Business Savvy » Management Styles

Whatever Happened to the Total Quality Management Style?

Jennifer — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 22:32:08 +0000

Lou Holtz, a Notre Dame football coach, once said, “When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done”. This can definitely be applied to a lot of organizations in the current climate. Quality and especially total quality has taken a nosedive and sometimes can’t even be described as even minimum. Good intentions aren’t cutting it in this environment and many efforts to improve are not up to par. When the Conference Board of Canada executed a study they found that seven out of ten North American companies failed in trying a total quality strategy. Of course most North American companies haven’t even tried it and have instead opted for only partial quality management.

To start with, what exactly is total quality management? It is a style or strategy that business can implement to improve the company as a whole. It is a strategy that involves every part of the business, all the way from the top down. It strives to make all departments in the corporation aware of the quality of work or service they are providing and what they can do to improve overall quality. Most companies that use it are service oriented but manufacturers, government, education and even NASA are using it. So how can you make it work for you and your company? There are definitely some key ingredients in making total quality management style work for your company or for any company for that matter. Let’s look at some of them.

One of these includes senior management involvement. All the encouragement in the world will not make up for actual involvement from the top. Usually top people don’t want to be bothered with the mundane stuff such as total quality management. Yet if the common employee doesn’t see the people at the top working hard to implement the program they are less likely to work hard in achieving it as well. On the contrary when the top is completely trained first and even help train other employees it is so much easier to get everyone on the same page.

Another important step is knowing exactly when and how to implement teams in setting up a system of total quality management. If a company isn’t ready to fully support the teams they are creating it can have consequences that are ruinous for all involved. A good idea is to have trial teams of only one or two to start with and try any new ideas out on them before investing more manpower and time into it. This can help to avoid also the pitfall of not having enough senior management involvement, by avoiding to many people spitting out ideas and overwhelming the senior management to the point of giving up.

Planning is a huge step in the success of implementing total management quality strategies in the workplace. Enough time, money and effort needs to be put into it in order for the strategy to be successful. Planning for this strategy is just as important as good business planning. Reporting the progress, especially to the common employee helps to keep them involved in what is going on and helps keep everyone together.

One very key element in approaching quality management as a total strategy rather than a partial one is making sure that there is a broad and balanced approach. Focusing on certain areas and techniques, which may improve some things but not others, will certainly not achieve the goal of total quality management. Getting all employees involved and all departments involved and improving each one can help bring about a total change instead of just partial.

The last thing that will help in total quality management is making sure that you go beyond just training sessions with endless presentations. Following through on these training sessions with practice and lots of it, can form habits that will lead to total quality improvement much easier than if what is learned at a training session is seen once and never used again. The bottom line in total quality management strategies versus only partial quality management strategies is to get everyone or as many people in the company involved as possible. This will help ensure a much better chance at not just part of the company improving quality, but allow the company as a whole to move forward through total quality management.

A Glimpse into the Open Book Management Style in Business

Jennifer — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:43:25 +0000

Management styles have changed significantly since the “Booming ’80s”. They’ve even changed enough in just the last eight to ten years and open book management is perhaps an anecdote to these older management styles. This style of management can greatly improve morale among employees and bring back the passion and vision they once felt towards the company.

You see, when employees don’t or can’t know what is going on behind the scenes, they can sometimes feel frustrated and alienated from their work. With the advent of the Internet and lightning fast electronic communication, it is becoming harder and harder for employees to grasp what is needed or wanted from their employers. Employers are trying to communicate their needs faster and hoping the employee can fill in the gaps themselves, when just the opposite is needed, more communication and information. Millions of business owners and corporations are having this same problem.

What exactly is open book management? It is the concept of being completely open with all employees about the company for which they are working. Each employee is encouraged to review the company’s books and participate in financial planning and business strategies. It’s a process that involves each employee as an integral part of the business, almost as an equal business partner in the enterprise. It is also a management style that benefits those who wish to learn the business end of the details and is great on the job training in business. A lot of female-based organizations have been doing this for years. This could be because open book management style is a natural inclination in this gender and involves actually building relationships with fellow employees. However, lately it knows no boundaries.

It was mentioned earlier that this style of management greatly improves employee morale. It has been shown that this type of management makes employees more willing to help each other even if it involves something they are not usually assigned to do. It increases the mentality of we are all in this together so let’s get the job done. It has also been shown to reduce the numbers of employees who call in sick, because it holds the employees more accountable. All this can greatly benefit the corporation overall by increasing the profits through harder working, more accountable employees who are willing to do whatever it takes to get it done.

Because of many new things in the workplace this open management technique is actually very useful in today’s business world. Individual employees are more likely to be making their own decisions regarding matters because of the faster pace of office environments these days. Computers make work more efficient and therefore more can get done by each individual employee, having open book management helps each employee know exactly what is going on overall and assist them in making the most efficient use of their time.

Another phenomena that has occurred is less managers in businesses now than there used to be. With fewer managers and less time to divide over more tasks, individual employees must make split second decisions and do not always have time to consult with a manager. Open book management style helps the employee have more confidence in any decision he or she may make. Building relationships within the company can help immensely when it comes to profitability. With strong internal relationships it is easier and more likely a business will be able to build quality and strong relationships with its customers. Open book management encourages this type of relationship building.

Here are a few tips on making this management style work the best for you and your company. First of all remember to have real conversations with employees, build relationships, not the typical boss giving the employee a speech. Second be prepared for miscommunication, it can still happen to the best of us. If you are prepared than it is easier to get back on track and find solutions. Third ask questions, lots of them, ask ones that you don’t know the answer to. It will make the employee feel more valuable when he or she is able to help you. Employee boards are also a great idea.

Strategic communication is a good idea also; managers need to be willing to take responsibility for 60% of the conversations. Lastly empower your employees, make sure they feel responsible for part of the company whether it fails or succeeds, accountability and some authority will make each employee feel valued and therefore work harder to reach the common goal. In the end open book management can definitely improve the overall quality of the business. By making everyone feel equally involved, each employee can take pride in the success of the business. When they feel pride their passion will increase and the possibilities are endless.

Micro-Managing: Knowing when to Back Off

Jennifer — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:11:24 +0000

Training periods and new project assignments can be stressful for both new and seasoned employees. The same is true for managers of the departments who have to oversee those projects or employee positions. What each manager needs to know is that there is a time to look over your employee’s shoulders, and there is a time to back off.

If you are a manager now you should try to think back when you used to be an employee and how you would react if someone were constantly watching you. Did you ever feel like your boss was unnecessarily hovering over you? You may have even thought it was insulting back then. Now, you would probably sympathize with the neurotic tendencies of you ex-supervisor, because you know what that person has to deal with.

However, it may be important for you to not want to repeat those same mistakes. Not becoming like managers of your past can be easier said than done, however. If you are a manager who has been stiffed by numerous employees it may be hard for you to trust people again. You may want to watch their every move and not let them out of your sight for one minute.

In addition, if you continue to watch every employee like a hawk, you will have quite a few frustrated employees who are talking behind your back. You won’t even know they are until one of them finally spills the beans, or the tension becomes so thick in your office someone quits on the spot.

For the first few days you may have to watch your employees closely to make sure they understand their job correctly. If they appear to be getting it, you will not have to worry. You can check on them less and less throughout the day as time goes on. Besides, you are the one that hired your employees. To trust your employees is to really trust yourselves.

If you truly do not feel you can trust an employee, then you may have to consider a few things. What type of hiring and recruitment program did you choose to pick your employees? Did you complete any background checks on the person, or check their personal references?

After considering that and you know you did all this, you will not have a problem trusting your employees. If you did not, you may have good reason not to trust the people you have hired, and you will know next time to choose new hires more carefully. The more thought you put into choosing employees that are reliable the less you will have to worry about once they are hired.

If you choose employees wisely they will be more likely to be reliable on the job, and capable of the job. If you choose capable employees, you will find that you do not have to look after them as often as you would have if you had not even checked their references beforehand.

Realize also that even the best employees can occasionally make costly mistakes. Mistakes on the job are not always something can be avoided. However, you can learn from them, and so can your best employees. As long as you trust your employees and you do not be too hard on honest hardworking people your firm will grow. Not only that, but your employees will respect you because you have confidence in them.

If you can see that your employees are catching on fairly quickly to what they are doing you will know that you have a good catch. You may not have to watch that person as closely. Not only that, but if you make it clear to your employees that it is okay for them to ask you for help, you will not have to check up on them as often.

One more thing you should realize to and that is that different employees have different comfort levels. Some employees work very well with little or no supervision. In fact, those employees often will find themselves not performing as well when being watched. This is very important for you to remember because although you need to check up on your employees once in awhile you may cause them not to perform as well if you check up on them too often.

Other employees work better if you check on them often, and seem to work better when you are in the room, and so forth. If you prefer one type of personality and work ethic to another, that would be something to consider in your hiring process.

If you are looking for advice on hiring new employees you may want to check in with various career centers. They often have free tools for you to use. You can also read more informative articles such as this one.

Work on your Listening Skills and Watch your Management Style Improve

Jennifer — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 22:38:33 +0000

Employees respond better to supervisors who show that they care about their employees concerns. If you are a manager of a department or store you will want to remember that.

If you are a manager who is willing to accept feedback and to listen to your employee’s concerns, you will become more successful. That is because your employees will look up to you and appreciate the fact that you believe in them and value their input. In turn you will be a better person for allowing your employees to be heard.

Not only should you work on listening to your workers’ points of views regarding those subjects, but you should also consider their needs when a problem arises. For example, sometimes one employee may hurt another and the one who was victimized will need to know they can rely on you as the manager.

Every employee will have more respect for a manager who is willing to hear him or her out and take action accordingly. They also will respect managers who will treat them fairly, and offer no favoritism to other employees in the company. If you want to improve your management skills and your relationships with your employees, taking time to listen to them would be the first step.

You need to listen to your employees during good times and bad, because they may not only have problems to solve, but they may have great ideas. If you value the input of your employees your company will grow bigger than you ever dreamed. Not only that, but you will also have the chance to shape each of your employees’ futures.

This can be a hard thing to do because you may be sick and tired of all the whining and complaining that goes on within a company. You will have to remember that no matter how much you listen to your employees and respond to their needs, you will not be able to please everyone. Furthermore, if you have an employee who offers an idea that simply will not fit the vision of your company, hurt feelings could result between you and the employee.

Even during times of hurt feelings, though, your relationship with your employees should remain intact. You can keep peace with your employees who offer you ideas you cannot carry out by encouraging them in what they are good at. Not only that, but you can encourage them to think of other ideas that you would be interested in, or explain to them that you would use their idea if possible.

You can find quite a few ways to communicate to your employees causing them to hate you. As long as you listen and respond to your employees’ requests as often and as soon as possible you will have a very cohesive team. One way to be able to listen to your employees that could be most effective for your whole team is to have regular employee meetings.

In employee meetings you will lay out your company’s plan for a specific period of time, say a quarter or a year. You will tell your employees this plan in a group, at a schedule company meeting where all employees are encouraged (in some cases required) to attend. That way you can present your company’s plan, and get feedback from all the people who work with you and for you.

This is a time when you cannot only receive feedback from your employees but also you can answer their questions as well. Employee meetings should happen as often as possible. Some places of employment have these meetings once a week, once a month, once every three months, or once a year. It depends upon the size and need of the company, and exactly how many people the company employees. You could even consider allowing your employees to fill out anonymous forms with ideas, complaints and suggestions.

If you listen to the feedback and concern of your employees your management skills will improve greatly. That is because you will know what your employees want and need in relation to performing the work you ask them to complete. Not only that, but your company’s reputation will begin to shine because everyone will wan to work for you.

If you want to learn more about employer-employee relations you can read more articles such as this one. Furthermore, you can contact employment agencies for more information and resources designed for employers and managers.