Page 49 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

36 B u s i n e s s - I n t e g r a t e d Q u a l i t y S y s t e m s A p p r o a c h e s t o Q u a l i t y 37

what the Dow Jones Industrial Average is right now, or what it has been
for the last 100 years, is not enough to tell us what it will be tomorrow.
Psychology is the science that deals with mental processes and behav-
ior. In Deming’s system of profound knowledge, psychology is important
because it provides a theoretical framework for understanding the differ-
ences between people, and provides guidance in the proper ways to moti-
vate them.

Total Quality Control In Japan
Japan is well-known for replacing its old reputation for terrible quality with a
new reputation for excellence. The system they employed to accomplish this
impressive feat is a uniquely Japanese version of a system that originated in
America known as total quality control (TQC). TQC is a system of specialized
quality control activities initially developed by Feigenbaum (1951, 1983). The
Japanese took Feigenbaum’s American version of quality control (which was
very much a continuation of the scientific management approach) and made
it their own. The Japanese rendition of TQC is described by Ishikawa (1985)
as a “thought revolution in management,” drawing heavily on contributions
of American quality experts, especially Walter A. Shewhart, W. Edwards
Deming, and Joseph M. Juran. However, there are some elements of the
Japanese system that are purely Japanese in character. The thought revo-
lution involves a transformation in six categories (Ishikawa, 1985):
1. Quality first—not short-term profit first.
Management that stresses “quality first” can gain customer con-
fidence step-by-step, resulting in a gradual increase in company
sales with longer-term improvement to profitability and manage-
ment stability. A company following the principle of “profit first,”
may obtain a quicker profit but will be unable to sustain competi-
tiveness for longer periods of time.
2. Consumer orientation—not producer orientation. Ishikawa stressed
thinking in terms of another party’s position: listen to their opinions
and act in a way respectful to their views.
3. The next process is your customer—breaking down the barrier of
sectionalism.
Especially within highly structured (functionally based) organi-
zations, this approach is needed to drive company-wide quality
and overcome silo-based mentality (i.e., each department looking
after its own best interests). The company as a whole must look at
its processes for delivering customer value, rather than a depart-
ment or section separately.
4. Using facts and data to make presentations—utilization of statisti-
cal methods.

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