Communicating the quality strategy is crucial in ensuring that all members of an organization

understand and align with the goals and objectives set to achieve high quality standards. This
communication process involves disseminating information about the quality strategy, its
importance, and how it will be implemented across various levels and departments of the
organization.

The systems for disseminating the message should include all the conventional communication
methods of seminars, departmental meetings, posters, newsletters, intranet, etc.

Implementing a Total Quality Management strategy is essential for organizations to effectively

utilize their human and material resources in order to achieve their goals. By implementing the
Total Quality Management strategy, an organization can harness its human and material
resources in the most effective way to achieve its goals of high-quality products or services. This
can be done through effective communication and integration of data, as well as ensuring that
there is discipline in the culture and activities of the organization.

The first step in communicating the quality strategy is to develop a comprehensive

communication plan. This communication plan should take into account all the necessary
resources and be aligned with the overall communication strategy of the organization. The
communication plan should outline the objectives of the quality strategy, define the target
audience, determine the appropriate communication channels, and identify the key messages that
need to be conveyed. Furthermore, the communication plan should also include a timeline for
implementation and a budget to allocate resources for communication activities.

The second step is to create a clear and concise message that conveys the goals and importance
of the strategy to all members of the organization. This message should emphasize the impact
that the quality strategy will have on the organization’s performance and success. This message
should highlight the benefits such as improved customer satisfaction, increased efficiency and
reduced cost. This should clearly articulate the organization’s commitment to achieve and
maintain high quality standards and explain how the quality strategy will support this
commitment. When the required level of individual commitment is achieve, a constant flow of
information is necessary, which includes:

1. When and how individuals will be involved.

2. What the process requires.

3. The successes and benefits achieved.

The most efficient way to achieve the necessary level of staff participation is to make sure
everyone is informed. Otherwise, they'll feel excluded and start to think that TQM isn't for them,
which could lead to resentment and undermine the whole project. By displaying everyone's
engagement and commitment, the first line of supervision can have a significant role in ensuring
that important concepts are conveyed and to promote team development. In the Larkins’
excellent book Communicating Change (1994), the authors referred to three ‘facts’ regarding the
best ways to communicate change to employees.
1. Communicate directly to supervisors (first-line).

2. Use face-to-face communication.

3. Communicate relative performance of the local work area.

An effective quality strategy will also involve having a clear and concise message that is easy for
the audience to understand. It should be free of jargon and should be able to be comprehended by
anyone, regardless of their level of knowledge or understanding. The communication model
highlights the possibility for issues due to environmental distractions, mismatches in the attitudes
of the sender and recipient toward the information as well as language issues, time constraints,
etc.

Communicating the quality message. Communication is a vital aspect of total quality

management as it facilitates the dissemination of the quality message throughout the entire
organization, ensuring that all employees are on the same page and understand the importance of
quality in their work. By effectively communicating the quality message, organizations can
create a shared understanding and commitment to quality among employees, encouraging them
to actively participate in continuous improvement efforts and striving for customer satisfaction.

The majority of firms' workforces fall into one of four "audience" categories, each of which has
distinct basic views about TQM:

 Senior managers, who should see TQM as an opportunity, both for the organization and
themselves.
 Middle managers, who may see TQM as another burden without any benefits, and may
perceive a vested interest in the status quo.
 Supervisors (first-line or junior managers), who may see TQM as another ‘flavor of the
period’ or campaign, and who may respond by trying to keep heads down so that it will
pass over.
 Other employees, who may not care, so long as they still have jobs and get paid, though
these people must be the custodians of the delivery of quality to the customer and own
that responsibility.

Of course, there are many other TQM and business development approaches and techniques.
Any organization's quality plan must be created to satisfy the demands of its particular structure,
line of business, level of commitment to continuous improvement activities (CIP) initiatives, and
other factors. The important thing is that groups of individuals must feel comfortable 'joining' the
quality process when it is most advantageous for them. To persuade middle managers to take
part, TQM must be positioned as how they can transform the people under their control into
"total quality employees."

The loud, flashy, hype-style behavior is inappropriate for any component of TQM. TQM
"events" should, of course, be enjoyable because this is frequently the greatest method to
convince and encourage people. However, the importance of every event should be determined
by its capacity to advance knowledge and TQM-related change. 'Discovery', 'affirmation,'
'participation,' and team-based learning are key concepts in effective activities. Face-to-face
communication and clearly shown management commitment are the most effective methods for
inspiring employees and winning their commitment to excellence. Although there is a lot spoken
and written about leadership, communication is at its core. People who are effective
communicators are also typically effective leaders.

Systematic Approach to Education & Training for Quality

Education and training are essential for ensuring quality in any field. A systematic approach to
education and training helps to ensure that everyone involved understands what is expected of
them and that they can meet those expectations. By taking a systematic approach to education
and training, businesses can ensure that their employees are able to provide the best possible
service to their customers.

The main elements of effective and systematic quality training may be considered under four
broad headings:

 Error/defect/problem prevention. The following contribute to effective and systematic

quality training for prevention of problems in organization:
o An issued quality policy.
o A written quality management system.
o Job specifications that include quality requirements.
o Effective steering committees, including representatives of both management and
employees.
o Efficient 'housekeeping' standards.
o Preparation and display of maps, flow diagrams and charts for all processes.
 Error/defect/problem reporting and analysis. Management will need to set up the required
reporting processes and make sure that people involved are properly educated. Each
organization's mistakes, rejections, defects, issues, waste, etc., should be documented and
analyzed in a way that is pertinent to that organization's corrective action plans, which
must be initiated as necessary.
 Error/defect/problem investigation. Investigating mistakes, flaws, and issues may lead to
useful knowledge that can be used to their prevention. Participating in investigations
offers an opportunity for training. The following information is useful for the
investigation:

o Nature of problem. o Causes and reasons behind

o Date, time and place. causes.
o Product/service with o Action advised.
problem. o Action taken to prevent
o Description of problem. recurrence

 Review of quality training. Reviewing the effectiveness of excellent training programs

need to be continuous. However, measuring effectiveness is a challenging issue.
Monitoring behavior during quality audits is one technique to evaluate the information in
 a training course or program and how well it has been absorbed. Comparing employee
behavior to the goals of the quality-training program facilitates this assessment. To
determine the advantages gained, further training process measures should be discovered.

A well-designed training program will take into account the different learning styles of
employees and provide them with opportunities to practice what they have learned.
Employees should be given the chance to learn in a variety of ways, such as through lectures,
discussions, role-playing, and simulations. By providing employees with the opportunity to
learn in different ways, businesses can make sure that they are able to reach the widest
possible audience.

It is also important to make sure that employees have the opportunity to provide feedback on
the training they have received. This feedback can be used to improve the quality of the
training program and make sure that it is meeting the needs of employees. By constantly
improving the quality of the education and training that employees receive, businesses can
ensure that they are able to stay ahead of the competition.
Turning Education & Training into Learning

One of the most important things that we can do to promote communications, innovation, and
learning is to turn education and training into learning. In other words, we need to make sure
that our education and training programs are designed in such a way that they promote and
facilitate learning. There are several ways that we can do this.

For successful learning, training must be followed up. This can take many forms, but the
managers need to provide the lead through the design of improvement projects, coaching and
‘surgery’ workshops.

Information and knowledge

'Knowledge Management' and 'Information Technology' are two concepts that are commonly
employed in businesses, frequently in conjunction. We may transmit explicit information to
others by putting it into a form. However, a lot of people's important and helpful information is
tacit rather than explicit in many firms, especially the service industry.

The creation and expression of knowledge takes place through social interaction between tacit
and explicit knowledge. In this diagram, it shows this as four modes of knowledge conversion.

Socialization enables the transfer of tacit information from one person to another, largely via the
exchange of experiences. Externalization is the process through which tacit information is
transformed into explicit knowledge, making it more easily transferable. Internalization
transforms tacit information from explicit knowledge into personal knowledge; this process is
sometimes referred to as learning. Combination is the transformation of explicit knowledge
forms, such building frameworks.

Explicit knowledge as information

Knowledge may be written, copied, saved, and sent electronically when it is made explicit by
being placed into words, diagrams, or other representations; this is when knowledge becomes
information. Information has importance as an input to human decision-making and capacities
because it reflects collected knowledge. Only people have the ability to apply tacit knowledge
successfully because it is still fundamental to them.

These concepts of information and knowledge allow us to replace explicit knowledge with
information and simple knowledge with tacit knowledge when referring to knowledge in the
context of business.

Similar to internalization, externalization involves making knowledge apparent and converting it

into information, such as through written documentation or organized business procedures. This
captures people's knowledge, or their ability to perform in their corporate responsibilities. Until
other individuals absorb it to become a part of their own knowledge or ability to act successfully,
it stays information. Understanding a text involves integrating its concepts into one's prior
experience and knowledge, giving one the ability to behave in new ways that are valuable.
Language and pictures are the primary means of knowledge transfer in written materials. But
before it becomes new knowledge to the reader, the information must be actively analyzed and
internalized.

The concept of learning, knowledge management, and knowledge transfer is fundamentally

based on the process of knowledge acquisition, which is what internalization is in essence.
Understanding the nature of this process is crucial for implementing practical company changes
and enhancing consumer value.

Socialization is the process through which knowledge is passed from one person to another
without the need of a document or other intermediary. It is the most effective way to impart
knowledge. People learn from other people in both explicit and implicit methods, as we have
known since infancy, considerably more successfully than they do from books and records.
Organizations function well despite technology advancements that enable employees to
telecommute and work from various places in large part because people who work closely
together have access to meaningful connection and learning on a continual, frequently informal
basis. Of course, this creates difficulties for the "Virtual Organizations" of today.

The learning-knowledge management cycle

A constantly evolving cycle from tacit knowledge to explicit information and back to tacit
knowledge is one approach to conceptualize learning and knowledge management. To put it
another way, people's knowledge is externalized into information, which must then be
internalized (taught) by others to become a part of their knowledge in order to be valuable, as
shown in the this diagram.

The core of organizational learning and knowledge management is this transition from
knowledge to information and back to knowledge. It is also essential to directly share
information through socializing. However, in large companies, collecting all that is feasible in
the form of papers and other digital representations allows for the storage, duplication, sharing,
and availability of information to individuals on whatever scale required.
Planning the implementation of TQM

Planning the implementation of Total Quality Management is a critical step in ensuring its
success within an organization. Implementing TQM requires a careful strategic planning process
that is based on the concept of total quality. This means that the organization must have a clear
and specific vision for quality, as well as specific goals and objectives related to quality.

Intellectual understanding of quality provides a basis for TQM, it is clearly only the planting of
the seed. The understanding must be translated into commitment, policies, plans and actions for
TQM to germinate. Making this happen requires not only commitment, but a competence in
leadership and in making changes. Without a strategy to implement TQM through process
management, capability and control, the expended effort will lead to frustration. Poor quality
management can become like poor gardening – a few weed leaves are pulled off only for others
to appear in their place days later, plus additional weeds elsewhere. Problem solving is very
much like weeding, tackling the root causes, often by digging deep, is essential for better control.

The strategic planning process for TQM should involve several key steps. These steps include:
analyzing the current state of the organization in regards to quality management practices and
identifying areas for improvement; setting clear objectives and goals for quality as part of the
long-term vision of the organization; identifying the necessary resources, including human and
financial, to support the implementation of TQM; developing a comprehensive action plan that
outlines the specific steps and milestones for implementing TQM; establishing a system for
monitoring and evaluating the progress of the implementation process; and continuously
improving the TQM strategies and practices as necessary.

To manage and promote cooperation in quality, the implementation process starts with the
formulation of a quality policy statement and the construction of the necessary organizational
structure. It is possible to pinpoint the key areas where modifications will have the most
performance effects by gathering data on the organization's operational processes, particularly
the expenses associated with quality. All managers are involved in planning improvements, but a
key early step is setting up quality management systems to guide the improvement process and
guarantee that issues are permanently fixed through organized corrective action procedures.
Making quality a reality demands both dedication and proficiency with TQM's operational
procedures.

The establishment of the appropriate organizational structure, data collection, including the cost
of quality, teamwork, quality systems, and training are all crucial first stages. After the plans and
methods are in place, the requirement for ongoing education, training, and communication
increases.

For example, a quality management system which conforms to the

requirements of ISO 9000 may already exist and this step will not be a major task, but
introducing a quality costing system may well be. It is important to remember,
however, that a review of the current performance in all the areas, even when well
established, should be part of normal operations to ensure continuous improvement.
These major steps may be used as an overall planning aid for the introduction of
TQM, and they should appear on a planning or Gantt chart. Major projects should be
time-phased to suit individual organizations’ requirement, but this may be influenced
by outside factors, such as pressure from a customer to introduce statistical process
control (SPC) or to operate a quality system which meets the requirements of a
standard. The main projects may need to be split into smaller sub-projects, and this
is certainly true of management system work, the introduction of SPC, Six Sigma,
Lean and improvement teams.

Total quality management may be integrated into the strategy of any organization
through an understanding of the core business processes and involvement of the
people. The diagram shows the recommended framework and it all starts with
the vision, goals, strategies and mission which should be fully thought through, agreed
and shared in the business. The factors which are critical to success, the CSFs – the building blocks of the mission –
are then identified. The key performance indicators (KPIs), the measures associated with the CSFs, tell us whether
we are moving towards or away from the mission or
just standing still.

Performance-based measurement of all processes and people development

activities is necessary to determine progress and feedback to the benchmarking and strategic planning activities, so
that the vision, goals, mission and critical success factors may be examined and reconstituted, if necessary, to meet
new requirements for the organization and its customers, internal and external.

TQM embraces all of these areas. If used properly, and fully integrated into the business, it will help any
organization deliver its goals, strategy and targets, including those in the public sector. This is because it is about
people and their identifying, understanding, managing and improving processes –
the things any organization has to do particularly well to achieve its objectives.

Summarize:

1. Making quality happen requires not only commitment but competence in the mechanics of TQM.
Crucial early stages will comprise establishment of the appropriate organization structure;
collecting information, including quality costs; teamwork; quality systems; and training.

2. The launch of quality improvement requires a balanced approach, through systems, teams and
tools.

3. A new implementation framework allows the integration of TQM into the strategy of an
organization through an understanding of the core business processes and involvement of
people. This leads through process analysis, self-assessment and benchmarking to identifying
opportunities for improvement, including people development.

4. The process opportunities should be prioritized into continuous improvement and re-
engineering/redesign. Performance-based measurement determines progress, and feeds back to
the strategic framework.