Total quality management in professional services: an examination. Part 2

Abstract

A study has been made of eight organizations which employ a large number of professionals to examine how they have approached the introduction of total quality management (TQM). Among the main findings are that: TQM is not easily understood by professional people and is often difficult to introduce owing to the autonomous nature of professionals, some of whom view the concept as patronizing; for a TQM initiative to be successful it must be introduced and developed using a committed management who fully understand the concept and can apply it to the complex work patterns of professional staff; and the basic elements required to develop a strategy for introducing TQM in professional services were identified as customers, culture and structure. Also points out that a TQM framework/model which is specific to professional services is needed to help managers understand the various aspects of TQM, how they fit together, and the complexities of the concept. This study is presented in two parts, the first of which can be found in MSQVol. 5 No. 4.

Citation

Harte, H.G. and Dale, B.G. (1995), "Total quality management in professional services: an examination. Part 2", Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 5 No. 5, pp. 43-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604529510100396