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Adapting Total Quality Management (TQM) to Government

Item

Title

Adapting Total Quality Management (TQM) to Government

Abstract/Description

Is total quality management (TQM) useful for public sector organizations? James E. Swiss argues that the orthodox form of TQM expressed in the works of W. Edwards Deming and others will not work well in government agencies for a variety of reasons. Among other factors limiting the usefulness of orthodox TQM for public sector agencies is the stress on products rather than services, on well defined consumer groups, on inputs and processes rather than results, and on an organization culture with a single-minded preoccupation with quality. Swiss does, however, see more hope for a contribution if a limited "reform TQM" approach is adopted. Adopting major features of the more orthodox approach, reform TQM would emphasize client feedback, performance monitoring, continuous improvement, and worker participation.

Author/creator

Date

Volume

52

Issue

4

Pages

356-62

Resource type

Research/Scholarly Media

Resource status/form

Published Text

Scholarship genre

Synthesis/Overview

Open access/full-text available

No

Peer reviewed

Yes

ISSN

0033-3352

Citation

Swiss, J. E. (1992). Adapting Total Quality Management (TQM) to Government. Public Administration Review, 52(4), 356–362.

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