Highlights of Total Quality Management in the Department of Defense: lessons learned, quality measurements and innovative practices

Abstract

This thesis aids in understanding the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) through both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Interviews were conducted with top executives from ten exemplar organizations within the Department of Defense (DOD). Survey questionnaires on perceptions of quality practices were administered to a sample of 102 representing members of the executive steering committees at the same organizations. Research identifies lessons learned by top executives during TQM implementation, discusses measures of organization-wide quality management, specifies evaluation mechanisms to discern strategic issues vital to a quality focus, and describes the TQM implementation plan. Research also identifies innovative practices such as self-managing work teams, learning centers and productivity gain sharing, which may benefit the top executive during his/her own TQM implementation. Conclusions and recommendations concern maturity of TQM implementations in the DOD, performance appraisal systems and quality assessment tools.