Tqm America: How America's Most Successful Companies Profit from Total Quality Management

Rating:
Summary: TQM AMERICA: How America's most successful companies profit
Review: An excellent, compact book that can be read in one evening.

The author begins by overviewing what TQM means and then walks the reader through Deming's 14 points and "seven deadly management diseases." Fundamentally important TQM topics such as listening, empowerment, team development and reward system development are addressed next. The author expertly treads through issues in setting up the right kind of training programs that yield results and the considerations management can use to choose the right kind of leadership style for themselves. The book also addresses continuous improvement methods including Kaizen and re-engineering, Deming's PDCA cycle and effective benchmarking. SPC and Six-Sigma are described--without the heady dose of statistics.

The book in an unabashed way benchmarks American management paradigms with Japanese practices--with numerous examples drawn from both cultures to compare their relative effectiveness. A workable approach for the typical American manager still staddling the paradigm-shift fence is prescribed, to show that it IS possible for a company to improve customer orientation (internal and external), it IS possible to get top management directly involved in the delivery of quality, and it IS possible to empower employees without the concern for losing control.

Overall, this short and inexpensive book would perhaps do more good for an individual than his/her attendance in an expensive seminar. A must read for the top echelon as well as the supervisor walking the beat.