Total Quality Pioneers Paper xxxxxxxx Quality Management and Productivity MGT/449 xxxxxx xxx

Introduction

People are confronted with scenarios concerning quality nearly every day. The word or notion of quality can be defined a number of ways. Some think quality should be determined by individual standards and expectations, while others believe quality is an ever changing state. Goetsch and Davis systematically broke down the elements of quality and determined that “quality is a dynamic state associated with products, services, people, processes, and environments that meets or exceeds expectations and helps produce superior value (Goetsch and Davis, 2010 p.5).” Whatever ones interpretation of quality might be, the intent of this paper is to more clearly define quality and its elements as well as describe how the quality pioneer's use of the total quality elements made the pioneers successful. Furthermore, this paper will explain why the elements of quality are useful in today’s environment and offer some insight as to what the future of quality might look like.
Quality and its Elements Quality is defined with a variety of distinct explanations. Nevertheless, understanding quality is the key. End use consumers that are businesses explain quality unmistakably through the use of standards, specifications, and other measurable features.
For instance, an individual in search of a new automobile will make his or her final purchase decision based on the quality of the product as well as the dealership he or she will award their business with. In most instances consumers will take into consideration the level of service and attention provided at the dealership, response time, price, inventory selection, and most important the quality of the products offered. Therefore, the primary elements an organization must possess include a well thought strategic plan encompassing a customer focused and friendly attitude, a passion for quality, a systematic plan, unwavering dedication to being the best, and of course, a successful team environment. These elements are vital to an organizations long-standing success, illustrating that quality not only refers to end products and services provided but to the people and processes that deliver them and the environments in which they are provided as well (Goetsch and Davis, 2010).
Pioneers Successful use of Total Quality Total quality is more than a single concept or idea. Quite different, total quality is a combination of numerous theories and methods assembled by creative and motivated entrepreneurial individuals (Goetsch and Davis, 2010). These inventive minded business owners soon developed widespread techniques that ultimately improved the ways business was carried out. In time, effective implementation of such ideas and techniques resulted in superior manufactured goods at competitive prices. Everything from motorcycles, to cars, to cameras, to electronics of all kinds, and even to ships were being manufactured more quickly, cost effectively, and of higher quality (Goetsch and Davis, 2010). Contributors of total quality techniques had varying motivators with relation to their business activities. Most were manufacturing and product quality challenges that required custom tailored techniques to help solve. In Japan particularly, many soon found themselves following the teachings of Deming, Juran, Ishikawa, Taguchi, Ohno, and other quality pioneers (Goetsch and Davis, 2010). These quality architects were credited for many of the successes realized in the form of vastly superior Japanese practices, processes, and ultimately higher quality goods. It was not long before organizational leaders the world over became aware that better practices and processes could boost competitiveness. Soon leaders across the globe, including Western business owners, realized it made smart business sense to determine where an organization stood relative to world-class benchmarks (Goetsch and Davis, 2010). Most understood that total quality programs were needed to perform at similar levels.
Quality Elements of Today and Tomorrow Numerous methods and trends exist, which will define the future of quality management. An increase in improved global competition from developing industrialized nations will present an active an ever-growing challenge for organizations. Global consumers expect more today, finding themselves attracted to not only the quality of the products delivered but the quality of the organization producing them as well. It is evident that consumers have an appetite for higher quality products or services from organizations that provide them reliably and consistently. To succeed in the global marketplace of the future, organizations must function in line with the philosophies of quality management. An improved quality of goods and services can be directly attributed to global competition in manufacturing (Hill, 2009). As each nation’s manufacturing sectors strives to continuously produce better goods or services, the bar is raised on a global scale improving end products for end users continuing development of a global marketplace in order to realize the advantages of economies of scale in manufacturing and marketing (Hill, 2009). In the end, a commitment to fundamental improvement through knowledge, skills, problem solving, and teamwork are the only way his will be achieved.

References
Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2010). Quality management for organizational excellence: Introduction to total quality (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hill, C. W. (2009). International business. Competing in the global marketplace (7th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill