Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word to describe the things we should be doing right all the time. Forever we have heard our parents or grandparents use little phrases to get our attention. "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right? Or "Never enough time to do it right, but always making time to do it over." Quick quotes like these and there must be a hundreds of different ones which all lead to the same thing. In the 1980's and early 1990's it was TQM or Total Quality Management. Deming and Peters harped on this like there was no tomorrow. Then later on we had the Six Sigma by GE and the Jack Welsh crowd of executives and remember the ISO 9000 series of quality and perfection. Now then let's get back to; TQM Total Quality Management, the book. If you have not read it, then you should because you can buy it at any garage sale for $1.00 or at a used book store for $4-5 dollars. Amazon has tons of used ones for sale as well. Make sure you buy the right book, as there must be 100 or more books on that subject:
Total Quality Management-Strategic Planning, By Stephen George and Arnold Weimerskirch. 1994 Book
This book talked about Quality Management and benchmarking in manufacturing. I find its content way out dated and fear for any company using these principles today, but I fear worse for any company not striving for the concepts that are discussed. You should read the book for sure, no doubt, but conceptually, not verbatim. Things move much faster now business.
I believe a CEO of any company ought to already know all aspects of the business and not need to be involved in all this observation and planning, but I fear they do not, as we keep seeing executives take unnecessary risks and short cuts, which all too often end up biting them in the butt. I would say that the time process and the steps used in this process are too numerous and time consuming to keep up with the reality of today's modern business when it has to be there yesterday or in real time, however your parents and grandparents were right and you should sweat the small things and details.
All the committees, referees, tour guides, management etc. it is a wonder how anything got done. This is why the computer industry with novice management was able to literally blow the doors off these large companies in bringing products and innovation to market so fast. It is because they skipped the vary steps outlined in this book. It is also a reason for lower profits at these large institutional type companies; too much organizational overlay in the way to accomplish the tasks at hand. Many of the companies listed as great quality Management achievers of yesterday, are today, as in this year laying off 1000s of people, some are totally gone or merged. It was interesting to read the WSJ for the prior decade and all the companies who excelled at this TQM thing are getting a lesson in sector rotation and making earnings warnings. They got too big for their own britches. Committees, meetings, plans, strategic plans, bench marking, objectives, time schedules, supervisor meetings, advisory councils, strategic objectives, paper work, etc.
It is almost unbelievable that we now have 10s of 1000s of managers who still think this way in their 50s and 60s running these companies. They need to move out of the way of progress, they are what is wrong with America and what will keep American companies from competing in the global arena. This does not mean you should forgo quality, it means you should focus on the skill sets and details and know the plays you ran in practice and run for goal line. Thank god no one on our team or my companies were ever buried in such minutia. I see many of our competitors that are large companies making the same mistakes in this book.
Do not get me wrong, TQM although just a buzz word stands for something, but in the end you must Keep It Simple Stupid; KISS. So with that said if you have not read the book, you need it on your business shelf and you should read it for a concept of thinking necessary to do it right, but also realize most importantly you must "Just Do It," and get it done.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
limousine service Round Lake .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare"Rubbish!" shouted the large, aggressive man in the red-striped shirt... Read More
Some analysts credit [Larry] Ellison with anticipating the consolidation in... Read More
Human beings are rational agents. Rationality endorses one to take... Read More
Please take a moment before you read any further and... Read More
There are no "rules of thumb" in the pursuit of... Read More
If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing,... Read More
Is your business growing as fast and effectively as it... Read More
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge... Read More
When looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice... Read More
"Did you hear what your competitor is doing?" This question... Read More
I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy... Read More
Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business... Read More
Does the competition drive you crazy?Are they relentless about taking... Read More
Many cities have home pages on the Internet. Many of... Read More
No matter what business you plan to start in your... Read More
Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More
Remember reading "Alice in Wonderland?"She asks the Cheshire Cat, "which... Read More
I'm not talking about posting the HBO schedule on your... Read More
A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will... Read More
Creativity is one of the greatest tools for success in... Read More
If ever there were an industry where we want zero... Read More
Cassy was an employee of a nonprofit who had been... Read More
Anyone who has been watching the Idaho Market Carefully for... Read More
I love the excitement of starting up a new home... Read More
Before becoming a netpreneaur, I was an entrepreneur. First, I... Read More
St. Charles cheap limo service ..To stop a computer virus you must understand how it... Read More
Business seems to drop, slow or even stop during the... Read More
Human beings are rational agents. Rationality endorses one to take... Read More
Strategic planning is vital while starting a new business or... Read More
Succession planning, like any business acumen, is both an art... Read More
"Begin with the end in mind," says Stephen Covey in... Read More
One of the key challenges for any business is to... Read More
If you are looking for a partner, funding, angle investor... Read More
Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
This will make some people angry as hell, but it's... Read More
"Did you hear what your competitor is doing?" This question... Read More
1. Largest Selection -One way that you can make your... Read More
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge... Read More
( * - the word 'product' can be substituted to... Read More
Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your... Read More
How often does your company make a quantum leap forward?... Read More
Last week we talked about a few of the ways... Read More
The decision to sell, or not to sell your business... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits horizontal markets clientele and in case... Read More
I read once that something like 30 percent of all... Read More
Is there a 'magical' way to exponentially grow your business?It's... Read More
A focus group is a group of employees or current... Read More
Remember reading "Alice in Wonderland?"She asks the Cheshire Cat, "which... Read More
ACTION PLANNING: Action Planning is a process to develop strategies... Read More
Strategic Planning |