Title: TQM implementation barriers in academe: a framework for further investigation

Authors: Mohamed A. Youssef, Patricia Libby, Abbass Al-Khafaji, Granville Sawyer Jr.

Addresses: Professor and Chairman, Department of Management and Decision Sciences, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA. Associate Professor, School of Business, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. Professor of Management, School of Business, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA, USA. Associate Professor, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA

Abstract: Many academics and practitioners believe that Total Quality Management philosophy is the panacea of the 1990s for many industries in all segments of the economy, including education. Many others have argued that TQM is a fad, and like many of its predecessors, such as Management By Objectives (MBO), is going to fade away. Existing cases of successful implementation of TQM in business enterprises, which outnumber the failures, have made it easier for us to refute these claims. It is our belief that TQM is here to stay and, without it, organisations will not be able to survive in the turbulent and ever-changing environment of the 1990s. Although many of TQM applications found in literature were in the health care industry, TQM principles are applicable to other settings as well. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we will examine the barriers for TQM implementations in academia. Secondly, we will propose a framework for studying TQM in an academic setting.

Keywords: TQM; systems perspective; TQM benefits; total quality management; academia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1998.002682

International Journal of Technology Management, 1998 Vol.16 No.4/5/6, pp.584-593

Published online: 04 Jul 2003 *

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