In This Week's Readings You Learned About Major Contribution

In This Weeks Readings You Learned About The Major Contributors To T

In this week's readings, you learned about the major contributors to the development of total quality management (TQM). Some of the methods that each developed are more suited to one application versus another. Select three contributors from the list shown here whose TQM methods could be readily applied to the daily business and medical operations of a medical center or hospital. Philip Crosby. Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Armand Feigenbaum. Dr. Joseph M. Juran. Prof. Kaoru Ishikawa. Genichi Taguchi. Musaaki Imai. In a Word document: Describe two of the contributions to the development of TQM for each of the three individuals you selected. Apply each of the contributions to a specific situation in the operations of a medical center or hospital. Include examples from both the medical and business operations to illustrate the use of TQM.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Total Quality Management (TQM) has revolutionized the way organizations, especially healthcare institutions such as hospitals and medical centers, approach quality improvement. The development of TQM has been shaped by several influential contributors whose methodologies and philosophies continue to influence medical and business operations today. This paper focuses on three prominent figures in the evolution of TQM: Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. Joseph M. Juran, and Prof. Kaoru Ishikawa. It examines two of their major contributions and illustrates how these contributions can be pragmatically applied within a medical setting, enhancing patient care, operational efficiency, and organizational culture.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Deming’s approach to quality emphasizes systemic thinking and statistical methods to identify and reduce variability. Two of his key contributions are the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and his 14 Points for Management.

The PDCA cycle encourages continuous quality improvement through iterative problem-solving, which can be directly applied to hospital processes. For example, in medication administration, the cycle can identify errors, implement corrective measures, and evaluate outcomes to minimize medication errors, ultimately improving patient safety (Deming, 1986). In clinical workflow improvements, the PDCA promotes ongoing refinement of procedures, reducing delays and enhancing efficiency.

Deming’s 14 Points, especially the emphasis on constancy of purpose and the elimination of slogans, foster a culture focused on quality and customer satisfaction. A hospital applying this philosophy might establish a culture where staff continuously seek ways to improve patient outcomes, with leadership committed to quality initiatives such as reducing infection rates or improving patient discharge procedures (Deming, 1986). This systemic perspective promotes an environment of collaboration and continuous learning crucial for healthcare excellence.

Dr. Joseph M. Juran

Juran emphasized the importance of managerial involvement in quality and formulated the Juran Trilogy: Quality Planning, Quality Control, and Quality Improvement. His focus on managerial importance offers valuable insights for healthcare leadership.

One of Juran’s contributions is the concept of Quality Planning, which involves identifying customer requirements and translating them into specific processes. In a hospital, this could mean designing a patient-centered discharge planning process tailored to patients’ needs, ensuring smooth transitions from hospital to home, and reducing readmission rates (Juran, 1988). His emphasis on focusing resources on critical quality characteristics ensures that efforts are directed where they most impact patient satisfaction and safety.

Another contribution is the principle of quality control through the use of statistical methods to monitor process performance. For medical operations, this might involve the use of control charts to track wound infection rates post-surgery, enabling early intervention when the process drifts from accepted standards (Juran & Godfrey, 1999). Such analytical tools help maintain high standards and identify areas for targeted improvement, thereby strengthening hospital quality control systems.

Prof. Kaoru Ishikawa

Ishikawa is renowned for his development of the fishbone diagram and the emphasis on employee involvement through quality circles. These contributions foster a culture of collective problem-solving.

The fishbone diagram, or Ishikawa diagram, helps identify root causes of problems affecting patient safety or process inefficiencies. For example, it can be used to analyze the causes of long patient waiting times, considering factors related to staffing, processes, and equipment (Ishikawa, 1985). Implementing such analyses enables hospitals to address underlying issues systematically rather than merely treating symptoms.

Ishikawa’s promotion of quality circles involves frontline staff collaborating regularly on quality improvement projects. In a medical context, nurses and technicians might form a quality circle to brainstorm ways to reduce medication errors, leading to shared ownership of solutions and sustained improvement. This participative approach empowers staff, fosters teamwork, and enhances the quality culture within healthcare organizations (Ishikawa, 1985).

Conclusion

The contributions of Deming, Juran, and Ishikawa have significantly shaped modern TQM practices. Their methods—cyclical improvement processes, managerial focus on quality planning, and participative problem-solving—are highly applicable in healthcare settings. By integrating these principles—such as continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and teamwork—medical centers and hospitals can enhance patient safety, operational efficiency, and overall service quality. Embracing these contributions is essential in fostering a culture of excellence in healthcare delivery.

References

• Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the Crisis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Advanced Educational Services.
• Juran, J. M. (1988). Juran on Planning for Quality. Free Press.
• Juran, J. M., & Godfrey, A. B. (1999). Juran's Quality Handbook (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Ishikawa, K. (1985). What Is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way. Prentice-Hall.
• Oakland, J. S. (2014). Total Quality Management and Operational Excellence. Routledge.
• Evans, J. R., & Lindsay, W. M. (2014). Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence. Cengage Learning.
• G. K. Ramani, & G. Ramani. (2017). Healthcare Quality Management. Elsevier.
• Schonberger, R. (1996). Building a Culture of Quality. Free Press.
• Anthony, W. A. (2004). Improving Patient Safety and Quality. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
• Womack, J. P., & Jones, D. T. (2003). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. Free Press.