"The Five Pillars of TQM: How to Make Total Quality Management Work for You",
Bill Creech, published by Dutton (175 Hudson Street, New York, NY  10014),
1994, 549 pp, $26.95 (list)
 
A Book Review by Norman C. Frank, PE, CQE, CQA
CER Corporation, Washington, DC
 
Wow!  This is the book that synthesizes the works of all the gurus into one
workable system!  And Bill Creech developed it _without being previously
aware of_ the teachings of the quality gurus, American or Japanese.  It is
tried and true; it is American Made; it is proven to work.
 
Creech's five pillars of TQM (Total Quality Management) are Product, Process,
Leadership, Commitment, and the central pillar, Organization.  These are not
discussed in isolation, but are discussed as what they are: a set of premises
that support a complete system leading to total management with the goal of
improving the bottom line as well as performance.
 
     "Product is the focal point for organization purpose and
     achievement.  Quality in the product is impossible without quality
     in the process.   Quality in the process is impossible without the
     right organization.  The right organization is meaningless without
     the proper leadership.  Strong, bottom-up commitment is the support
     pillar for all the rest.  Each pillar depends upon the other four,
     and if one is weak all are."
 
There are twelve chapters leading from an explanation of what is driving the
need to embrace the five pillars of TQM through the "how to" and "why" to a
final chapter to help motivate the reader to begin the realization now.
 
Creech believes that a TQM program must meet four criteria if it is to
succeed.
 
     "First, it must be based on a "quality mindset" and "quality
     orientation" in all activities at all times.  Second, it must be
     strongly "humanistic" to bring quality to the way employees are
     treated, included, and inspired.  Third, it must be based on a
     decentralized approach that provides "empowerment" at all levels,
     especially at the front line.  Fourth, TQM must be applied
     "holistically" so that its principles, policies, and practices
     reach every nook and cranny of the organization."
 
These criteria are interwoven into the complete discussion of the pillars and
the approaches to erect the pillars.  Creech is adamant on the need to
eliminate "centralism" (central control and consolidation) and to "organize
small" using the team approach.  Creech used exactly this approach when
bringing several groups and organizations and finally the Tactical Air
Command (TAC) of the Air Force, comprised of over 100,000 people, to be the
best that it could be - as evidenced by its outstanding performance during
the Gulf War.
 
Creech compares the differences between centralized, managership style and
the decentralized, leadership style of organization.  The leadership,
organized-small company wins in every way against the centralized company. 
Even the promised, but ephemeral, cost savings of consolidating are debunked
and exposed to the light of day through an eye-opening discussion.  Creech
covers the many overlays that practitioners have applied to centralism to try
to overcome its many problems (for example, matrix management, quality
circles, management by objectives, and participatory management), and exposes
the reasons why they don't work as advertised.
 
The points made are amply illustrated by examples of companies that have used
the pillars developed by Creech and achieved competitive success.  Companies
covered include Honda, Toyota's NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA, Chrysler,
Motorola,  TAC, General Electric, IBM, Boeing, General Motors (as a
centralistic example), and Florida Power and Light.  Creech discusses the
"black-ink barrier", which is the managerial inertia of "We're doing all
right we're holding our own."  As long as a company is making a profit, there
is no motivation to change.  This is what led the automakers almost into
oblivion.  It usually takes red ink to motivate management to move, and that
is often too late.
 
The book discusses and defines qualities of leadership, which is required
before organizing small can be successful.  Upper management must be
sufficiently knowledgeable to actually teach several of the courses during
the reorganization.  This is something many of today "managers" see no sense
in; they will never be leaders.  Creech points out the damage done to the
company by the double standard where a union is forced to take a pay cut,
followed by awarding bonuses to management.
 
The books ends with an Epilogue: Guidelines for Five Pillar TQM, which gives
twelve guiding principles for successful total quality management.  After
you've read the book, the epilogue serves as a helpful reminder of what must
be done.
 
Don't be frightened of the 549 pages of this book; it is written in a free
and easy style that is easy and quick to read.  This book is recommended for
all quality professionals as well as management before, during, and after
embracing a quality program.
 
----------------
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.