This set of Total Quality Management Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “Basic Concepts of TQM”.
1. What is TQM?
a) Total Quality Management
b) Total Quality Maintenance
c) Total Quality Mitigation
d) Total Quality Managers
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Explanation: Total means made up of ‘whole’. Quality means the degree of excellence that needs to be achieved keeping customer satisfaction in mind. Management refers to the activities that are involved in establishing the highest degree of quality.
2. TQM is the management approach of an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organization and to society. Which organization had given this definition of TQM?
a) Total Quality Forum of USA
b) Indian Statistical Institute
c) ISO
d) ASQ
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Explanation: According to ISO, TQM is the management approach of an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organization and to society. ISO refers to the International Organization for Standardization. It was founded on February 23, 1947, to promote worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.
3. TQM is an integrated organizational approach in delighting customers (both internal and external) by meeting their expectations on a continuous basis through everyone involved with the organization working on continuous improvement in all products, services, and processes along with proper problem-solving methodology. Which organization had given this definition of TQM?
a) Total Quality Forum of USA
b) ISO
c) Indian Statistical Institute
d) ASQ
View Answer
Explanation: According to the Indian Statistical Institute, TQM is an integrated organizational approach in delighting customers (both internal and external) by meeting their expectations on a continuous basis through everyone involved with the organization working on continuous improvement in all products, services, and processes along with proper problem-solving methodology. ISI was established on 17 December 1931 and is an academic institute of national importance focusing on statistics.
4. TQM is a people-focused management system that aims at a continual increase in customer satisfaction at a continually lower cost. TQM is a total system approach (not a separate area or program), and an integral part of a high-level strategy. It works horizontally across functions and departments, involving all employees, top to bottom, and exceeds backward and forward to include the supply chain and the customer chain. Which organization had given this definition of TQM?
a) Total Quality Forum of USA
b) ISO
c) Indian Statistical Institute
d) ASQ
View Answer
Explanation: According to Total Quality Forum of USA, TQM is a people-focused management system that aims at a continual increase in customer satisfaction at a continually lower cost. TQM is a total system approach (not a separate area or program), and an integral part of a high-level strategy. It works horizontally across functions and departments, involving all employees, top to bottom, and exceeds backward and forward to include the supply chain and the customer chain. This definition has been accepted by many academic papers and is considered to be one of the best definitions of TQM.
5. Which ‘pillar of TQM’ is referred to when the study of customer needs is done, the requirements of the customer are gathered, and customer satisfaction is measured and managed?
a) Process Management
b) Employee Empowerment
c) Continuous Improvement
d) Customer Focus
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Explanation: Customer Focus is one of the pillars of TQM. In customer focus, customer satisfaction remains an organization’s highest priority. The other pillars of TQM are Process Management, Employee Empowerment, and Continuous Improvement.
6. Which ‘pillar of TQM’ refers to the act of developing a production process that reduces product variations, and by application of this process, the same product with the same level of quality is produced every time?
a) Process Management
b) Employee Empowerment
c) Continuous Improvement
d) Customer Focus
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Explanation: Process Management is one of the pillars of TQM. The relationship between the teams and internal customers plays a crucial role in developing the production process that reduces product variations. The focus of the management is on controlling the overall process, and rewarding teamwork.
7. Which ‘pillar of TQM’ refers to TQM’s environment of a committed and well-trained workforce that participates in activities involving quality improvement?
a) Process Management
b) Employee Empowerment
c) Continuous Improvement
d) Customer Focus
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Explanation: Employee Empowerment is one of the pillars of TQM. It is the human side of quality. Employee Empowerment is achieved with the help of training of employees to achieve customer satisfaction.
8. Which ‘pillar of TQM’ recognizes that product quality is a result of process quality?
a) Process Management
b) Employee Empowerment
c) Continuous Improvement
d) Customer Focus
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Explanation: Continuous Improvement is one of the pillars of TQM. The output of a production process must not only satisfy customer needs but the customer must feel satisfied with the product. Hence, continuous improvement in the production process plays a crucial role in delivering quality products.
9. In traditional management, quality is determined by the company. In total quality management, quality is determined by the customer.
a) True
b) False
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Explanation: In traditional management, quality is determined by the organization and it has its own quality standards. Every product is compared to this standard to determine if it is acceptable or not. In TQM, the customer is the judge for product quality.
10. Company M has short-term goals like achieving the predicted quarterly profit. Company N has long-term goals like achieving sustained customer satisfaction. What can you infer about the management culture?
a) Company M follows traditional management, Company N follows TQM
b) Company N follows traditional management, Company M follows TQM
c) Company M and Company N follows traditional management
d) Company M and Company N follows TQM
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Explanation: Company M has a short term goal to achieve the predicted quarterly profit which is one of the characteristics of traditional management. Company N has a long term goal which is to sustain customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is TQM’s highest priority.
11. In traditional management, individual employees are held accountable for the presence of a defect.
a) True
b) False
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Explanation: In traditional management, individual employees are held accountable for the presence of a defect and those employees are identified by the managers. In TQM, managers and employees focus on improving the process to ensure that defects don’t occur in the future in order to ensure customer satisfaction.
12. The manager of a company is known to threaten his employees for the presence of a defect. What can you infer about the management culture?
a) Traditional Management
b) Total Quality Management
c) Supply Chain Management
d) Sales Management
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Explanation: Here, the act of threatening employees is the traditional management approach. As a result of this, there is a void in the relation between the workforce and the manager. The manager may even fire its employees.
13. A company is known to have a reward policy for its employees. The manager gives its employees a chance to improve if a mistake is conducted by them. What can you infer about the management culture?
a) Traditional Management
b) Total Quality Management
c) Supply Chain Management
d) Sales Management
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Explanation: The working environment, in this case, is suitable for the employees. There is a strong bonding between the managers and employees. The reward policy keeps the employees motivated towards achieving organizational goals focusing on customers. The chance to improve themselves when a mistake is committed helps employees to introspect themselves.
14. In Company A, the workers who are involved in producing a product are responsible for its quality. In Company B, everyone in the organization including the top executives is responsible for producing quality products. What can you infer about the management culture?
a) Company A follows traditional management, Company B follows TQM
b) Company B follows traditional management, Company A follows TQM
c) Company A and Company B follows traditional management
d) Company A and Company B follows TQM
View Answer
Explanation: In traditional management, the workers who are involved directly in producing the product are held accountable for producing quality products. In TQM, everyone starting from the top executives to the workers producing the product are responsible for producing quality products.
15. In Company E, the supervisors and employees solve problems based on their individual knowledge, skills, and instincts. In Company F, everyone in the organization solves problems based on substantive data. What can you infer about the management culture?
a) Company E follows traditional management, Company F follows TQM
b) Company F follows traditional management, Company E follows TQM
c) Company E and Company F follows traditional management
d) Company E and Company F follows TQM
View Answer
Explanation: In traditional management, the supervisors and employees solve problems based on their individual knowledge, skills, and instincts. This can sometimes lead to problems when some of the causes of the problems are left out. But with substantive data, every aspect of the problem is thoroughly analyzed and a proper decision focusing on customer satisfaction is made.
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