16-07-2012, 03:21 PM
Total Quality Leadership: A Primer
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Introduction
Total Quality Leadership, or TQL, provides the
means for Department of the Navy (DON)
organizations to more efficiently and effectively
respond to current and future mission requirements.
These requirements appear in such
documents as the DON’s Forward from the
Sea, the Navy Policy Book, and the
Commandant’s Planning Guidance. These
documents describe the need to meet new and
enhanced mission requirements with fewer
resources, a compelling reason for the DON to
fundamentally change its organizations, its
people, and its leadership practices.
Purpose of the Primer
The purposes are twofold: (1) to document the
basic concepts and principles for the practice
of Total Quality Leadership (TQL), and (2) to
provide this information in a concise and readable
form to those who may not have had any
training on the subject.
This primer is not a substitute for the education
and training necessary to effectively practice
TQL. It provides an overview of the basic
concepts and summarizes some organizational
implications of implementation. It also attempts
to dispel misconceptions about TQL.
Background
In the Spring of 1984, the Naval Matériel Command
tasked the Navy Personnel Research
and Development Center (NPRDC) to investigate
the feasibility of using statistical process
control (SPC) and quality management methods
to improve mission performance (Houston,
Sheposh, & Shettel-Neuber, 1986). The research
involved (1) literature reviews and site
visits to private and public organizations applying
SPC; (2) identifying differences in quality
management approaches of Crosby, Deming,
and Juran, and the relationship of these approaches
to SPC methods (Suarez, 1992);
(3) determining the suitability of commercially
available quality management and SPC
Adoption of the Deming Philosophy
The leadership of the naval aviation logistics
community initially adopted the Deming approach
because (1) productivity needed to
increase to respond to potential competition,
(2) the leaders recognized the approach could
address those management practices in their
community that inhibited productivity
(Dockstader, 1984), and (3) because of its
proven effectiveness both in Japan and the
United States.
The Role of Leaders
The leaders of an organization have the prime
responsibility for the quality produced by the
organization, i.e., the success of the mission.
The commitment and participation of leaders
have long been recognized as critical factors in
successful organizations (Tichy & Devanna,
1990). Only leaders have the sufficient authority,
influence, and access to information to
begin and maintain major organizational
change.
Strategic Management
The second phase of implementation extends
continuous improvement to the strategic level,
focusing on systemwide implementation and
alignment of work processes and management
support systems. Phase Two implementation
addresses the issues of (1) sustaining improvement
efforts when military leaders rotate, (2)
removing organizational structure and bureaucracy
that inhibit change, and (3) identifying
and meeting future mission requirements or
needs of end-users.