TQM (Total Quality Management) stands for Total, implying company-wide focus on quality in every process involved in manufacturing or services the organization produces. It refers to maintaining quality in all products and services of the company through strict adherence to the quality standards cross checked by statistical tools and other means of inspection at all times leading to customer satisfaction. Though TQM was developed by the Japanese in the 1950s, it saw many setbacks during the 1980s. The reasons for the failure are wide and varied.

Few reasons for the failure of the system are discussed in the following sections of this article.

During the time of initiation, the companies fail to educate the workforce on the needs of the quality systems. Support from all levels of management is inevitable to ensure that the quality systems produce the desired outcome. The quality systems must be implemented with the support and knowledge of the employees. TQM calls for proper training by professionals to the people in all levels of management, from the top to the lower most in the concern. Training is a continuous process which needs to be conducted at regular intervals to help the people adept to the changes in the working culture and processes.

Absence of proper review techniques to check the effectiveness of the quality system is a major cause for failure. On implementation of the quality systems the management fail to evaluate the causes for defects arising out of the processes, products or services. In major cases, deviations are mainly because of the flaws in the business processes adopted. Timely checks and corrective measures can ensure the success of the quality systems in the organisation.

TQM, if properly implemented, improves the quality of the products and services and increases productivity leading to customer satisfaction. Customers demand quick response to their demands. To face the challenges imposed by the competition, the production process must be standardised. But in many instances failure of the quality systems was due to the absence of improvement in the production process. Processes supported by time and motion study can minimise and eliminate the unnecessary procedures in production. The best way of doing the job guarantees the removal of unnecessary delays in the delivery of the goods produced and services rendered leading to customer satisfaction and wealth maximisation.

Lack of a unified organisational procedure and communication system is another cause for the failure of TQM in an organisation. The various departments of the enterprise function discordantly resulting in varied information. Lack of a proper communication system and absence of proper knowledge regarding TQM failed to satisfy the questions regarding TQM that sprung in the mind of the workforce. TQM depends on the support of employees in all levels of the management for its success.

The huge investment involved in adopting the quality system discouraged many from maintaining the standards through the rectification of the problems which occurred initially. The system failed due to adopting the wrong quality system, lack of knowledge regarding the system, absence of good evaluation measures and rectification methods.

An ongoing training program abreast of the current changes must be accepted by the company. For TQM to succeed, the employees in all levels of management should come together to decide on the company vision, goals, procedures and ways of attaining them, striving towards wealth maximisation.