The Concepts Of Total Quality Management Business Essay Example
The Concepts Of Total Quality Management Business Essay Example

The Concepts Of Total Quality Management Business Essay Example

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  • Pages: 9 (2308 words)
  • Published: September 23, 2017
  • Type: Paper
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This paper aims to discuss the implementation of the eight constructs of Total Quality Management (TQM) in assessing the readiness of the Traffic and Patrols Board of Directors in the Abu Dhabi Police (ADP). The focus will be on evaluating the Traffic and Patrols Directorate's ability to perform their daily operations effectively, using the eight constructs of TQM as parameters for analysis. The concept of total quality management refers to the management system that enables an organization to prioritize its customers or patrons by continually improving all aspects and levels of the organization. TQM, along with its core constructs, is an integrated system that incorporates data, strategy, and effective communication among members and departments. This integration ensures that quality principles are embedded in all operations, activities, and culture of the organization (Dale & Bunney 1999, pp.101 - 213).The core doctrine of Total

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Quality Management (TQM) emphasizes meeting client requirements, standardizing specifications, and achieving quality expectations for every product or service delivered to the client. This requires a systematic and methodical process that creates system-wide preparation, awareness, and involvement in continuous quality improvement initiatives. (Arvinder, Loomba & Spencer 1997, pp.753 - 767). The eight core principles of TQM are based on this foundation. The first core principle is managing by process, which means organizations should strive to adopt a system approach in their management practices rather than approaching it randomly or with an impulsive manner (Arvinder, Loomba & Spencer 1997, pp.753 - 767). The board of directors can be systemized to enhance quality improvement in service delivery, although the tools that can aid this system towards quality improvement (management philosophy, technology, etc.) have not been utilized

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(Clegg, Rees & Titchen 2010, pp.188 - 208). The ADP consists of two units under the CPS Commander: the Security Information Unit and the Office unit. The Criminal Investigations are conducted by the CID subdivision under the CID Manager within the Security Information Office.The Office Unit is overseen by the Operations Affairs Manager, who is responsible for overall direction authorization. Within the Operations Unit, there are two subdivisions: the Community Police Unit and the Operations Unit. Additionally, the Operations Unit is further divided into two branches: the Guards and Discipline Branch, and the Traffic ; Patrols Branch. The Traffic ; Patrols Branch is composed of two sub-branches: the Traffic ; Patrol Unit and the Investigations ; Violations Unit. The focus of this paper is on the Traffic ; Patrol Unit, which is led by the Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate. The Director oversees five department heads, including the Quality Team, Strategic Planning Branch, Security Information Branch, Security Plans and Protocols Branch, and the Head of Director's Office. These department heads report directly to the Director. The structure of the Traffic & Patrol Directorate allows for specialization in specific areas of expertise and training, with each area having leadership and supervision protocols to ensure alignment with the board of directors' goals. The Directorate places a strong emphasis on supervision as a means of improving service delivery by traffic police forces.Supervision is seen as the overall guiding doctrine of the board of directors in relation to improving quality. Oakland & Morris (1997, pp.18) emphasize that achieving organizational readiness is not just the responsibility of supervisory departments or positions, but rather a collective effort within the organization.

Simply providing supervision, such as assigning senior officers supervisory duties and hoping that service delivery from the traffic department will improve, will not lead to enhanced quality or the potential for quality improvement (Golhar, Deshpande & Ahire 1997, pp.555-568).

Readiness within organizations is determined by how prepared an organization is to effectively undertake the "core business processes that must be performed exceptionally well if the mission and objectives are to be achieved" in a manner that prioritizes quality at every stage of the process (Oakland & Morris 1997, pp.18-19). This is why Oakland & Morris firmly believe that "inspection is not quality control," as quality control involves employing activities and techniques to achieve and sustain the quality of a product, process, or service (1997, pp.18).The fact that the section uses outdated telecommunication appliances, lacks cameras in most main roads, and relies on paper-based systems for most protocols indicates that they have not implemented engineering practices to improve quality. Therefore, despite being well-structured, the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate lacks the necessary tools and doctrine to follow a systematic approach in their management practices. As a result, their management system is disorganized. The second core principle of Total Quality Management (TQM) is achieving balanced outcomes, also known as the process approach. Process thinking is vital in TQM as organizations should view every activity, operation, and effort as contributing to their overall objective. In this regard, the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate operates as a dysfunctional unit within the ADP Police. Most of the directorate's teams have separate responsibilities and protocols and operate independently with little to no coordination among them. For instance, the Capital Traffic Administration team

rarely coordinates their operations with the Traffic Administration of External Areas team or the Road Engineering and Road Safety Administration team.Each squad operates independently and within its legal power, as there are no horizontal communicating channels between them. Consequently, the squads do not complement each other as a single unit or as part of the board of directors' authorization process.

Teamwork and complementary efforts are essential for modern enterprises to increase productivity in service or product-based organizations (Hung 2007, pp. 715-730). Dale suggests that organizations should eliminate fear among colleagues and ensure that everyone works effectively for the organization (2003, pp. 54-55). Breaking down barriers between individuals and departments allows organization members in research, design, production, and sales to work as a team in producing and delivering products or services (Dale 2003, pp. 54-55).

Therefore, in terms of the process approach to management, the board of directors fails to integrate their squads into a unified unit and process.

The third core concept of TQM is building partnerships. An organization thrives on relationships both internally and externally. A crucial relationship that organizations must foster is with their suppliers (Goetsch & Davis 2014, pp. 242-243).According to Davis (2006), the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate is facing challenges in building partnerships. Often, administrations are attracted to new trades that promise better returns, even if they have existing long-term relationships. Dale (2003) suggests that administrations should focus on establishing long-term relationships built on trust and loyalty. The ADP has a Community Police Unit dedicated to building rapport with the Abu Dhabi community in the fight against crime. The success of any police station relies on public support in combating crime and maintaining

law and order (Arvinder, Loomba & Spencer 1997). However, in the ADP, only one department is given this responsibility, suggesting that other units like the Operations Unit may not prioritize building mutually beneficial relationships with the public. The ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate consists of three branches.The Capital Traffic Administration is responsible for protocols, undertakings, convoys, events, probe of serious hits, instance depositing, traffic control, misdemeanors, impounded vehicles, and proficient support. The Traffic Administration of External Areas oversees external roads traffic, traffic planning, misdemeanors, attaching vehicles, support services, and probe of serious hits and instance depositing. The Road Engineering and Road Safety Administration manages the traffic safety section, route control and technology in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Western Region, statistics and surveies, public presentation index analysis, traffic surveies, the Traffic Institute, security and subject, administrative and staff personal businesss, administrative support, developing personal businesss, and finance and shops. It is notable that all three divisions have overlapping responsibilities instead of having one division solely accountable for each task and sharing information.The section lacks proof of effectively integrating their squads into a cohesive unit, as required by the procedural attack to direction. Additionally, there is no subdivision responsible for fostering relationships with the public, hindering the establishment of mutually beneficial supplier relationships at ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate. According to BusinessExcellence, even with numerous quality improvement measures, an organization may still fail to satisfy its customers because only the customers can determine the level of quality they receive. Cianfrani & West emphasize the importance of organizations understanding and meeting both current and future customer needs, exceeding expectations in terms of quality. (Cianfrani & West,

2009, pp.A 5-7)The ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate is highly effective in achieving customer focus. The board of directors is divided into three sections, each specializing in specific fields to assist the public with traffic control. The traffic institute relies heavily on research and statistics to develop strategies that meet the demands and expectations of the public. According to Dale (2003, pp 26), an organization must depend on and understand its clients, meet their demands, and exceed their expectations in order to be considered customer-focused. The department uses the statistics and studies unit, as well as the statistics and performance index measurement analysis, to comprehend and address public needs. The fact that the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate relies on real-time research and statistics to plan traffic control measures demonstrates their commitment to customer focus. TQM's fifth core concept is leading with vision, inspiration, and integrity, which is considered instrumental in quality improvement initiatives by many experts (Cianfrani & Colurcio, 2009, pp.236-248; Cappelli et al., 2010, pp.267-284).According to Cianfrani & West (2009, pp. A 5-7), leaders of an organization are responsible for establishing the mission, vision, and goals of the organization, providing direction for all members. This concept is referred to as "unity of direction and purpose." The ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate has demonstrated strong performance and leadership in implementing change processes aimed at improving performance (Oakland & Morris, 1997, pp.27). The department leaders and Director are experienced police officers who have advanced in their roles and taken on increasing responsibilities. Over the past decade, the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate has implemented new approaches, restructured the organization, and adopted new processes to improve

service delivery. Fostering creativity and innovation is a central concept in Total Quality Management (Cianfrani & West, 2009, pp. A 5-7). Quality gurus emphasize that achieving desired quality is not the end of the quality improvement journey.Administrations striving for quality must commit all efforts and resources to not only achieve their desired level of quality, but also to continually improve upon it. However, it is uncommon for individuals within the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate to receive recognition for their personal efforts and achievements. The Directorate's performance assessment is typically conducted annually, with no additional rewards given for exceptional performance, aside from the potential for publicity. This lack of recognition hinders the fostering of creativity and innovation necessary for ongoing improvements in service delivery. Dale suggests that organizations should eliminate barriers that prevent management and production/delivery teams from taking pride in their contributions to the organization. This would enhance motivation and encourage more creativity and innovation, ultimately leading to improved production and service delivery. Dale is opposed to annual or merit evaluations and instead argues that performance should be assessed based on the accomplishment of organizational objectives.The lack of recognition and appreciation for the efforts of the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate in providing quality service indicates a lack of motivation and disregard for exceeding service values. This also applies to the forces responsible for initiating and maintaining enterprises at the board of directors. The seventh principle of Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasizes the importance of involving people in achieving quality objectives. Administrations should engage individuals in their pursuit of quality and encourage everyone within the organization to contribute towards this goal. According to Cianfrani

& West (2009, pp. 5-7), all members of an organization are crucial. By fully involving people, an administration can utilize their abilities to its advantage (Cianfrani & West 2009, pp. 7-8). However, decisions regarding service delivery at the board of directors level are typically made by senior management, with little involvement from junior staff. Dale suggests that organizations focusing solely on shareholders and financial success will struggle to maintain their competitiveness in today's environment. Instead, these organizations should prioritize all stakeholder relationships (Dale, 2003, p. 108).According to Dale (2003), organizations must involve everyone in the company in order to achieve transformation since it is everyone's responsibility. However, the top-down decision-making tradition at ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate excludes the participation of all the board of directors members (Bhat 2006; Narendar 2006). Taking responsibility for a common sustainable future is the eighth core concept of TQM (Cianfrani & West 2009). Effective decisions based on realistic information and data analysis are crucial for building a strong foundation for organizations to thrive now and in the future (Cianfrani & West 2009). ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate's initiatives to improve future service delivery reflect their willingness to prepare for the future (Bardoel & Sohal 1999). Dale believes that it is time for organizations to engage in mutually beneficial collaborations with society and its population to ensure goodwill and a sustainable future, rather than solely focusing on price-based business practices (Dale 2003).It is commendable that the Road Engineering and Road Safety Administration section is conducting research and analysis to improve traffic control in the future. However, their management process is not well organized as their teams overlap in executing similar

tasks. Additionally, the board of directors does not maintain mutually beneficial supplier relationships. The ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate focuses on customer satisfaction by relying on real-time research and statistics for workforce development and traffic control planning. The board of directors effectively demonstrates leadership qualities in guiding the ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate. However, the efforts of the directorate's workforce are rarely acknowledged or appreciated, leading to low motivation levels and minimal engagement in initiatives beyond their job descriptions.The traditional decision-making approach at ADP Traffic and Patrols Directorate is top-down, with leaders making quality determinations and imposing them on junior forces. This excludes the involvement of all board members. Therefore, it is concluded that the board is not adequately prepared to improve the quality of service delivered to the public, as they do not adhere to the eight principles of TQM.

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