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With thoughtfulness and practice, most good managers can substantially increase their leadership capabilities. TQM leadership requires a manager to: .
- Provide an inspiring vision and actively guide transformation. .
- Ensure strategic directions are clearly defined and understood. .
- Instill shared values that correctly guide subordinates behavior. .
- Establish objectives or targets and performance indicators. .
- Require improvement action plans, and review progress vs plans. .
- Participate actively in improvement processes. .
- Be driven by a passion to delight the customer. .
- Share knowledge about company plans and status. .
- Inspire, guide, coach, and support subordinates. .
- Provide recognition frequently and immediately.
The best leaders ensure that their subordinates have the experience, training, knowledge and understanding to do their jobs effectively. They can then "work for them" providing guidance assistance and support as needed. The best leaders are, in effect, servants of their people (Sirkin, 1993). .
TQM is a system of continuous improvement employing participative management and centered on the needs of customers (Jurow & Barnard, 1993). Key components of TQM are employee involvement and training, problem-solving teams, statistical methods, long-term goals and thinking, and recognition that the system, not people, produces inefficiencies (Jurow & Barnard, 1993). Libraries can benefit from TQM in three ways: breaking down interdepartmental barriers; redefining the beneficiaries of library services as internal customers (staff) and external customers (patrons); and reaching a state of continuous improvement (Jurow & Barnard, 1993).
The idea of TQM was originally developed by W. Edwards Demming an industrial engineer investigating problems of quality control. While working at the Hawthorne plant of AT&T's subsidiary, Western Electric Deming observed the production of telephone switching equipment and hardware.
