The impact of TQM implementation in a human service agency

Some researchers have questioned whether total quality management (TQM) positively impacts the performance of public sector agencies. This paper presents a study of TQM implementation in a large human service agency that serves a major city in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA. The results indicate that TQM implementation was perceived to have a positive impact on several important dimensions of performance in the agency. Further, employees who participated in the TQM process perceived that numerous benefits resulted from TQM adoption, including an increased willingness to accept change, improved teamwork, enhanced problem solving ability, and better meeting-management skills.

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