Human Resources Management in a Total Quality
April 26, 2011 in Human Resource Management
Total quality human resources management (TQHRM) is “an approach to human resources management that involves many of the concepts of quality management.” However, the human resource management implications of TQM have still to be subjected to detailed analysis and investigation. The primary goal of TQHRM is employee empowerment. The TQHRM approach focuses on providing employee empowerment through alignment, authority, capability, and commitment. Companies are beginning to realize that employee involvement is critical to product and service quality, and thus essential to the total quality management strategy.
Many organizations that employ a system of Total Quality Management in human resources, etc, are large companies but there is no reason why Total Quality Management theory shouldn’t work in smaller businesses as well.
For the Total Quality Management model to work, everyone in the organization has to get involved. The theory is to work towards using the best possible processes to offer the best possible products to produce the best possible customer satisfaction.
As *Juran states:
“The full potential of employee empowerment is realized in the empowered organization, when employees: align their goals with appropriate higher organization purpose; have the authority and opportunity to maximize their contribution; are capable of taking appropriate action; are committed to the organization’s purpose; and have the means to achieve it.”
Empowerment requires the alignment, authority, capability, and commitment of employees. In order to achieve these goals, Juran has identified several steps that must be taken to achieve each goal.
Alignment. Alignment can be realized if employees:
• Know the needs of customers and stakeholders
• Know, concur in, and be prepared to contribute effort to organization strategies, goals, objectives, and plans
Authority. In order for employees to the have the authority and opportunity to contribute to the organization, the following steps are required:
• Individual authority, responsibility, and capability are consistent
• Barriers to successful exercise of authority have been removed
• The necessary tools and support are in place
Capability. Employee capability can be developed through:
• Organizational training initiatives
• Educational development
Commitment. An organization must earn the commitment of employees through:
• Reinforcement
• Recognition
• Rewards
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*Juran, Joseph M, “Human Resources and Quality”: Quality Handbook, 5e, McGraw-Hill, 1999