| Summary: | Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University === PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. === The case reported is a study of the effort to implement a Total Quality Management (TQM program in a four-year state university during the 1990's. The study addresses the question: "How did the rigor of the implementation effort, from both content and a process perspectives, affect the degree of success?" The findings provide insight into the following questions:
1. How consistent was the content of the implementation with the classic
dimensions of TQM?
2. How well did the implementation follow a classic change
mobilization process?
3. To what extent was TQM ultimately institutionalized in the
university?
Inferences are drawn about which elements of TQM content and process have the most significant impact on change. Models for analysis include the Shiba TQM content-and- process model and the McKinsey 7 -S model. The latter sets forth the elements typically affecting and affected by a significant organizational change. They include strategy, structure, systems, style, staff, skills, and shared values.
The TQM outcomes achieved at the university are contrasted with the McKinsey ideal-type and found to be deficient in most respects. The rigor of the university's efforts are also examined in relation to the Shiba TQM model. The results indicate that while the university's TQM program had some strengths, the overall attempt to change did not rigorously follow the Shiba model and, therefore, did not impact many of the elements of organization in a significant way.
The analysis reveals the most significant weaknesses from a TQM process perspective were the lack of significant CEO involvement, lack of organized goal-setting, sporadic diffusion of success stories, and an absence of careful diagnosis and monitoring. While training and promotion are essential to an organizational change program, effective goal-setting, a supportive organizational context and the rigorous review of implementation through diagnosis and monitoring may have more impact on the effective institutionalization of TQM.
From a content perspective, the absence of a systematic continuous improvement effort was the greatest weakness of the program. The rigorous use of the scientific method is an integral aspect of the TQM methodology. Its omission makes the rigorous implementation of other elements extremely difficult. === 2031-01-01
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