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TQM & HR 1

the role of HR promoting TQM in an organisation.

TQM is primarily an organizational strategy considered as a change programme to achieve


excellence and therefore HR has an important role to play in designing the interventions to
prepare the people and the organizations for the desired change.

The role of the HR Department in improving quality can be considerable. Broadly, it can:

• Assist in the formulation of the firm's strategic direction and needs.


• Identify the human resource philosophies or culture consistent with the business needs.
• Develop and implement policies and activities consistent with the culture.
• Ensure that the quality improvement process is consistent with the other human resource
activities.

The HR department can play a significant role in the change process by establishing a specific
programme that is responsible for dealing with the change. This programme can involve:

• Establishing a senior HR council and executive operating committee


• Naming a major initiative that rallies all employees to the change
• Developing a leadership programme that ensures that the change clearly includes the top
management [ a senior management development programme].

Additionally, within the HR department there can be further division of roles and responsibilities.
This often involves clarifying the relationship between the corporate-level HR department and the
business unit - level departments. Taking a proactive stance, the corporate-level department can:

• Assist senior managers in formulating change


• Become a model of change
• Develop and guide divisional human resource departments
• Change organisational structure
• Serve as a clearinghouse
• Serve as trainer for other HR staff
• Do benchmark analysis
• Develop HRIS [Human Resource Information System] capacity
• Audit competencies

Development of Total Quality People:


The first pillar of TQM is internal customer satisfaction. People involved in each process have to
treat those next in the process as their customer. In addition to the external customer, every
activity in the factory has an internal customer. The service to the internal customer is the one
which will help gear up the organization to deliver finally the required service to the customer.
For example if Marketing dept. deals with external customer, its commitments are to be
backed up by other departments for whom the marketing dept. itself becomes a customer.
Therefore, all the departments and the people are to be oriented towards achieving total quality
and the attitude of " Help us to help you better " must be developed on the philosophy of internal
customers. Here lies the importance of HR in developing total quality people i.e. people with
positive attitude, values in consonance with organizational mission and change the mindset so
that the foundation becomes very strong. The HR effort should be to bring in/foster real spirit of
TQM i.e. spirit of reciprocity in interactions and not merely the mechanics of it. The HR initiative

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TQM & HR 2

in TQM activity should be oriented to demonstrate the


efficacy of Win-Win relationships as contrasted to Win-Lose or Lose-Lose relationships and
thereby enabling effective spirit of team work.

Training
HR has also to undertake intensive training of personnel in understanding the application of TQM
methods & its tools. In Japan, this part of applying TQM methods & tools are very much wide
spread & people at all levels starting from top to bottom are very much conversant with this and
apply in all spheres of their activity. HR initiatives in this context have to
address in training of personnel in becoming "data minded than opinion minded". The mindset of
" What is wrong" than " Who is wrong" to be generated & built up. Though it is a formidable
task, HR has to trigger this thinking in an organization to realise thought revolution of TQM
dimension.

Employee Involvement:
Further, HR has to initiate employee involvement in TQM activity. Ultimately, quality is
physically produced by the operator on the shop floor. It is therefore very important that he
understands the quality requirements of his job. This is possible provided his involvement in the
job is very high and he is a very committed and empowered worker. It is in this context that
Japanese have introduced Quality Circles which have generated high level of commitment of
workers and finally helped Japan to become as world leader in the business. Quality circles are
based on the fundamental principles of collaboration,
involvement & empowerment. HR has to facilitate the culture of team work either in the form of
Quality Circles, Quality Teams, Task force, CFT, Suggestion schemes or any such others
innovative employee involvement schemes for TQM activity.
Education and communication:
Companies place great emphasis on this, through a variety of vehicles – videos, briefing,
magazines, newsletters, notice – boards, story boards and so on, so as to promulgate and reinforce
the quality message. However its inadequate for senior management to express their commitment
solely through communicating vision and mission statements.

Recruitment and Selection:


TQM has an effect on selection procedures. Some companies have sophisticated recruitment and
selection techniques, including psychometric and aptitude tests and assessment centers to identify
team workers or problem solvers appropriate to quality culture.

Appraisal:
Performance appraisal is seen playing an important role as a tool to communicate to managers
whether quality standards are being met, given the importance of the customer evaluation of
managerial performance in the overall appraisal.

Communication and recognition:


Placing so much emphasis on training requires that the company communicate regularly with
employees about the developmental opportunities being offered. These are more than just
communication vehicles. They serve as a means of worker recognition, which the company takes
seriously. Other ways of recognizing employees include:
• Recognition Day—An annual celebration at each location in which individual employees
and teams are recognized publicly for their accomplishments
• Incentive Recognition Awards—An annual monetary award for excellence above and
beyond normal job duties

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• Seniority Recognition Program—A program in which every employee receives a card


and small gift on the anniversary of his or her date of hire.

Labor relations:
One of the distinctive features of human resources program is that the program makes no
distinctions between exempt and nonexempt employees. The organization surveys union
members about their opinions right along with salaried employees. Union members participate in
the employee-suggestion program, and they can attend the Front-Line Leadership Training
regardless of whether or not they have any supervisory responsibility.

Job design:
Employees are more likely to show commitment when jobs are meaningful and involve
significant responsibility and where employees are able to get direct feedback on their
performance. TQM emphasis on flexibility and teamwork may also require a move away from
detailed fixed job descriptions.

Finally HR has to create TQM mindset by focusing following three main orientations:-
1) The customer orientation
2) The process orientation
3) The people orientation.

There are five phases of HR intervention for TQM:

Formulation:
Hr professional could play a role in shaping TQM initiatives at the formulation stage. They may
be able to play a creative role in terms of philosophy behind TQM and its degree of interaction
with current organisational practice and ethics.
Example:
1. Preparing and synthesizing reports from other organisations that have experience
of TQM
2. Assisting with choices about TQM approaches.
3. Designing and delivering senior management development courses that create the
right climate for TQM.

Implementation Stage:
At this stage, HR professionals can play a facilitating role in ensuring the TQM is introduced in
most appropriate way. The following activities may be undertaken:
1. Training of middle managers and supervisors in how to develop TQM process within
staff
2. Training facilitators mentors and team members in interpersonal skills and how to
manage TQM
3. Coaching managers on behaviour
4. Designing communication events to publicize TQM.

Maintenance Stage:
Having shaped and implemented the TQM initiative, HR personal function can play an effective
part in attempting to maintain and reinforce its position within the organisation. Interventions in
the third area are designed to ensure TQM continue to attract a high profile and does not lose
impetus. Contribution can be in following areas:
1. Introducing or upgrading the TQM component with induction courses.

Renuka Kuchipudi Reg No: 200327410


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2. Ensuring that training in tools, techniques, systems and processes continues to be


provided within the organisation.
3. assisting quality improvement teams
4. Ensuring the methods of rewarding success are established.

Review Stage:
HR may also be able to make contribution to TQM at the review level either on regular basis or
part of ongoing procedure for evaluating progress. Such intervention could include:
1. Contributing to leading the preparation of annual TQM reports.
2. Assuring effectiveness of TQM infrastructure
3. Preparing and administrating employee attitude surveys on TQM

Application Stage:
Finally and to some extent in conjunction with each of these stages, HR function can apply to
TQM to review their own activities along the lines of the undertaken by the internal contractors
as analysed earlier. The precise list of practices depends on organisation and function involved.
Some of them may be:
1. Preparing offer and contract letters within a specified time.
2. Advising staff on their terms and condition of employment
3. Evaluating Training provision on annual basis.
4. Continual review of its activities using the people related criteria in EFQM model and
MBNQA.

Renuka Kuchipudi Reg No: 200327410

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