Towards a conceptual model of total quality management implementation in service organizations in the Philippines

This study describes the Total Quality Management (TQM) situation in the local services sector, particularly among Metro Manila service organizations who are members of the TQM Network.Ten respondent organizations, seven of which are members of the TQM Network, participated in the study. The study utilized a structured interview of key informants combined with a standardized instrument, the TQM Assessment Inventory.The level of implementation of TQM among the respondent organizations tend to vary, as measured by the TQM Assessment Inventory. Respondent organizations reported the highest implementation level for culture, followed by customer quality checkpoints and the lowest level for the use of TQM tools and techniques. After a period of exploration which for some began as early as the 80s to 1994, five of ten respondent organizations have formally committed to TQM.Using cluster analysis, the researcher identified four typologies of implementation of TQM among the respondent organizations. The most intensive organization is at the level of organization-wide transformation characterized by very aggressive use of TQM principles to bring about a reinvention of the company. The next level is that of the organization with long TQM experience and has achieved the status of an organization with mature systems-wide customer focus . The largest cluster are those with developing TQM aspirations who are struggling to make their quality management approaches work in their own ways and seem to have reasonable chance of success. The most difficult level is for one organization who has had major change management challenges and seem to have lost steam in its quality efforts--the challenged TQM aspirant . Based on the results of phase one, an exploratory conceptual model of service implementation of TQM was derived and the model included the top management support, customer information system, employee empowerment, cross-functional teamwork and customer satisfaction targets in the company strategic plan.A number of insights can be drawn from the results.1. There are solid attempts among many of the service organizations who participated in this study to apply the principles and methodologies of TQM even if these were developed and honed in the manufacturing setting.2. As with any change effort, if not more so, TQM seems prone to succeed or fail on the strength of top management\u27s support for it. Also, it clearly needs a system-wide view. Thus, it seems useful to view TQM as a system-wide organization development intervention led by top management instead of merely as an educational, work design or productivity program led by human resources or any one functional unit.3. The use of TQM tools seems underdeveloped among most of the participating service organizations. Because of TQM\u27s emphasis on fact-based analysis and problem solving, this is a fertil