A Reaction Paper Regarding The Topic “TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT” LEONOR M. BAGNOS The world is already in a fast pace movements. Everything and everyone is rushing and running to the road of competition. Nobody wants to be left behind. If you have slow pace and you cannot cope up then you have no business staying in the track. And that is the kind of world where our leaders want our country to fit in. A country that is industrialized and technological spinning place of Filipinos. National government officials of the Philippines want our country as one of the forerunners of a competitive country that they just see things in their own perspective view. Each offices and agencies in the Philippines is making their own ladder to reach the top, whatever it takes regardless of how they make it as long as the prize is right. Some of them are even unscrupulous that they do things at the expense of other people’s feeling, situation and status, but usually most victims are those poor, ignorance of their rights and illiterate people. Past and present leaders of our country have 0% to 50% Quality Management. The presentation and discussion of the topic “Total Quality Management” or TQM is timely and applicable to us teachers and especially to school heads. And I go with the definition of the terms Total Quality Management or TQM is a comprehensive and structured approach that seeks to improve the quality of products and services through on going refinements in continuous feedback because this approach looks on the longer and lasting but qualitative effects of the services and products offered which most institutions fails. They are more on the quantitative side of the products and services. For instance, a shoe company wants to meet the deadline and more than the demand thus they made and sew more of what is required in a shorter time. Cooperation are required and all workers worked under pressure because their employers were behind their backs but at the end of the day, their costumers were not satisfied because of low quality products and how school teachers and school heads deliver education to learners takes the
same process as that of the shoe company. Herein the school head as well as the teachers in a school should apply the main goal of TQM which is “DO THE RIGHT THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, EVERYTIME” so that quality education will be attain especially that teachers and school heads are dealing with children and not just commodities thus careful and proper handling is badly needed. The topic discusses that in Total Quality Management approach, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services and the culture in which they work. Participation and commitment are required to attain success. In an educational institution, school head and teachers should work together hand and hand. However the productivity of the school depends mostly on the skills of those who directly manages the teachers because according to Deming, teachers’ success in turn depends on how well they are managed by the administration above them. Therefore, any attempt at educational quality are best centered around organizational improvement efforts. And one of the primary elements of TQM or Total Quality Management is the strategic and systematic approach is perhaps one of the most effective approach in managing a school or any organization because it includes the formation of the strategic plan that integrates quality as a core component. Most organizations fail in this area because leaders though they have plans but they lack strategic and systematic approach to carry on their plans. That is why in the educational system of the Philippines, the Deped Central Office, requires all school and educational institutions in the country to prepare their School Improvement Plan (SIP) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) so that teachers, school heads and even the school stakeholders can come up with their strategic and systematic approach on how they will deal with their schools’ problems and issues that will lead their school to excellence. However, the 8 elements of TQM is immaterial and useless if leadership in the school or any organizations is not functioning.
The reporter further discusses on transformational leadership theory that says charismatic appeal is insufficient for changing the way an organization operates. A charismatic leader that is a friend to everyone is useless if he or she has no disposition all and so with a school leader that he or she must have firm decisions and should be not be easily swayed by anyone or anything and avoid unstable decisions and actions that may affect the performance of the pupils. Another theory that I like best is leaders are visionary, inspiring, daring, risk and thoughtful thinkers. This theory describes what a transformational leadership is. Inspiring in every aspect in planning and execution of school activities that brings the best in every learners as well as to the teachers that will encourage them to do everything in fulfillment of achieving the best and most of all, transformational leaders must exhibit the following: 1. Inspirational Motivation 2. Intellectual Stimulation 3. Idealized Influence 4. Individualized Consideration And to sum it all, organizational commitment and engaging in organizational citizenship behavior, with devoted workforce will definitely be useful to consider making efforts towards developing ways of transferring organization through transformational leadership. Thus, presidents, managers, principles or any leaders must uses their inspiration, charisma and the total quality management to ensure effective and excellent operations to the school or organizations.
