Total Quality Management and Its Implementations in Library Services: An Overview

Raj BalaResearch Scholar,

Deptt. Of Lib.& Inf.Science,Mahatma Gandhi Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya

Chitrakoot,Distt.Satna (M.P.)Email: rajgaur1975@gmail.com

Dr. U. C. SharmaDeptt of Library Sc & Manuscriphtology

Dr B R Ambedkar UniversityAgra, (U.P.)

Dr. R. P. BajpaiDeptt. Of Lib.& Inf.Science,

Mahatma Gandhi Gramodya VishwavidyalayaChitrakoot,Distt.Satna (M.P.)

Dr. M. M. A. AnsariDr. Zakir Husain Library

Jamia Millia Islamia, New DelhiEmail: mmansari29@gmail.com

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of total quality management (TQM) in the context of library services. This article discusses the evaluation principles, stages and use of total quality management (TQM). It also describes all the aspects such as elements, steps of TQM in brief including the benefits and implementations of TQM in Libraries.

Keywords: Total Quality Management, Library Management, TQM Techniques.

0 INTRODUCTION

Total Quality Management (TQM) is the integration of all function and process with

an organization in order to achieve continuous improvement of the quality of goods and

services for the customer satisfaction. In this competitive environmental age a large number

of organization, like manufacturing or service organization such as banks, Hospitals,

Academic Institution library & Information centre always exists to provide services or

product satisfaction. TQM looks at the overall quality measures used by an organisation

including managing quality design and development, quality control and maintenance,

quality improvement, and quality assurance. TQM takes into account all quality measures

taken at all levels and involving all organisations employees.

In view of this, libraries must develop systems, philosophies, and strategies for

managing quality. This is because the library is part of a service organisation which delivers

products personally to the customer.

Recent studies have shown an increasing volume in literature in management journals

on quality issues and on Japanese-style management, yet there is little evidence of significant

interest in this area in the literature of librarianship. As of December 1992 it would have been

difficult to track down more than a dozen article relating the application of TQM to libraries.

This is not to say that TQM is not being applied to libraries (Aston University has a TQM

programme operational, for instance), but rather that there appears to be very little qritten

about its application to this sector.

1. WHAT IS TQM?

Total quality management (TQM) is the term applied to the approach which

organisations adopt to improve their performance on a systematic and continuos basis. This is

achived via the involvement of employees throughout the organisation in satisfying the total

requirements of every customer, whoever the customer may be - - either external or internal -

- and the development of processes within the organisation which are error - - free.

TQM is an approach that seeks to improve quality and performance which will meet

or exceed customer expectations. This can be achieved by integrating all quality-related

functions and processes throughout the company. TQM looks at the overall quality measures

used by a company including managing quality design and development, quality control and

maintenance, quality improvement, and quality assurance. TQM takes into account all quality

measures taken at all levels and involving all company

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2. ORIGINS OF TQM

TQM is a management approach that originated in the 1950’s and has steadily

become more popular since the early 1980’. In the 1950s, the Japanese asked W. Edwards

Deming, an American statistician and management theorist, to help them improve their war

torn economy. By implementing Deming's principles of TQM (TQM), Japan experienced

dramatic economic growth. In the 1980s, when the United States began to see a reduction in

its own world market share in relation to Japan, American business rediscovered Deming.

Quality management experts, Joseph Juran and Philip Crosby, also contributed to the

development of TQM theories, models, and tools. TQM is now practiced in business as well

as in government, the military, education, and in non-profit organizations including libraries

(Jurow & Barnard, 1993).

TQM is "a system of continuous improvement employing participative management

and centered on the needs of customers" (Jurow & Barnard, 1993). Key components of TQM

are employee involvement and training, problem-solving teams, statistical methods, long-

term goals and thinking, and recognition that the system, not people, produces inefficiencies.

Libraries can benefit from TQM in three ways: breaking down interdepartmental barriers;

redefining the beneficiaries of library services as internal customers (staff) and external

customers (patrons); and reaching a state of continuous improvement (Jurow & Barnard,

1993).

A library should focus on providing the best services possible, and be willing to

change to serve its customers. To determine if changes need to be made, a library

administrator might ask: What are our niche markets? What do the customers come in for?

How can I look at the efficiency of my library? How do we serve the current customers that

exist today? (TQM, 1995). First learn about the customer, and then solve the problems.

3. DEFINITION OF TQM

Different management pioneers have defined TQM in different notes which more or

less strike the same chords.

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A management approach of an organization, centered quality based on the

participation of its entire member aiming at long term success through customer satisfaction.

(ISO 8402).

TQM (TQM), as a managing concept and method, achieved much in every aspect of

life, has been praised highly by various managers and supervisors and has been commonly

applied in libraries in the world. But, as a newly mushrooming digital library, there are still

different opinions and ideas on its operation model and managing method (Li, 2005).

It is a system that introduces users customer drive concepts processes tool

continuously seeks to measure its success at meeting the customer need and thereby improve

upon its procedure (O. Neil)

An approach to improve the effectiveness and flexibility and business as a whole. It is

essential a way of organizing and involving the whole organization. Every department, every

activity and every single person at every level. TQM ensure that the management adapts a

strategic overviewed at quality and focuses on prevention rather than inspection.(Oakland

1989)

TQM is the combination of socio-technical process towards doing the right things

(externally), everythings right (internally).First time and all the time with economic viability

considered at each stage of each process. (Zaire & Simintiras 1991)

So TQM has been defined in a variety of ways. Meaning a quest for excellence, creating

the right attitudes and controls to make prevention of defects possible and optimize customer

satisfaction by increased efficiency and effectiveness.

4. CONCEPTS OF TQM

The concept of quality control emerged around 1920in U.S. simply to control the

creation of defective items in industrial process. The concept did not immediately take its

roots in U.S. but it did in Japan after World War II as a result of which Japan emerged as

world quality leader

TQM is a way of managing to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, flexibility and

competitiveness of an organization as a whole and it involves whole organization getting

organized and committed to quality in each department, each activity and each person at each

level.

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TQM is concept which make quality the responsibility of all people within

organization. All the people involved are expected to contribute to the overall improvement

of quality. TQM is the preferred method to increase the user satisfaction. It reduces the defect

of the organization and increases the productivity.

5. STEPS TO TQM

Deming (1986; Walton, 1986) outlined 14 steps that managers in any type of

organization can take to implement a TQM program.  These are as follows:

1. Create constancy of purpose for improvement of product and service: Constancy

of purpose requires innovation, investment in research and education, continuous

improvement of product and service, maintenance of equipment, furniture and

fixtures, and new aids to production. 

2. Adopt the new philosophy: Management must undergo a transformation and begin

to believe in quality products and services. 

3. Cease dependence on mass inspection: Inspect products and services only enough

to be able to identify ways to improve the process. 

4. End the practice of awarding business on price tag alone: The lowest priced goods

are not always the highest quality; choose a supplier based on its record of

improvement and then make a long-term commitment to it. 

5. Improve constantly and forever the system of product and service: Improvement

is not a one-time effort; management is responsible for leading the organization into

the practice of continual improvement in quality and productivity. 

6. Institute training and retraining: Workers need to know how to do their jobs

correctly even if they need to learn new skills. 

7. Institute leadership: Leadership is the job of management. Managers have the

responsibility to discover the barriers that prevent staff from taking pride in what they

do. The staff will know what those barriers are. 

8. Drive out fear: People often fear reprisal if they "make waves" at work. Managers

need to create an environment where workers can express concerns with confidence. 

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9. Break down barriers between staff areas: Managers should promote teamwork by

helping staff in different areas/departments work together. Fostering

interrelationships among departments encourages higher quality decision-making. 

10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce: Using slogans

alone, without an investigation into the processes of the workplace, can be offensive

to workers because they imply that a better job could be done. Managers need to learn

real ways of motivating people in their organizations. 

11. Eliminate numerical quotas:. Quotas impede quality more than any other working

condition; they leave no room for improvement. Workers need the flexibility to give

customers the level of service they need. 

12. Remove barriers to pride of workmanship: Give workers respect and feedback

about how they are doing their jobs. 

13. Institute a vigorous program of education and retraining: With continuous

improvement, job descriptions will change. As a result, employees need to be

educated and retrained so they will be successful at new job responsibilities. 

14. Take action to accomplish the transformation: Management must work as a team

to carry out the previous 13 steps.

6. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF TQM

Management scientists have advocated the following principle:

Leadership

Commitment

Quality policy & Strategy

Organization

Resource i.e. human financial etc.

Process

Quality and business operational

Future plan

7. WHY LIBRARIES SHOULD ADAPT TQM

Over many centuries libraries have adopted many different management principles

from business, industry, religion, and government. A library is a business that must be

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operated efficiently and well. A major difference is that most libraries are non-profit

organizations. Management of vast amounts of information stored in different formats

printed, electronic, audio, video-requires use of the most modern management techniques.

The method of TQM represents a new age in the management of an organization. Its

elements such as participating management, the personal training and the responsible service

to the customers, are views that the libraries are already driven by. As a result of this, the

libraries are up to improving these principles which already have been valued positively by

them and put them partially in practice. Many libraries have embarked on plans for

implementing quality-related philosophies such as TQM. It is well-known that TQM is a

management method that libraries can benefit from it in several ways.

In each academic institute, the library plays key role for development of professors,

students, researchers in terms of knowledge navigator. Today in the information age the

information explosion is very fast. Every movement new information. A library should focus

on providing the best services possible and be willing to change to serve its customers.

In a service organization like academic library the customer satisfactions means

fulfilling expectations.

TQM involves a process of change and therefore requires of staff that they be ready

to play a constructive role in that process.

TQM requires a basic reorientation from the media stock towards customers and

markets. For TQM a result-oriented approach, not the input of resource, is of vital

importance.

A Strongly hierarchical organization with fragmented responsibilities is not well

suited to the introduction of TQM since all staff needs to feel a responsibility for

influencing quality.

The effort necessary for implementing TQM is at the same time rewarding for both

staff and the institution: improvement of the institution in which they work a

strengthening of that institution’s position, and opportunity of staff to influence their

own work.

8. USE THE PRINCIPLE OF TQM TO ENHANCE THE LIBRARY SERVICES

Make a library brochure,

Library Orientations,

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Implement Interlibrary loan facilities,

Smooth Acquisition procedure,

Technology use for easy information retrieval,

Training & development of staff,

Motivation,

User based information services,

Crete service brochures & information kits,

Conduct a user survey about library services,

Improve Signage,

Change hours of operation,

Provide a more convenient material return,

Simplify checkout of materials,

Use flexibility in staff assignments,

Cooperative with local government,

Ask vendors to give product demonstrations,

Give new staff a through orientation,

Create interdepartmental library of the library,

Track complaints,

Develop an active outreach program,

Open satellite offices,

Publicize new or changed services,

Develop user & staff training materials,

Target services to specific,

Offer electronic document delivery,

Follow the mission statement,

Librarians must find out what readers want and concentrate upon providing it.

Designing an appropriate service means asking

Who are the customers of library?

What are the requirements of the customers?

What can the organization provide?

9. IMPLEMENTING TQM TECHNIQUES IN LIBRARIES

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TQM as a management tool needs to radically rethink the way in which a library is

organized and performed its functions. TQM is seen as a commitment to service with a

flexible and future oriented approach to management. Susan and present a model for the

implementation of TQM in library setting. It out lines 10 step process divided in to four

stages as below:

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Figure 1

Phase one: The activities covered in phase one quite useful to arrange a seminar

exploring the implication of current technological development and other social changes that

enhance the growth of Library Community

Phase two: Gives emphasis on organizing quality once the commitment to TQM and

the decision on the TQM methodology and structure is made and library automation training

should be given all employees.

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Phase three: involves an evaluation of current work processes and relationship of

this process to customer needs and expectations. Heavy emphasis on team activity and team

members will be given

Phase four: Some employees even may need training even in new jobs skills as a

result of changed work processes particularly when a manual Library is being converted into

automated library.

While implementing TQM in library services, a different set of skills is required of

the staff. Training is key component in TQM which upgrades the skills of the staff.

Implementation of TQM provides a library organization with opportunity to update and

enhance the abilities of the staff to work effectively and collectively. (Figure 1)

10. BENEFITS OF LIBRARY ORGANIZATION BY THE SERVICES WITH TQM

“Sirkin” suggests some ways a library might use the principles of TQM to enhance

library services.

Create service broachers and information kits.

Conduct a user survey about library services.

Improve signage.

Change hours of operation.

Provide a more convenient material return.

Simplify checkout of material.

Use flexibility in staff assignment.

Co-operate with local government.

Ask vendors to give products demonstration.

Give new staff a through orientation.

Create inter departmental library advisory groups.

Improve the physical layout of the library.

Track complaints.

Develop an active outreach programme.

Open satellite offices.

Publicize new or changes services.

Develop user and staff training materials

Target services o specific groups.

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Offer electronic document delivery.

Follow the mission statement.

Others benefits of TQM for libraries as follows:

TQM reduces bureaucracy, empower staff and create a team base culture, which

is keenly desired for academic library.

TQM help us for gauging users’ needs expectation in an appropriate way.

TQM help us to maintain qualitative library and information services.

TQM helps in libraries improves the image of the library staff and helps in public

relation and marketing.

TQM helps for development the qualitative library collections.

While TQM clearly has positive aspects implementing it can have potential

challenges “Jurow & Barnard” identify four barriers to the adoption of TQM in libraries.

Vocabulary: objections to terms such as “total” “quality and “management” which

imply that high standards are not already being met.

Commitment: TQM takes several years to implement and requires a long term

commitment by library managers

Process: Our culture tends to be impatient and we try to solve problems quickly,

contrary to TQM ‘ careful process analysis; and

Professionalisation: Professional can be resist to turning over their practices and

services to what they perceive as the “uniformed whims of the customer.”

“Sirkin” also notes that it is not possible to satisfy everyone’s demands; choices will

need to be made.

11. MEASURING THE QUALITY IN LIBRARY

There are many tools and approaches to measuring the quality, some of easy tools are

as follow (Sharma & Mange Ram, 2003):

User survey: These surveys can be made with questionnaires, interviews and

observations, etc. to know the merits and demits of library services.

User’s complaints: user’s complaints are indicators of quality and suggest the

direction for improvements.

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Suggestion boxes: Suggestion boxes should be provided in the libraries so that users

express their suggestions. This would help improve library performance. There should be full

freedom to user to indicate their suggestion for improvement of library.

Organisation culture: The culture of a library depends on the culture of parent

organisation. The culture creates a common understanding amongst the organisational

members. The culture of academic library should be related to education and learning.

Human Resource management: There should be elimination of fear, social

involvement, responsibility on job, participation in decision making and team building of

employees. This success of any management depends on employee’s commitment. Now

libraries are spending the money on books, furniture, hardware, software and on building etc.

They should make investment in human resources.

12. TQM PROCESS IN PRACTICE

To which extent TQM process is in practice in libraries? The two surveys, one

conducted for the LAMA Total Quality Management for Libraries Discussion Group using

the TQMLIB (1994), and the other conducted by the Association of Research Library’s

Office of Management Services for its SPEC kit and Flyer (1993) on Quality improvement

programs in ARL libraries brings out the facts.

The fact that TQM is a recent understanding for most libraries is shown clearly in

LAMA survey. Both of the surveys point out that libraries undertaking TQM are in a variety

of stages and are using a wide range of approaches, and a relatively small number of libraries

were actively involved in formal quality programs.

The SPEC Flyer indicates, however, that,

It is clear that those who have turned to quality improvement programs have done so eagerly

and with a strong sense of commitment. The fact that they recognize the value of a

philosophy that emphasizes quality of service to library users first is indicated by the wide

variety of library functions in which they are currently applying quality improvement

techniques. The number of members adopting quality improvement programs should increase

rapidly in the next few years as those members currently considering a commitment to such a

program make their decisions and others hear about the success of their fellow member

libraries. (ARL, 1993)

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11.1. Academic Libraries

The ARL Spec Kit provides a good deal of information on quality improvement

programs in specific academic libraries. Duke University, the University of Minnesota, and

the State University of New York at Buffalo are some of the good models for libraries

implementing TQM.

Academic libraries are following different approaches in their TQM process. Some

academic libraries undertaking TQM or CQI (continuous quality improvement) as a library-

wide effort address established library procedures on a step-by-step basis. Examples are:

Oregon State University Library and Georgia Tech Library. Others take a broader and more

far-reaching approach as far as impact on the library as an organization. Three good

examples are the quality improvement activities at the Harvard College Library (HCL),

Perkins Library at Duke University, and Davis Library at Sampson University. In some of the

academic libraries they are concentrating on quality improvement in specific services only

such as Reference service, Technical service and Access service.

11.2. Special Libraries

Quality improvement efforts have a longer history in special libraries in other types of

libraries, as the professional literature indicates. Because quality assurance process has been

well-established in the health care field for some time, some of the earliest library quality

improvement efforts are seen in medical and hospital libraries. Quality efforts in libraries in

the corporate sector, however, are not far behind.

11.3. Public and School Libraries

Although the literature on quality improvement in public or school libraries is not

prevalent, there is good evidence that these libraries are also undertaking quality efforts.

In public libraries, current efforts that are taking a TQM approach are often, but not always,

part of a city-wide quality improvement initiative. A good example is the Austin Public

Library. The fruits of these efforts are seen in the financial support the library receives, with

a budget that is a bit better than budgets for most urban public libraries in the financially

strained state. The St. Paul Public Library is another library that is undertaking quality

improvement as part of a city-wide effort. Evidence of other quality efforts in public libraries

is seen in accounts of the use of quality circles in libraries, including some Chicago Public

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Library branches, the Duluth Public Library, and the East Brunswick Public Library in New

Jersey.

TQM efforts for school libraries often are part of the movement in education toward

what some in the field call “total quality education.” This has involved changing the

management structure to provide educators, including school library media specialists, with

the opportunity to become active participants in site-based management. This means

empowering them “to make local decisions on curriculum as well as management.”

13. CONCLUSION

Quality is a very important tool for application of TQM in academic libraries which

can be measured, managed and improved by measuring rod of customer satisfaction and

through user survey, suggestion, complains library culture which depends to a large extent on

leader behaviour towards staff. The success of TQM is very from Library to Library as each

library is different from the others. Libraries are ideal places to implement TQM. They are

service organizations dedicated to their customers, the patrons. By formulating a strategic

plan, and following it with a commitment to continuous quality improvement, library

managers can transform and improve their organizations. It is a process which focuses on

understanding customer needs and improving customer’s service and satisfaction. Riggs

(1992) summarizes the notable principles of TQM: (1) manage by fact: make library

decisions after careful analysis of data gathered with tools such as check sheets, histograms,

and Pareto charts; (2) eliminate rework: library work is often labor intensive--simplify it and

make sure it is done properly the first time; (3) respect people and ideas: staff are the library's

most valuable resources, and they should be encouraged to point out problems without fear

of management; and (4) empower people: trust library staff to act responsibly and give them

the appropriate authority to make decisions that can improve the quality of work they do.

Finally, remember that TQM is not a "quick fix." It needs to be implemented gradually over a

two- to three-year period.

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