Using TQM to build teamwork

TQM or Total Quality Management is a great way to improve manufacturing processes and increase customer satisfaction. TQM goes one step further and it also helps to build teamwork within companies. The purpose of TQM believes that if you can fix the inputs of a manufacturing system, the outputs will be 10 times better and customer satisfaction will significantly improve. This will happen because you are removing wastes within the system.

The wastes could be something small like wasted employee time or it could be a larger problem like a manufacturing defect that forces the company to re-work some of its products. Re-works are costly to any company and they also hurt employee morale. Employees need to re-set the system and they need to go through every single stage in the process until they are able to identify the problems. This time-consuming process will force many employees to become frustrated with the company if you do not do something about the constant problems. This is why TQM is a great system to implement. It prevents employees from getting to this high level of frustration because there is less wasted time and less wasted raw products.

In order to build teamwork, you need to take a look at the 4 main factors that contribute to the production of a product. First, there is the design of the product. The design of the product can cause several wastes in a company. Bring some of your line workers into the product design meeting to determine if you have properly designed the product to go on the machines and to produce the product with a lower investment to the company. Bringing them into the meeting will help to increase teamwork because this individual will be the "voice" for all the floor workers.

Second, there is the workmanship of the product. This is the actual employees that work on the product. Depending upon the way the perform their job on a day-to-day basis, they may be causing extra work for themselves. They do this from their body mechanics and improper communication. Mangers must supervise the floor workers to check for behavioral wastes that are slowing down the manufacturing process.

Third, the equipment that is used to produce the product is another important factor you need to assess. Broken or run-down equipment will cause several problems for the workers. If they are constantly dealing with mechanical problems, many of them will simply stop caring about their job duties, causing a total breakdown in the company processes. Routine maintenance of your equipment is necessary as it makes everyone's jobs a little easier. This will help the employees stay positive and motivated about their jobs and they will work better as a team.

Fourth, the last thing that goes into product development is the raw materials that are used to produce the products. If you purchase the wrong materials or you purchase too little, your employees will have wasted time. They will need to sit around and wait for the correct materials to come so they can perform their job duties. This also causes several problems within a team environment because some employees are working and others are doing nothing. If you do not cross-train your employees, it will force the other staff members to become frustrated and it can decrease employee morale.

There are other tools that can be used in the TQM process to promote teamwork among your employee but these 4 steps are the biggest things that contribute to employee morale. Hold regular meetings with your employees to make sure they are satisfied with their jobs and that they have the necessary equipment they need to properly perform their job duties.