Total Quality Management
The concept reviews TQM’s strengths, limits, key elements, and implementation factors. Contemporary practice increasingly ties TQM to sustainability (triple bottom line), extending quality tools beyond performance to environmental and social outcomes (Silvestri et al., 2024).
Technique Overview
Total Quality Management Definition
Total quality management (TQM) is a modern approach to the management of the whole organisation that emphasises the role of quality in meeting the needs and expectations of its customers. TQM stresses the need for the whole company to manage quality at every stage of production and interaction with the customer (Lynch, 2006). In practice, many organisations operationalise TQM through formal quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001:2015) that embed process orientation, risk-based thinking and PDCA (ISO, 2015).
Total Quality Management Description *
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Business Evidence
Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Total Quality Management *
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Business Application
Implementation, success factors and measures of Total Quality Management *
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Professional Tools
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Further Reading
Total Quality Management web and print resources *
Total Quality Management references (4 of up to 20) *
- AD Ports Group (2025) ‘AD Ports Group awarded 15 EFQM international recognitions’. Available at: https://www.adportsgroup.com/en/news-and-media/2025/01/08/ad-ports-group-efqm-awards (Accessed: 10 August 2025).
- Antony, J. and Banuelas, R. (2002) Key Ingredients for the Effective Implementation of Six Sigma Program. Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 6(4), pp. 20-27.
- Besterfield, D.H., Besterfield-Michna, C., Besterfield, G.H., Besterfield-Sacre, M., Urdhwareshe, H. and Urdhwareshe, R. (2011) Total Quality Management. Pearson, New Delhi.
- BSI (2024) ‘Hydraulics Online: Underpin customer trust with ISO 9001 certification’. Available at: https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/insights-and-media/insights/case-studies/hydraulics-online-underpin-customer-trust-with-iso-9001-certification/ (Accessed: 10 August 2025).
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