"Companywide Quality Management" by Alberto Galgano, published by
Productivity Press (P.O. Box 13390, Portland, OR 97213-0909) 1994, 444 pp,
$45 (+ $5 S&H)
 
A Book Review by Norman C. Frank, PE, CQE, CQA
CER Corporation, Washington, DC
 
"Companywide Quality Management" by Alberto Galgano provides a comprehensive
overview of the concept of companywide quality management (CWQM).  This is
the same as the Japanese concept of company-wide quality control.
 
Galgano opens with an investigation of the meaning of quality.  Quality is
given a comprehensive meaning that requires comprehensive performance from
each employee of the company, from top management down.  Quality is stated as
including competitiveness, delivery, cost, morale, productivity, profit,
product quality, quantity or volume, performance, service, safety, concern
for the environment, and the stockholders' interest.
 
The book begins by defining and summarizing CWQM.  The fictional "Ikiro", a
Japanese entrepreneur, helps us understand the decisions that must be made to
achieve companywide quality management.  The difference in Ikiro's decisions
and the decisions made in Western culture is made clear.  The differences
reflect a different goal of the company and is not a product of cultural
differences.  Galgano states, "CWQM can be regarded as an approach that
attaches great value to human beings in their roles as customers, employees,
and suppliers."
 
Emphasis on the customer is a priority in making CWQM work.  A thorough
discussion of the customer and customer satisfaction is provided.  Emphasis
on employees is also a priority in making CWQM work.  Galgano states that
"men and women can perform miracles if they are treated as intelligent human
beings."
 
The second part ties together the various strategies (e.g., customer
satisfaction, suppliers partnerships, kaizen, and internal promotion) leading
to or forming a part of CWQM.  This puts a perspective on the relationships
of the various strategies put forth by other authors.
 
Techniques and tools of CWQM make up the third part of the book.  The Seven
Statistical Tools and the PDCA Cycle, the Seven Management Tools, quality
function deployment, and the "cause and effect diagram with cards" (CEDAC
system) are discussed in general, and their relationship to the success of a
CWQM activity is shown.
 
The final two parts discuss executive leadership and introducing CWQM into a
company.  Galgano's strategies for introducing CWQM into companies of various
sizes are based on 16 years experience of working with companies around the
world to introduce CWQM.
 
The value of the book lies in the overview, the perspective, and the
relationships of the various strategies, tools, techniques, and approaches
show by the author.
 
Many bullet lists allow for easy understanding and mental categorizing of the
information.  The book is filled with figures, diagrams, and tables visually
depicting the concepts introduced by the book.  There are good historical
references covering many of the concepts and strategies of the book.  Galgano
is the first to point out that these concepts are 25-30 years old in Japan.
 
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Mr. Frank has over 25 years experience in the field of quality, in the areas
of nuclear quality assurance, research and development, and consulting.  He
is currently in Washington, D.C., with CER Corporation out of Las Vegas,
Nevada.