Change Management and Implementation of Total Quality Management

Organizations must adapt to the changes in their environment in order to be profitable and productive. Adapting to changing economic conditions, technological innovations, consumer expectations and preferences, legal obligations, to operate more efficiently day by day, and to produce new products are the most important skills that businesses should have in the modern economy.

Change management is the ability of the business to produce new products and ideas and to develop new processes by managing the change process in order to achieve the goals of the business and reach the desired position in the future.

Change is divided into two categories namely planned and unplanned changes depending on the way how it emerges.

Change is also divided into two categories namely radical and incremental changes depending on the impact on firm operations.

According to McKinsey’s survey of nearly 3000 executives around the world, only one out of every three change processes is successful (Meaney & Pung, 2008). In the research, managers were asked what they would do differently if their firm carried out the change process again. Nearly half of the managers said that they would set clearer targets (48%), spend more time engaging the workforce (43%), spend more time developing and communicating a change story (%42)

• Technology
• Globalization and Competition
• Economic Conditions
• Social Trends
• Political and Legal Conditions

Therefore, businesses must compete not only with enterprises in their own countries or regions, but with businesses all over the world. Increasing competition due to globalization encourages enterprises to produce higher quality, different products and adopt different business models.

• Innovation
• Organizational Failure
• Employee Expectations

• Self-interest
• Misunderstandings
• Different Evaluations
• Low Tolerance

The steps of using the resistance to contribute to the change process as a resource are as follows (Ford & Ford, 2009):

1. Boost Awareness
2. Return to Purpose
3. Change the Change
4. Build the Participation
5. Past Experiences

According to Kurt Lewin’s 3-step model, successful change in business basically follows unfreezing-moving-freezing steps (Smith, 2014). 

1. Establishing a sense of urgency
2. Creating the guiding coalition
3. Developing a vision and a strategy
4. Communicating the change vision
5. Empowering employees for broad based action
6. Generating short term wins
7. Consolidating gains and producing more change
8. Anchoring new approaches in the culture:

Total quality management approach requires the top managers’ approval, determination and commitment because it may change all the routines of the organization. In this way, all employees and managers in the organization are convinced of the permanence of the change process. Managers should participate in TQM practices and should not delegate their authority in this regard.

Total quality management practices are long-term practices. In this long process, vision gathers employees around a goal, reminds them of the final result and motivates them. It helps employees determine how they add value to society and how to create more value. 

It is only possible for the organization to achieve its objectives with employees who are satisfied with their work. Only employees with higher job satisfaction perform better. In addition to the satisfaction level of the employees, customer satisfaction should be monitored regularly. What keeps a business alive is undoubtedly satisfied customers. Customer feedback is a unique resource for businesses to improve their products. B

The planning stage consists of 4 main processes namely, planning the implementation approach, identifying the projects, establishing team composition and providing team training

1. Team activation and direction
2. Feedback of customer satisfaction
3. Feedback of employee satisfaction
4. Modify infrastructure (if needed)
5. Award & recognition

• Commitment by the top management
• Form a steering committee
• Team building
• Total quality training for the steering committee
• Developing vision and guiding principles
• Set broad strategic objectives
• Communicate and publicize
• Identify organizational strengths and weaknesses
• Identify change advocates
• Baseline employee and customer satisfaction

Teams should be rewarded after the successful projects. Which awards will be given must be determined at the planning stage. Since the projects are performed by teams in TQM, awards should be given on a team basis. However, extraordinary personal performances should not be ignored. Managers may increase salaries following an annual performance increase. To reward the teams, holidays, meals, theater or movie tickets can be arranged by the organization

The talents of the employees, their level of education, working time in the organization, the average age of the employees and their attitude towards change play an important role in the success of TQM applications

Managerial Barriers: • Not to examine the practices of other businesses. • Not to plan the quality process. • Not to insist on the process of change. • Not to allocate sufficient resources for TQM applications. • Not using effective quality measurement techniques. • Not to determine the type of training required for each job and person. • Changing business objectives frequently. • Focusing on short-term business interests, putting teamwork and quality improvement efforts in the background. • Ignoring subordinates’ participation.

Organizational Barriers: • Poor written and verbal communication between hierarchical levels in the organization. • Poor communication between departments. • High employee turnover. • Resistance to change.

Philosophical Barriers: • Not trying to understand customers, ignoring customer feedback. • Not being able to create an organizational culture that enables everyone to participate. • Failure to develop long-term relationships with good suppliers, believe that quality will only be achieved within the boundaries of the enterprise • Forgetting that the TQM is an ongoing work.