTICAL UNCERTAINTY:

HOW SHOULD MANAGEMENT ENROLL EMPLOYEES IN THE TQM VISION?
HOW SHOULD MANAGEMENT BALANCE THE NEEDS FOR CONTROL AND CREATIVITY?
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF "COACH/MENTOR?"
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF "TEAMWORK?"
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF TQM ON EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS (E.G., NUMBER, CONTENT, RELATIOMNSHIPS, MIX OF JOBS)?
ALTERNATIVE HRM PRACTICES ARE NEEDED

Reward for performance vs. behavior/knowledge
New roles (e.g., coach) for managers
Team-based incentives vs. individual incentives/rewards
Recruiting for a job vs. the organization
New dipute resolution mechanisms

THE TQM TRANSFORMATION INVOLVES A PARADIGM CHANGE | Turtle

INTERNAL CONTEXT

TENURED AND PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES - According to Deming (1982: 85) - "the 3 per cent that apprently don't care will erode itself by peer pressure."  Is it true?
LOW PERFORMERS
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

EXTERNAL CONTEXT

GOVERNMENT POLICIES (budget cuts, safety rules)
SOCIETAL VALUES
STOCKHOLDER REACTIONS
CUSTOMERS MAY PREFER LOW COST OVER QUALITY PRODUCTS
SOMETIMES QUALITY MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN CUSTOMERS (E.G., THE EDUCATION SYSTEM)

CONTRADICTIONS

• standardization vs. continuous improvement
• do it right the first time vs. innovate, take risks
• quality practices may upset customers (secutry checks at airports; bother customers for information)
  
• commitment to the customer vs. commitment to the bottom line
• empowerment vs. control
• empowerment vs. employees do not want to be empowered
  
• management by fact vs. hard data may not tell the full story; hard data may tell a wrong story; not every important element can be measured; not everything that is measured is important

A LONG-TERM TRANSFORMATION EMBEDDED IN A SHORTSIGHTED SOCIETY

TQM REQUIRES AN ELABORATE PROCESS

TQM MAY BE LESS FEASIBLE IN SMALLER FIRMS

  THE ROLE OF UNIONS IN A TQM ORGANIZATION - According to Deming (1982: 47) - "Company unions are the rule."  Do you agree?