Total Quality Management (TQM) Concepts, Essay Example

Total Quality Management (TQM) concepts are mostly favoured in Europe.  They relate to the participation of all members within an organization devoted to the creation of a culture that is geared towards the improvement of processes, products, services and the environment in which they work.  It is a holistic approach that has widely been accepted for attainment of customer satisfaction.  In the USA and Canada this is more commonly referred to as Quality Management (QM).  The three principles of TQM relate to (1) Satisfying the customer need (2) Satisfying the supplier need and (3) Continued process improvement.  ” A company that seeks to satisfy the customer by providing them value for what they buy and the quality they expect will get more repeat business, referral business, and reduced complaints and service expenses.  Some top companies not only provide quality products, but they also give extra service to make their customers feel important and valued.” (Kurtus, 2001)

Total Quality Management techniques are particularly valued in the Pharmaceutical industry where the management has to adhere to specific regulations and ensure that products meet appropriate safety standards.  This places the manufacturing of drugs under very strict legal compliance conditions.   In this business world the products are constantly monitored by internal, external and government regulatory bodies.  “The directives and procedural instructions for validation require companies in the industry to document the entire logistics chain in full – from goods inwards to delivery, and from the development of new preparations to the maintenance of mixers and packaging lines.”  (Indian Times Infotech, 2003).

In India they have been experiencing a decline in the standards of pharmacy education and in order to resolve this they have turned to TQM techniques.  They recognized that the principles in TQM had universal application and could be quickly adapted to improve the quality of any product.  In this instance Pharmacy Education.  They adopted the following TQM procedures:

Objective: Ensure teaching objectives are clearly defined and align to both the student and employers needs. From this:-

• Curriculum Policy should encourage new methods of promoting learning.
• Staff development including appointments, induction, appraisal and development.
• Employer’s contribution to curriculum design, delivery and outcomes.
• Innovative,Comprehensive and Flexible Pharmacy Educational System.
• Continuing Pharmacy educational programmes.
• Shift from a theoretical to a practical application oriented Pharmacy education.
• Quality assurance in Pharmacy education and accountability of faculty, supporting and other staff and administration.
• Intra and inter system linkage networking of Pharmacy colleges. (Sagar, 2007)

The direct benefits of using TQM techniques may be defined as:

• Improved state of readiness
• A general improvement in the pride of workers delivering quality produce
• Greater sense of mission accomplishment
• Very often improved financial performance, less equipment failure and improved operational procedures.
• Cost reduction by less maintenance costs and downtime in production

Quality based management systems, particularly those associated with ISO Qualifications are a powerful inducement for clients to do business with you.  This essentially provides you with competitive edge over your rivals that pay less attention to quality and customer satisfaction.

Works Cited

Indian Times Infotech. (2003, 1 23). Quality Management for Pharmaceutical SMEs. Retrieved 1 8, 2010, from Indian Times Infotech: http://smbzone.indiatimes.com/articleshow/33263919.cms

Kurtus, R. (2001, 5 28). Basic Principles of Total Quality Management (TQM). Retrieved 1 8, 2010, from School for champions: http://www.school-for-champions.com/tqm/principles.htm

Sagar, D. V. (2007, 6 5). Total Quality Management In Pharmacy Education – Potentials. Retrieved 1 8, 2009, from Pharmainfo.net: http://www.pharmainfo.net/reviews/total-quality-management-pharmacy-education-potentials