Professional Documents
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Contemporary Approaches To Management
Contemporary Approaches To Management
Ebora
CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare
Contemporary Approaches to Management
I.
Introduction
In managing an organization, there comes a diversity of point of views depending on what particular
aspect of the organization one has to address. It has been a point of discussion on what way should one
manage an organization. Approaches to management have different point of views to ponder upon. The
following discusses the approaches of the early years to contemporary approaches.
II.
III.
Contemporary Approaches
a. Total Quality Management (TQM)
i. Description
Dam (2010) described Total Quality Management (TQM) as set of practices of
management in an organization gearing towards a consistent satisfaction from the costumers
where their expectations are met or exceeded. Moreover, TQM has stress on process
measurement and controls as means of improving continuously.
Rouse (2005), defined TQM as a comprehensive and structured approach to
organizational management that seeks to improve the quality of products and services through
ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback. (searchio.com).
TQM was believed to be first used in the Japanese companies. According to Heverly (1992)
as cited in Hazzard (1993), Japanese companies used TQM in an effort to reach and sustain having
a competitive edge. However, it actually began with American and British statisticians who,
according to the author, developed statistical quality control methods to support Allied efforts
during World War II. Following the war, W. Edward Deming convinced the Japanese that an
emphasis on quality would produce benefits in productivity (Hazzard, 1993, p.6).
TQM processes are divided into four sequential categories. Rouse (2005) described it as
PDCA cycle. PDCA means Plan-Do-Check-Act. Others described it as PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) but
they explain the same thought. In the planning phase, people define the problem to be
addressed, collect relevant data, and ascertain the problem's root cause; in the doing phase,
people develop and implement a solution, and decide upon a measurement to gauge its
effectiveness; in the checking phase, people confirm the results through before-and-after data
comparison; in the acting phase, people document their results, inform others about process
changes, and make recommendations for the problem to be addressed in the next PDCA cycle.
(searchio.com).
iii. Weaknesses
On the other hand, Dam (2013), gave us disadvantages of TQM:
Initial introduction costs- training workers and disrupting current production
whilst being implemented
Benefits may not be seen for several years
Workers may be resistant to change- may feel less secure in jobs
Also, Hazzard (1993) presented his weaknesses of TQM:
b. Super 5 S Program
i. Description
5S (five-step) is a simple tool for organizing your workplace in a clean, efficient and safe
manner to enhance your productivity, visual management and to ensure the introduction of
standardized working. (leanmanufacturingtools.org). According to Imai (1986), the 5S
movements derived it name from the initials of five Japanese words that start with s (p.233).
5S is a five-step process in which each step is prerequisite for the next step. One cannot proceed
to step 2 without accomplishing step 1 and goes the same to the other steps.
The five steps are Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke. Thus, the name 5S emerged.
To maintain the 5S pattern, their English counterparts also start with the letter s. (
SEIRI
The first step is the seiri. The English counterpart of it is to sort. It is often
regarded as red-tagging. It is called as such for it calls for simple putting of red tag
for those things not needed for work.
Sorting is a two part process. First, the unneeded things should be
identified and second, the identified things undergo through evaluation and
disposition by management.
SEITON
The second of the five steps is the seiton or set in order. After the removal
of the unneeded things, this is the process of taking the remaining items and
arranging them in an efficient manner.
At this point of the whole process, there will be more extra space since
there are removal of unneeded things done at the first step.
SEISO
Third, there is seiso or sweep/shine/scrub. This the process in which there
is a thorough cleaning of the area, tools and other equipment. This is to ensure
that they are returned to a nearly new status. This process is done so that any
non-conformity will be noticed easily.
SEIKETSU
Seiketsu o standardizing is the fourth step in 5S. This is the process to
ensure that what is done in the first three steps are standardizedthere is a
common ways of working. Without a clear standard, there is no way to create
accountability, monitor adherence or make improvement.
SHITSUKE
The last step is shitsuke or sustain. This process is to ensure that an
institution continues to continually improve using the previous stages of the 5S.
Increases in productivity:
o Reduces lead times thereby improving product delivery times
o Reduces equipment downtime, maintenance and cycle time
o Improves daily and shift startup times and reduces changeover time
o Reduces the amount of time wasted searching for tools and equipment
Increases in quality:
o Improves quality by reducing the amount of errors/defects
o Implements standardization thereby achieving output consistency
o The pleasantries of the simplified work environment increases employee
moral
Reduction in cost:
o Provides cost-savings by reducing inventory, storage fees and space
requirements
o Improves safety thereby reducing the cost of worker injuries
o Reduces the amount of scrap thereby reducing production cost
iii. Weaknesses
According to Stephenson (n.d.), there are several weakness of 5S program:
Resistance to change
Not addressing problems in the workplace
Lack of management support
Misunderstanding of what 5S accomplishes
c. Kaisen Suggestion System (KSS)
i. Description
Kaizen is defined as improvement. Most of the times, Kaizen is described as improvement
involving everyone. Management involves two concepts: improvement and maintenance.
Maintenance refers to the activities directed towards maintaining the current standards.
Standards are maintained through training and discipline. On the other hand, improvement refers
to the activities directed towards improving current standards. (Imai, 1986, p.5).
In talking about improvement, innovation and Kaizen are the two concepts to be
considered. Kaizen signifies the small improvement made to the status quo as a result of on-going
efforts, while innovation signifies the drastic improvement to the status quo as a result of large
investments. (Imai, 1986, p.6).
While management focuses on productivity and quality, Kaizen remains on the other side
of the picture. Whatever improvements are made in business, it is for the improvement of
productivity and quality. Improvement starts in the recognition of need which comes from the
Aside from these, suggestion systems provide an opportunity for the workers to speak
out with their supervisors as well as among themselves (p.114). Moreover, suggestion systems
provide an opportunity for the management to help workers deal with problems making the
suggestion systems valuable opportunity for a two-way communication and for workers selfdevelopment. (p.114)
iii. Weaknesses
There are several disadvantages of having a Kaizen suggestion system: (Final Kaizen,
slideshare.com)
It is difficult to achieve kaizen in practice, because it requires a complete change
in attitude and culture, and needs the energy and commitment of all employees.
It also requires a substantial investment of time..
It is difficult to maintain enthusiasm for several reasons
Some people see Kaizen as a threat to their jobs.
A lot of poor ideas tend to be put forward as well as good ones, which can be demotivating
By implication, there is complete satisfaction
Continuous improvement is not sufficient on its own, major innovations are also
needed. There is a danger of becoming evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
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