See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/259479704

Eight quality management principles - practical context

Chapter · January 2010

CITATIONS READS

2 3,508

1 author:

Agnieszka Misztal
Poznan University of Technology
45 PUBLICATIONS   114 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Determinants of success the quality management systems implementation View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Agnieszka Misztal on 30 December 2013.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Chapter X

EIGHT QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

- PRACTICAL CONTEXT

Agnieszka MISZTAL*

1. INTRODUCTION

Quality management principles determine the attitude of the enterprise and his
employees to general problems of the quality. Their influence on the quality is long-
term, determines the strategy of the development of the enterprise [10]. Principles are
establishing main objectives and tasks of the quality policy. They cause that every
action is actually justified and directed. Principles can constitute the set of pointers
concerning shaping relationships in the entire enterprise. They can also be directed in
particular at employees in specific departments enterprises.
Quality management principles which today we know were worked out by many
theorists and practitioners [3, 9]. To most important from them belong:
• E.W. Deming and his 14 principles,
• J.M. Juran and his 10 principles,
• P.B. Crosby, his principle „zero defects” and 4 assumptions.
Continuators of this „three fathers of the quality” in the area of quality principles
were:
• W.E. Conway and his 6 recommendations for managers in the destination of
the quality improvement.
• A.V. Feigenbaum, his principles of comprehensive quality management and
principles of the strategy and motivating in the management.
• K. Ishikawa i his suggestion to applying elementary tools of quality steering,
quality circles and quality management principles.
• G. Taguchi and his principles of the evaluation and the minimization of quali-
ty losses, using the method of planning experiments in quality improvement.

*
Poznan University of Technology, Faculty of Management Engineering
126 Agnieszka MISZTAL

2. INTERPRETATION OF CONTEMPORARY QUALITY

MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

Quality management principles delineated in the ISO 9000 norm constitute the
result of collective experience and measurable successes of the organization. They
were specified generally. It enables entrepreneurs to interpret them for the purpos-
es of different activities.
These eight quality management principles was put together not in the random
order. When exactly we read carefully into details, we can notice that next princi-
ples constitute so to speak consecutive stages of the maturity and awareness en-
terprises in the area of quality management. They are arranging themselves in the
logical sequence:
1) firstly manager is focusing his attention on the customer (he is trying to
specify the requirement, and then to satisfy them),
2) when customer focus is clearly directed, manager is starting ca ring about
his sources – most important from them these are human resources; he is
trying to motivate employees in two ways:
• based on trusted leaders which are creating the friendly atmosphere and
are spurring into action,
• by making aware each of employees is performing the important role,
by creating the responsibility for commissioned action connected with
regarding as results the work,
3) having stores allows for effective managing them including them as the el-
ement of:
• processes (entries, exits and action processing them),
• system (relations between functioning processes),
4) functioning system of processes cannot stay in the status quo, so:
• he is subject to continual improvement,
• decision making is relying on facts resulting from action of system,
5) only when the system efficiently is functioning in the Deming circle, the
manager can take care of relations with suppliers (add a link in the chain).
Five levels of the maturity of organization were described in the figure 10.1.
Levels in the 10.1 picture on purpose were separated. It often happens, that man-
agers having a quality management system are stopping on the first level. Cus-
tomer focus constitutes for him a most important and sole factor of the company's
success. His attitude to employees is negative, employees aren't feeling satisfac-
tion from the work. The style of management is far from the leadership. In such a
situation it isn't able correctly to manage processes. Keeping the relation remains
exclusively in the theory of documentation.
Each of levels should one by one be achieved, only then it will be possible to say
about a mature organization and fully managing a quality.
Every of above principles below was interpreted.
 EIGHT QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES – PRACTICAL CONTEXT 127

Fig. 10.1. Five levels of maturity of organization in quality management systems

(own research)

Customer focus
Organizations depend on their customers and therefore should understand cur-
rent and future customer needs, should meet customer requirements and strive to
exceed customer expectations [11].
It is necessary to start action allowing to understand needs of customers and the
other interested parties. One should establish methods of the cooperation with the
customer, measuring the degree of his satisfaction from get products or services
and of competent using this information. To ensure all customer requirements and
expectations they are capturing and considering during design of major projects, a
new process for communicating with customers need to be developing. The coop-
eration with the customer should include the availability of the information about
the organization, her products and processes. The customer should have a simple
access to employees and managements [1].

Leadership
Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organization. They
should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become
fully involved in achieving the organization’s objectives [11].
Managing in the modern organization is based on leading people. The soil of
the management is vast in this area. How A. Hamrol is summoning: achieving
success in quality management only depends in about 10% from the technical
128 Agnieszka MISZTAL

equipment, in about 40% from the technology and as far as in the 50% from peo-
ple and the management style. The leadership means that the principal manage-
ment should in the consistent way establish the strategy, objectives and directions
of action of the organization and he should also create and to keep internal condi-
tions, in which employees can fully commit themselves to the realization of aims
of the organization. The leader should plan individual action and support subordi-
nates in their realization. Also establishing right structure, responsibility, internal
communication and controlling action in order to guarantee the permanent devel-
opment are included in tasks of the management [2, 4, 7]. Deming already during
it lectures in the USA said, that leader [6]:
1) understands, how the work of the group corresponds to purposes of the company,
2) thinking about earlier and more late phases of the given process,
3) is trying to create such conditions of the work in order to give them joy for
everyone,
4) is a coach and an adviser, rather than a judge,
5) He is using numbers in order better to understand one's people,
6) is busy improving the system, in which he is acting along with his people,
7) is arousing the confidence,
8) isn't awaiting the excellence,
9) is listening and is studying,
10) enables employees to perform their tasks.

Involvement of people
People at all levels are the essence of an organization and their full involve-
ment enables their abilities to be used for the organization’s benefit [11].
One should shape it are accepting people which understand meaning of their
contribution and the role in the organization, appearing of problems and are bear-
ing responsibility for untying them. Such people perceive the personal purposes as
consistent with the aims of the organization. They actively are seeking the chance
for expanding their competence. As a result they are justified, employed and asso-
ciated with the organization, are demonstrating the innovation and the creativity
[2, 8]. This principle is being regarded (apart from the professionalism, the avail-
ability of stores and the organization of the work) as one of basic conditions of
getting the high quality of action and products [4].

Process approach
A desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related re-
sources are managed as a process [11].
The organization is concentrating on processes carried out in it, and require-
ments of the customer are perceived as the sum of results in the chain of process-
es. Individual activities have clearly determined objectives, are being planned, and
the quality of carrying them out is measured, looked through and improved in
connecting with other organizations [4, 5].
 EIGHT QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES – PRACTICAL CONTEXT 129

System approach to management

Identifying, understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system
contributes to the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its ob-
jectives [11].
Companies often operate as a collection of little kingdoms rather than one co-
hesive organization. It is important in order to identify connections between divi-
sions and processes. These connections should be looked after and corrected. Re-
ports between divisions are attesting to the level of input data for another processes.

Continual improvement
Continual improvement of the organization’s overall performance should be a
permanent objective of the organization [11].
It is possible to understand improving as an undertaking taken in order to get
fringe benefits both for the organization, and for her customers. It can concern
improving action and products. It should be a priority motive for all action and
processes directed to strengthening and development of the entire organization [4,
5]. The process of continual improving consists in using arrangements withdrawn
from audits, results of measurements, data analyses, decision on management re-
view and conducting corrective and preventive action. They are techniques and
tools of constant improving among others [8]: benchmarking, brainstorm, diagram
of the blood relationship, cause-and-effect diagram, flowchart, control chart, his-
togram, Pareto chart, diagram of dispersing etc.

Factual approach to decision making

Effective decision are based on the analysis of data and information [11].
At making a decision one should be based on analysis all accessible, current and veri-
fied information. Level of taken decisions depends on the amount and the quality of
data. To this purpose one should establish systems of collecting, registering, pro-
cessing and archiving different data, in it also about statistical character [4, 5, 8].

Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

An organization and its suppliers are interdependent and a mutually beneficial
and relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.
The organization should appropriately select suppliers. It should establish the
mutually advantageous long-term cooperation and the system of announcing and
assisting based on the mutual benefit with them. Quality of suppliers is deciding
on the quality of the final product of organization. With the supplier to base the
partner relationship oneself should on the opened information exchange and the
mutual confidence, as well as on sharing both benefits, and the risk. Defining and
documenting requirements suppliers, classifying them and the opened information
exchange is essential.
130 Agnieszka MISZTAL

3. PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF APPLYING QUALITY MANAGEMENT

PRINCIPLES

Principles determine scarcely attitude of the enterprise to individual elements

of quality management. They often manifest itself in the form of measurable ac-
tivities or behaviors, although not always consciously are comprehended as re-
flecting the given approach. At the same time the incomplete acquaintance of
quality management principles causes, that applying them is held intuitively. The
practical approach towards quality management principles constitutes the reply to
guidelines for improving. Enterprises are standing out from of the ones about the
higher quality awareness. In the table 10.1 practical examples of the activity, be-
haviours and features observed in over 20 examined enterprises were presented
along with the division into blocks corresponding to interpretation of next principles.

Tab. 10.1. Practical examples of applying quality management principles (own research)

Principle Interpretation Practical examples

1. CUSTOMER a) to identify and -leaving intuitive identifying needs of the cus-
FOCUS to understand tomer
current and fu- -wide using publicity materials
ture needs of the -audits conducted by customers
customer -integration meetings with customers
-practicing the individual adviser
-applying questionnaire forms and interviews
-participating in the fair and exhibitions -care
of good communication with customers
-infoline for customers
-kind service of the customer
-simulating proposed solutions for the customer
-extended working time convenient for cus-
tomers
b) to meet identi- -extending payment deadlines
fied require- -full service of the customer
ments -customers are participating in crucial mo-
ments of service provision / of production
(their approval)
-e-mail notifying of the status the order
- convenient location of the enterprise
- individual offers
- possibility of turnabout of the product in case
of non-execution of requirements
- after-sales service
- beauty of inside of customer service
- compensations in case of customer complaint
 EIGHT QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES – PRACTICAL CONTEXT 131

Principle Interpretation Practical examples

c) to strive to -shortening the completion date
exceed customer -loyalty programs
expectations -Newsletter and updated website
-inspecting the market
- samples of new products
-Benchmarking
- keeping up with the technological progress
and effects of the competition (constant
change of expectations of the customer)
- a wide range and his diversity
- accessible conditions of customer complaint
and service
- possibility of placing an order by Internet
- access to documents (specifications, tech-
nical approvals, certificates and the like) and
of records (forms of customer complaint) on
the website
-gifts proving about serious treating the cus-
tomer (calendars, Christmas cards)
-attaching to the base product the sample of
other product
-shipment of catalogues
-coffee for customers of customer service
2. LEADERSHIP a) employees - searching for employees standing out with
about leadership leadership qualities (communicative, objective,
qualities should arousing the confidence, credible, honest,
be on organiza- opened to employees, self-confident believes
tional ranks into it abilities, authority, having charisma,
professionalism, ability of negotiation in the
team, ability to seek alternatives)
- promoting the career through the bright
path (internal enrolment at managerial posi-
tions)
- moving away from managerial positions per-
sons which turned out to be individualists
b) leaders create -solving a problem by conversations
and maintain the -determining patterns of behaviors and creat-
internal envi- ing the organizational culture
ronment in -opened communication with employees
which people -transparent establishing tasks, entitlements
can become fully and responsibility
involved in - inspiring, the incentive to act
achieving the -democratic style of directing
organization’s -appreciating the contribution of employees to
objectives quality creating / oral praise
132 Agnieszka MISZTAL

Principle Interpretation Practical examples

-enforcing bright and legible regulations
-applying the principle of social justice
-propagating the team work
-condemning the rivalry amongst employees
for their interaction
-clear and legible orders of superiors
-recognizing towards employees even in the
private sphere (congratulations to the birth of
a child, marriage ceremony, memory about the
birthday, supporting at problems)
3. INVOLVE- a) to explain -opened communication with employees (situ-
MENT OF PEO- employees the ation of the enterprise, of market etc.)
PLE facts of life to -involving employees into problem solving
about the being -making aware for liabilities for results of the
of action every own work
of even a subdi- -propagating the self-reliance
vision in the -allotting tasks in accordance with competence
enterprise and abilities
-accounting from brightly put purposes
b) showing the -agreeing with employees on crucial decisions
importance em- -ensuring the access to the education and
ployees trainings
-worth social protection
-worth environment of the work (ergonomics,
health and safety at work and fire-prevention,
modern equipping positions)
-integration events
-psychological contract (evaluation of em-
ployee development, establishing his expecta-
tions towards the employer)
4. PROCESS a) process is a -determining main and support processes
APPROACH basic unit of -determining purposes for every process
management -determining processes for everyone: given
entrance, given initial, essential sources, liabil-
ities, documents and records
-establishing the course of the process provid-
ing achieving his purpose (at considering well-
tried methods)
-determining measures of processes effective-
ness
-drawing up documentation establishing
course of processes
b) process ma- -evaluation of the ability of processes (rather
nagement than of workplace) and improving them (based
on statistical tools, measures of processes)
 EIGHT QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES – PRACTICAL CONTEXT 133

Principle Interpretation Practical examples

-decisions concerning the process are being
taken on level of owner/leader of process
-tasks for workplaces are projects improving
processes (about the determined completion
date)
-distinct leaving workplaces management
5. SYSTEM a) to understand -determining the mutual order of processes
APPROACH TO an interrelation- and relations between them
MANAGEMENT ships between -reducing barriers between departments for the
processes of the interaction
system -streamlining internal communication (internal
electronic messengers, slips of paper on no-
ticeboards, timetables etc.)
-applying procedures of the circulation of
documents and the information between de-
partments
-creating the simple access to documents (e.g.
putting them in determined place on the serv-
er)
-electronic documents management (computer
assisting the management)
-team work
-awareness of employees that a level of anoth-
er process depends on the level of the exit
from one process
6. CONTINUAL a) to search in -human resources (trainings, health and safety
IMPROVEMENT every area for of workstations, studying organization)
enterprises of -products (innovations, technologies, changes
directions of in regulations, investigation and development)
improving -processes (support systems, level of the con-
trol and self-assessments)
-customer service (comfort of cooperation of
the customer with the enterprise, simple com-
munication, elasticity, opening on customer
audits, extending the offer)
-infrastructure (innovations)
7. FACTUAL AP- a) to collect data - measurement the conformity of the product
PROACH TO which will serve (protocols, reports, results of measurements
DECISION MAK- accurate taking the characteristics of the product, reports of
ING decision the disagreement, records from the customer
complaint of the customer)
-measurement of processes (real values
of measures of processes, results of internal
and outside audits)
134 Agnieszka MISZTAL

Principle Interpretation Practical examples

- measurement of customer satisfaction (rec-
ords of acceptance, questionnaire forms, vol-
umes of the sale)
b) to use data - computer data analysis
and make a deci- - exploiting statistical techniques (descriptive
sion on their statistics)
base - eliminating the intuition at the stocktaking
8. MUTUALLY a) awareness of - common bank of experience
BENEFICIAL the double-sided - inspiring and recognizing improvements and
SUPPLIER RE- relation among achievements of suppliers
LATIONSHIPS the enterprise - clear and opened communication
and his suppliers - timely regulating commitment
- elasticity of the cooperation and supporting
the supplier in case of problems
- a durable cooperation (certainty of orders for
the supplier)
- integration events
- conducting developmental and improving
joint undertakings

Examples presented in the table 10.1 aren't using up the possibility of interpret-
ing and applying quality management principles. However they are an attempt of
showing managers even small activities can constitute which taking back to quali-
ty management.

4. CONCLUSIONS

Applying quality management principles in the enterprise can considerably

contribute to his success. It is important so that these principles are applied per-
manently. Declarations used only for the purposes of the certification and remain-
ing in the theory are bringing no positive effects. Only taught and still repeated
activities in accordance with discussed principles allow for automatic improving
processes and products. They can be for example behaviors quoted in the article,
but of ways and ideas for using quality management principles exist much.

REFERENCES

[1] Baranzelli J.D., The Road to Improvement, Quality Progress 41/8, 2008.
[2] Dearing J., ISO 9001: Could It Be Better?, Quality Progress 40/2, 2007.
[3] Duffy G.L., Payne G.C. a. o., 10 Quality Basics, Quality Progress 40/6, 2007.
 EIGHT QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES – PRACTICAL CONTEXT 135

[4] Hamrol A., Zarządzanie jakością z przykładami, PWN, Warszawa 2005.

[5] Kleniewski A.: Osiem zasad zarządzania jakością. Problemy Jakości nr1/2003, Wydawnic-
two Sigma-Not, Warszawa 2003.
[6] Latzko W.J., Saunders D.M., Cztery dni z dr Demingiem. Nowoczesna teoria zarządzania,
WNT, Warszawa 1998.
[7] Myszewski J.M., Po prostu jakość. Podręcznik zarządzania jakością, Wydawnictwa Akade-
mickie i Profesjonalne, Warszawa 2009.
[8] Prussak W., Zarządzanie jakością: wybrane elementy, Wyd. PP, Poznań 2003
[9] Reid R.D., From Deming to ISO 9000:2000, Quality Progress 34/6, 2001.
[10] Sęp J., Pacana A., Metody i narzędzia zarządzania jakością, Oficyna Wydawnicza Politech-
niki Rzeszowskiej, Rzeszów 2001.
[11] ISO 9000:2005 Quality management systems. Requirements, International Organization for
Standardization, Genève 2005.

View publication stats