Beyond systems: The politics of managing in a TQM environment

The roots of total quality management (TQM) go back to the work of statisticians in the 1930s and 1940s and the early writers in statistical quality control. These ideas were transplanted to Japan, greatly improved upon and reshaped, and then reintroduced into American business by the Japanese, who bought and restored many American firms (sometimes in joint ventures), and by defense contractors who were under pressure to develop new ways to fulfill government contracts in the aerospace and weapons industries. Much of what has been written about TQM in the past has stressed mechanistic tools and techniques. This article, however, explores the interpersonal skills and new learning required for managing in a TQM environment.