Adapting Total Quality Management (TQM) to Government

Another Point of View

Bibliographic Data

ID6366173
AuthorsWilliam V Rago (corresponding author)
Year1994
Volume54
Issue1
Pages61-61
Publication date1994-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Administration Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3352 • E-ISSN: 1540-6210
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.2307/976499
OpenAlexW2331515015
LanguageEN
Citations received6

In a thought-provoking article, Swiss (1992, p. 358) argued that TQM is strikingly ill suited to the government environment, requiring modification if it is to be useful in this environment. In advancing his argument, Swiss identifies four major problems with Deming's (1986) industrial-sector-developed TQM (what he refers to as orthodox TQM) that is the basis of this incompatibility. In this article, I agree with Swiss's premise that an adaptation of TQM is necessary for the government organization, but argue that the reasons for adaptation are not necessarily those stated by Swiss. The experience of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR) with TQM over the last two years suggests that a different set of problems are more important. After a discussion of the problems identified by Swiss, this alternative set of problems is presented along with a discussion of their implications for government service organizations

Business · Economics · Government (linguistics · Operations management · Point (geometry · Process management · Quality (philosophy · Total quality management · Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life · Marketing · Mathematics · Philosophy · Quality and Management Systems · Quality and Supply Management

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