2.8.

HR and Communications Aspects of Implementing TQM HR and communications are significant factors that determine the effectiveness a nd successful implementation of TQM, and the manner in which management deals wi th and communicate with employees reactions and perceptions of changes that are bro ught about or perceived to be brought about due to the TQM process directly impa cts the stress and anxiety levels of employees. These anxieties such as fears of redundancies should be effectively in order to allay fears and thereby enhance employee performance which can improve performance levels and thereby greatly im prove performance levels and the success (Ivancevich, et al., 1987). TQM implementations are times of great uncertainty for employees. It has been sh own that it is during these times of uncertainty that employees pay much more at tention to communication detail and they are bound to resort to other means of g etting information which are often times inaccurate when there is not enough or accurate communications forthcoming from HR and management. In fact it has been shown that a proper and adequate communication channel between employees and HR is vital as it gives the notion that the company cares that much about the emplo yees and it enables the employees to trust that the company has their interests at heart and will do everything possible to ensure a continuity of job security and that anyone who loses their jobs as a result of the merger will be properly compensated and taken care of. The increased communication between management and the employees during the hig hest uncertainty period shows management concern for the employees which is in t urn reciprocated ( (Schweiger, et al., 1991). In fact, a study by (Napier, et al ., 1989) showed conclusively that not only is increased and effective communicat ions mandatory, but that communications is never adequate and should be continuo us and that for it to be effective it has to be hierarchical in that there shoul d be targeted information for different tiers of employees in the company (Napie r et al. (1989) to ensure effectiveness. The concept of human resources that ensures that employees welfare is taken care of is as old as the term human resource management itself (Mabey, et al., 2001)The effective management of people of which communications plays a huge part has be en the subject of the search of effective management techniques and the emergenc e of management gurus. TQM play a vital role as strategic tools in dealing with particular business changes based on various motives such as being used for grow th, technology improvement, customer base enlargement and satisfaction. However , irrespective of whether it is widely a accepted strategic option to solve busi ness problem, it has become evident that the majority of the TQM implementations do not succeed. According to Very (2004) more than half of the TQM implementation failed to real ise their primary objective due to a lack of due diligence in terms of limited H R communication issues. The reason of for the failure in achieving their target goal was a result of managerial approach involved. This leads to implementation failures irrespective of the good and sound strategy and professionalism involv ed in the process. The human capital also needs to be considered in order to com pliment and support financial and human capital, which are major success factors for M&. 2.9. The Role of Due Diligence It is paramount that there is a thorough consideration of issues relating to TQM in order for a successful implementation. It is important that factors that inf luence the success or otherwise of TQM implementation be investigated and examin ed with due diligence (Bertoncelj and Kovac, 2007) to ensure success (Okafor 200 5). The importance of corporate culture in any merger TQM implementation is crit ical given that every company or firm has its own different corporate culture an d strategy which guides the operation of the company. Additionally, it is import ant to clearly map out areas for examination and analysis to make sure that the vital areas are covered in order to guarantee a successful implementation (Carey , 2000). These include the analysis of the strength and weaknesses of the top ma nagement as well as the nature of their operations (Jensen, 1982), in addition t o all financial aspects of firms, the corporate culture, key talents and the pro

blems (Carey, 2000).