Paper Details Prior To Beginning Work On This Final Paper

Paper Detailsprior To Beginning Work On This Final Paper Read Chapter

Prior to beginning work on this final paper, read Chapters 10, 11, and 12 in the course textbook. It is recommended to review Chapters 1, 2, and 3, too. For this final paper, you will be reviewing and reflecting on the quality management concepts and knowledge gained throughout the course. You will be applying your critical thinking, drawing your own conclusions, and applying what you have learned to improve quality and performance excellence. Follow the prompts below and make sure to address each in sufficient depth to answer the questions and cover the associated concepts.

This will serve as a good review of the content, methods, and principles learned of total quality management (TQM). As you work on your final paper, keep in mind the following bullet point observations on the role of quality. Six quality perspectives are listed below and explain how each quality perspective applies to the product or service: Quality in manufacturing. Quality in service organizations. Quality in business support functions. The role of the quality function. Quality and competitive advantage (business results). Quality and personal values. Modern day quality management practices represent the approaches that organizations use to achieve the quality management principles. Customer satisfaction is vital to keeping customers and growing a business.

Customer requirements, as expressed in the customer’s own terms, are called the voice of the customer. Organizations continue to learn that to satisfy customers, they must first satisfy the workforce. (Review Chapter 4, specifically Table 4.1: Key Workforce-Focused Practices for Quality, and the two Chapter 4 sections: High-Performance Work Cultures, and Principles of Workforce Engagement and Motivation.) Motivation theories can be applied to support high performance in any organization. In your paper, Explain how your selected organization applies the six steps from key customer-focused practices for quality management in the customer focus to meet or exceed customer requirements. Identify which of the variety of methods, or “listening posts,” your selected organization uses to gather the voice of the customer, including their needs and expectations, their feeling of importance, and their satisfaction as a customer.

Evaluate the principles of workforce engagement, and empowerment and motivation, and evaluate why these two items are important to quality, and which five of Deming’s 14 points relate directly to the notion of empowerment. Apply one content theory, one process theory, and one environmentally-based theory to your selected organization, detailing the context and situation. State if the selected organization has a high-performance work culture and describe why or why not. Summarize how your selected organization embodies the Baldrige Award Excellence Framework, core values, and processes. Assess the impact, if any, of the Baldrige Award Excellence Framework and the Deming philosophy on the organization.

Select a product or service that your organization, or an organization of your choosing, purchases on a regular basis: Explain why quality is important to that product or service. Evaluate the competitive environment for the product or service selected. Appraise how each quality perspective applies to the selected product or service and why. Illustrate how each of the seven quality management principles pertain to your organization or an organization of your choosing using three approaches per principle. Appraise how the Deming philosophy and Deming’s 14 points may apply to the product or service selected.

The Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence paper must be six to eight double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word. Must include a separate title page with the following: Title of paper in bold font. Space should be between the title and the rest of the information on the title page. Student’s name: SAM KRAMER. Name of institution: University Of Arizona Global Campus. Course name and number: BUS 443. Instructor’s name: Khang Ta. Due date: 16 February 2021. Must utilize academic voice.

Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper. The textbook is the main resource, but additional credible sources may be used. Document any information from sources in APA style. Include a references page formatted according to APA style.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

In today’s highly competitive market, organizations must prioritize quality management to achieve sustained success and customer satisfaction. This paper explores the application of total quality management (TQM) principles within a selected organization, focusing on how these principles enhance product and service quality, foster workforce engagement, and contribute to strategic excellence. By analyzing the organization’s approaches to customer focus, workforce motivation, and the integration of frameworks like Baldrige and Deming, the analysis demonstrates how comprehensive quality management practices drive competitive advantage and promote a high-performance culture.

Application of Customer-Focused Practices

The organization under review employs a structured approach to understanding and exceeding customer requirements, employing the six key steps of customer-focused quality management. These steps include defining customer needs, translating these needs into measurable specifications, designing processes to meet these specs, delivering value, assessing customer satisfaction, and continually improving. One method used by the organization to listen to the voice of the customer is through customer surveys and feedback forms. These Listening Posts enable the firm to gather insights on customer expectations and satisfaction levels, which are then used to refine products and services accordingly.

The organization emphasizes collecting customer feedback via multiple channels, such as online surveys, direct interviews, and focus groups, aligning with the concept of listening posts. This multifaceted engagement ensures a comprehensive understanding of customer needs and sentiments, enabling the organization to adapt accordingly and improve overall satisfaction.

Workforce Engagement, Empowerment, and Motivation

Workforce engagement is regarded as a cornerstone of quality. The organization practices empowerment by involving employees in decision-making processes, fostering a culture where frontline workers have ownership of quality outcomes. Motivation theories, including Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, are applied to understand employee drivers and enhance motivation. Empowerment aligns with Deming’s fifth and six points—building relationships and encouraging leadership at all levels—by enabling employees to take initiative and contribute to quality improvements.

Applying content, process, and environmental theories within the organization sheds light on how motivation influences performance. For instance, a content theory like Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory explains how intrinsic motivators such as recognition and achievement impact employee performance, fostering a high-performance culture. Similarly, a process theory like Adams’ Equity Theory explains fairness perceptions in workload and recognition, enhancing engagement, while environmental theories such as Schein’s Organizational Culture Model highlight how organizational values shape motivation and empowerment.

The organization demonstrates a high-performance work culture through consistent employee involvement, training, and empowerment initiatives designed to elevate quality standards, aligning with Baldrige’s categories of leadership, strategic planning, and workforce focus.

Frameworks and Philosophies

The organization embodies Baldrige’s core values—leadership, strategic focus, and customer-centricity—through systematic processes and performance measures. It also adheres to Deming’s philosophy, especially his 14 points related to continuous improvement, leadership, and breaking down barriers between departments. The application of these frameworks has led to measurable improvements in quality and organizational excellence, evidencing their significant impact.

Product or Service Quality and Competitive Environment

Considering a frequently purchased product—say, a commercial airline ticket—quality is vital for safety, reliability, and customer experience. The competitive environment in the airline industry underscores strict adherence to safety standards, service quality, and innovation to differentiate providers. Applying the six perspectives of quality—performance, conformance, reliability, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics—illustrates how each applies to airline services, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement in safety measures (performance), on-time departures (conformance), and customer comfort (aesthetics).

The seven principles of quality management—customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision-making, and relationship management—are evident in how airlines enhance their services. For example, customer focus guides personalized service approaches, while evidence-based decisions are driven by data analytics for route optimization and safety measures. Deming’s principles, including constancy of purpose and the elimination of defects, directly influence organizational practices and service quality.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective application of quality management principles, workforce engagement, and strategic frameworks are essential for organizational excellence. The selected organization exemplifies these practices through its customer focus initiatives, workforce empowerment strategies, and commitment to continuous improvement. Integrating Deming philosophy and Baldrige criteria ensures sustained high performance and competitive advantage, creating value for customers and stakeholders alike.

References

  • Evans, J. R., & Lindsay, W. M. (2020). Managing for quality and performance excellence (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
  • Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the crisis: Quality, productivity, and competitive position. MIT Press.
  • Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. (2019). 2020-2021 Baldrige excellence framework. U.S. Department of Commerce.
  • Herzberg, F. (1966). Work taste and motivation. Harvard Business Review, 44(5), 52–63.
  • Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership. Jossey-Bass.
  • Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.
  • Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2, 267–299.
  • Juran, J. M., & Godfrey, A. B. (1999). Juran's quality control handbook (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
  • ISO 9001:2015. (2015). Quality management systems — Requirements. International Organization for Standardization.
  • Grant, R. M. (2019). Contemporary strategy analysis. Wiley.