A rose by any other name: TQM in higher education

Abstract

Understanding quality and its relevance to higher educationThe impact of quality on reputation is nowhere more marked than in higher education. Indeed, reputation is the most important -and marketable -good of every higher education institution (HEI): "Ours is a reputational business -an enterprise whose revenues are driven by the perception and substance of its reputation for quality and the skill with which that reputation is marketed" (Tulane University, 1989).Since no one has yet satisfactorily defined or measured quality, the marketing of quality remains problematic. Most HEIs are highly complex entities, both in their objectives and in their structure: they possess or are perceived as possessing different kinds and levels of "quality". TQM provides a set of techniques through which the difficult concept of quality can be approached.HEIs have been quoted as examples of "professional bureaucracies" by Mintzberg (1983) and as comprising departments lacking "the appropriate structure for proper decision making, problem solving, strategic planning, team building, market analysis and professional development of both individuals and the department itself" (Gray, 1989). They traditionally operate in ways not conducive to the goals of TQM: they discourage the active leadership and management of themselves, the concept of the customer is problematic because there are different customers, the student-as-customer is to be evaluated as well as serviced, individuals' achievements are ranked above their contributions to teamwork, there are insufficient rewards and sanctions for variable levels of performance, and change is difficult to implement.HEIs may differ from business organizations in that, for many of their members, excellence in satisfying the needs of the student-as-customer is not the most important form of excellence. Quality of output and reputation in academic research are most likely to be valued in many HEIs. Even if the concept of the customer were agreed, many academic staff would still be uncomfortable with the priority which TQM gives to the customer's needs. When performance measurement and quality assurance are added to the process, TQM may be perceived as alien and inappropriately demanding. The lan-13

Level of Total Quality Management Adoption in Qatari Educational Institutions: Private and Semi-Government Sector

“…However, literature has indicated that educational institutions have been lagging behind other organizations in their Total Quality culture (TQ culture; Bolton, 1995;Singh et al, 2008;Sirvanci, 2004). An organization with a total quality culture is an organization that has a clear set of values and beliefs that foster total quality behavior.…”

“…Managers have the power and authority to determine the organizational strategy, systems, policies, and operating procedures. If management does not understand the total quality concept, then their influences on the behavior of employees and the level of support for quality issues and improvements programs may be detrimental (Atkinson, 1990;Bolton, 1995;Sirvanci, 2004). When a cross tabulation was constructed and respondents were classified into institutional levels (Table 5), it was further established that respondents from the primary institutions seem to have implemented or planned TQM better (about 43% responded "Yes" while 36% responded "No") and showed a higher percentage or better awareness and understanding of TQM in terms of knowing the purpose of TQM (64% responding "Yes" and 7% "No") compared to the secondary (40% responding "Yes" and 27% responding "No") and tertiary institutions (46% responding "Yes" and 27% responding "No").…”

“…When students are seen as the product in process role, the hard elements such as student learning results will be critical. Thus, HE is expected to improve its products (i.e., students) and provide services even if students would prefer to avoid (e.g., foundation courses) and modify them rather than satisfy their needs (Bolton, 1995). When students receive service (knowledge) from their instructors, they are seen as the laborers in the learning process role and are expected simultaneously to work and exert effort in order to learn the material by various means of hard elements such as completing projects, term papers, and preparing for tests.…”

“…Consequently, the drivers for change have influenced the way day-to-day business is carried out in academic institutions and many of these institutions began to adopt Total Quality Management (TQM; Bolton, 1995;Hides, Davis, & Jackson, 2004;Sahney, Banwet, & Karunes, 2004a;Yeo 2008). TQM offers Correspondence should be addressed to Nick-Naser Manochehri, Community College of Qatar, P.O.…”

A framework for Six Sigma project selection in higher educational institutions, using a weighted scorecard approach

“…These include difficulty measuring the educational product, a wide variety of viewpoints and the focus on seeking funding for university programs. Additional issues from an earlier study include unclear definition of the customer, inability to measure educational products, focus on individual work and lack of commitment to change (Bolton, 1995).…”