Total Quality Management: Dominoe’s Pizza

Total quality management is a process company’s use to ensure superior quality by focusing on customer satisfaction, employee empowerment, and strive to keep a competitive advantage by implementing statistical tools and encouraging management to use these tools.

The traditional quality management system was seen different from Total Quality Management as we see it today. Company’s felt that quality could not be described accurately except for time and cost. So the emphasis was put on the product or service where the owner, president or CEO would make decisions on how the product or service should be and pass the processing plan down to the different levels of management whom would then pass the plan down to the operating employees. The operating employees’ where then informed how top management wanted the process to work and then proceed accordingly. Quality standards were considered to be absolute. The company decided what the customer wanted and visional to whom and what quality the customer wanted.

Top Quality Management takes into consideration the employee’s opinion since the employee’s work more closely with the customer and understand the customers needs more so than top management. Not only is the product or service measured but also the customer’s needs. Management’s role in TQM is to be available to the employees. “Empowerment” was the new buzz word and employees were encouraged to take command of the situation since they were in direct contact with the customer. Customer service representatives listen to the customers directly. They hear their concerns, listen to suggestion and complaints and assure the customer our concern is with their needs and well as a quality service or product.

Through past experience I have seen how “Quality” has changed. In the past the concern was the product or service. For example if the service or product was fictional and eye catching the company considered this outcome as success. Organizations today take into consideration the competitive advantage, customer expectations, quality and cost. Employee positions have been added or revamped so each department has a quality control team or person. The traditional structure was a level manager who made decisions based on basic knowledge of the product. Today company’s are concerned with how long the customer waited before they received the product to how the product fits into the customers lifestyle.

Company’s realized that the customer’s needs have to be met in order to have a successful product or service. When delivery service first became popular the name of the game was what company were the fastest as well as a good product. Domino’s Pizza for example, advertised that your pizza would be received within thirty minutes and if you did not you would receive your product free of charge. Domino’s took off as being the top delivery service because you could measure the time in which you would receive the product. They gained a competitive edge because they took into consideration the needs of the customer. As years went by they had to eliminate the time frame because they were also concerned with the safety of their employees. Other gimmicks now are in place for the company to keep a competitive edge.

Product awards and customer service awards are a way in which the company can earn a competitive edge over other companies. These awards have specific standards that have to be met in order to win these awards.

The difference between the traditional system and the TQM has grown to encompass the customer. The traditional management system had little or no health and safety measures. Today company’s offer alcohol and drug abuse programs, EAP services, OSHA government agency and ergonomics concerns. Instead of just quality management on just the front lines. There are quality managers in all departments. These features are not only important to domestic trade but also foreign trade. Environment, culture and language of a foreign country are important to the import and export of products or services. A good example of this is MacDonald’s. In India the cow is sacred. When MacDonald’s open in India they do not use beef. They offer an alternative such as veggie burger as the main burger. Mexico they also over a chili burger and rice. The company took the time to research the countries culture and took into consideration the replies from the survey the company issued to its customers to see how they can best meet their needs. The company was not only able to meet the customer’s needs but also produce a product and service that is cost effective to the company as well.

The difference between traditional management and total quality management can be summed up by the pyramid structure. The traditional management structure starts with top management down to the employees.

The total Quality management is reversed and starts with the employee down to availability of top management as shown below:

The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2004. An Integrated Approach; Total Quality Management, Frameworks, Measures & Standards