Second urgent Total Quality Challenge to MSMEs in the Philippines: Focus on improvement

MIFLORA MINOZA- GATCHALIAN, PhD., PFT

CEO, Quality Partners Company, Ltd.

Academician Emeritus, International Academy for Quality

Introduction

To succeed the development of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the enterprise, three urgent challenges need to be hurdled and these are: (1) FIRST: Baseline Data and Information gathering; (2) SECOND: Improvement approaches to existing situation; and (3) THIRD: Growth Trends Monitoring Towards Stability. This is a BIG challenge needing full support and cooperation not only from top management but also from everyone in the organisation. Only the most essential challenges per action stage will be presented in each of the three articles covering the three urgent total quality challenges. PATIENCE is a virtue which is a basic requirement per challenge or action stage, since each CHALLENGE requires TIME to perform while being seriously followed-through by a PROGRESS monitoring system.

The Frist urgent quality challenge focused on collection of Baseline data and information which gave serious consideration essentially on: (a) the Company’s Business Plan; (b) its organisational structure with functions to support proper plan implementation; and (c) understanding of how the resources or the 5Ms should be utilized to ensure a sustainable increasing trend in customer satisfaction. Having the necessary data to enable the proper review of areas for improvement would serve as a good starting point for the Second urgent total quality challenge in the quest for an effective progress in the development of a Total Quality Management (TQM) situation in the organisation. The Second urgent total quality Challenge will focus on the Improvement approaches to be utilized where the major contributors include: (a) achieving workplace cooperation (WPC) in TQM; (b) setting-up the Workforce Steering Committee (WSC) for WPC sustainability; (c) strengthening joint problem-solving capabilities of Management and Staff; and (d) Initiating “quality as a way of life (QWL) “towards development of a company quality culture.

Workplace Cooperation (WPC) IN TQM

The major goal in TQM development is to achieve a workplace environment where the people work in harmony showing quality relationships while enhancing productivity. “Working together and working smarter” were descriptors utilized by Dr. J.C. Gatchalian (2011 ), an industrial relations expert , to describe people involved in workplace cooperation. He defined “working together” as those showing a “cooperative and harmonious partnerships at work” ; while “working smarter” was defined as “continual improvement through the use of scientific tools and techniques”. For these to take place, some major WPC objectives have to be put in place as follows: (a) increase company competitiveness by improving quality and productivity and (b) enhance quality of work life by harmonising work-relations. Basically, ten major steps are suggested towards setting-up of WPC as shown in Table 1. The steps are self-explanatory and can be carefully studied by “Quality Teams” designated to lead in the quest for continual improvement, a direction which must be sustained in TQM development.

Workforce Steering Committee (WSC) For WPC Sustainability

Figure 1. presents the structure and process of the proposed Workforce Steering Committee (WSC) expected to provide the avenue for everyone’s involvement and long-term sustainability in the quest for TQM (Gatchalian, M.M. 2022) Briefly, the WSC as seen in Figure 1 is a Committee called the “Workforce Steering Committee” (WSC) composed of appointed representatives from Management and representatives of the Staff, elected by them. The WSC enables Management and Staff to jointly work together continuously to identify problems which must be promptly resolved by the Task Forces (TF). Each TF, is created by the WSC to handle a specific problem which is expected to be effectively resolved fast. Thus, each created TF should focus on solving specific problems assigned to them by WSC and for which they are expected to promptly submit their well-documented recommendations for problem-resolution for speedy action of the WSC leading to their approval and subsequent implementation.

After successful completion of each assigned problem, the TF is disbanded so that another MS Team with new members can again be created in order to study and resolve other problems identified by the WSC. This way, opportunities for everyone in the organisation to participate in problem-solving activities is assured. Note in Figure 1 that an external Facilitator is necessary to provide guidance starting with selection of MS members in the WSC and for the MS to compose the TFs. Figure 2 presents the process flow for WSC formation and activation including TF creation. Please note the activities required of WSC and the sequence of activities to be done by the created TF. All these will ensure sustainability of the WSC where eventually, everyone in the company gets to be involved in TF functions. Figure 3 shows a picture of joint Management and Staff (MS) doing problem-solving activities (left) while at the right the WPC success factors are presented. It is important to appreciate the fact that an active WSC promotes not only MS-enhanced relationships, but also total involvement, the key to TQM sustainability.

Fig. 2. Process flow for creation of WSC and TF

Fig. 3. Sample joint-MS problem solving (left) and WPC success factors

Joint problem solving (c) and making quality a way of life (d)

“Working together and working smarter” make-up the two basic descriptors for a successful workplace cooperation to be in place. This lays the necessary groundwork for the quest for TQM to develop and be sustained. The WSC provides the structure and process critical to sustaining Workplace Cooperation (WPC) that enables people to “work together” particularly in the engagement with problem-solving activities (Gatchalian, M.M. and J.C. 2008). With such joint efforts, their resultant contributions would greatly enhance quality and productivity improvement after effective implementation of their recommended problem solutions. To perform their tasks as joint effective problem-solvers, both Management and Staff need to “work smarter”. This entails enhancement of their “tools and techniques” particularly in problem-solving. Therefore, it becomes imperative that part of the WSC’s function is the creation of an “Education and Training” Committee supported by Management which should take charge of enhancing all employees’ capabilities especially in the area of “Problem-solving Tools and Technique” for continual improvement.

“Making quality a way of Life” (QWL) is a very important support function towards achievement of workplace cooperation that facilitates development of TQM. To accelerate this effort, employees should be guided towards development of a “quality mindset” through time. Thus, important efforts need to be expended to seriously support a campaign to make “Quality a Way of Life” in the organisation. Once more, this can become one of the Committees to be created under the WSC with focus mainly on the eventual development of a “quality culture” within the organization (Jocano, 1999). When quality has become a way of life among employees, expectedly, there will be total voluntary employee participation in continuous improvement programs, a very important TQM principle (Goetsch and Davis, 2000). Under this situation, everyone’s participation would speed-up joint management and staff efforts to continuously improve the company’s quality, productivity and profitability (QPP), the most important business goals and the ultimate reason for the development of TQM (Gatchalian, J.C. M.M. et. al. 2004).

Summmary and recommendation

The Second urgent quality challenge is a response to the findings from the First urgent quality challenge where important baseline information about the organization are gathered, reviewed and prepared for use in planning the improvement processes. Thus, the Second urgent challenge presents the major avenues to take to ensure Improvements are initiated and subsequently utilized for the required change processes. The challenges underscored are: (a) setting-up of Workforce Steering Committee; (b) providing the opportunities for enhancing problem-solving capabilities of Management and Staff; and (c) initiating programs towards “making quality a way of life”. These three very important employee engagements serve as the foundation for building a sustainable approach to development of TQM. It is therefore, highly recommended that after completion of the First urgent challenge, the Second one should be immediately initiated.

References

Gatchalian, Jose C. 2011. “People Involvement and Workplace Cooperation for Quality: The Case of URC, Philippines”. Proceedings. 55th World Quality Congress, European Organisation for Quality (EOQ), Budapest, Hungary, June 20 – 23, 2011

Gatchalian, M.M. 2022. “Workforce Steering Council: Key to Sustainability of Total Quality” Proceedings. 27^th APQO International Conference. Sri Lanka, October 2022, p.79-80.

Gatchalian, M.M. and Gatchalian, J.C.. 2008. “Workplace partnerships: a springboard for TQM”. Proceedings. The American Society for Quality World Congress on Quality Improvement (WCQI), May 5-7, 2008. Houston, Texas, USA

Gatchalian, J.C. Gatchalian, M.M.; Mamon, M.O; and Torres, L. 2004. “Partnerships for quality,  productivity, and profitability: A reprise”. Proceedings. 58th AQC-ASQ, Toronto, Canada.

Goetsch, David L and Davis, Stanley B. 2000. Quality Management - Introduction to Total Quality Management for Production, Processing and Services. 3rd Ed. Prentice Hall, Columbus, Ohio. U.S.A.

Jocano, F. Landa. 1999. Management by Culture: Fine Tuning Modern Management to Filipino Culture. 2nd Ed. PUNLAD Research House, Inc. Metro Manila Philippines.