Date of Award
2001
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
David O. Remington
Committee Member
John A. Morgan
Committee Member
Anne E. Mulder
Keywords
acceptability, analysis, assessment, budgetary growth, business-level strategy, categories, commitment, continuous improvement, cost of living increases, costs, data, decrease, departmental leadership, development methodology, directors, divisions, DOA, evaluation, evaluation methodology, evaluative activities, executive commitment, flexibility, formation, goals, guide, governor's office, Hoshin Planning, implementation, institutionalize, initiatives, legislature, leader commitment, leadership, library, likelihood, literature reviews, management tool, mission expansion, North Carolina, North Carolina State Library, operational implementation, operational planning, options, planning process, positions, pressure, procedures, product, project, quality, quality initiative, recommendation, report, research questions, results, salary, Secretary of Administration, senior executives, services, strategic guide, strategic implementation, strategies, study, success, sustain, tool, tools, total quality management, TQM, twenty elements, workforce reduction
Abstract
The North Carolina Department of Administration (DOA) is under pressure by the North Carolina legislature and governor's office to increase both the quality of services provided, and decrease the cost of providing services. The pressure is on mission expansion, reduction in the number of positions, and limiting budgetary growth primarily to cost of living increases in salary.
The leadership of the department knows of no other reasonable way to respond to these pressures except through the implementation of continuous improvement or total quality management (TQM). However, the department has attempted to implement quality initiatives four times in the past with limited success. Departmental leadership believes that a strategic implementation guide will provide them with the guidance necessary to successfully implement TQM and respond to the pressures. The purpose of this project was to develop such a guide.
Research questions for the study addressed issues of the strategies to be used to implement and sustain a quality initiative at the DOA as well as how to gauge the acceptability of the guide. Evaluation of the implemented guide was also addressed.
Aspects of several methodologies were used. The development methodology was used in the formation of strategies as well as determination of what was to be included in the guide. Evaluation methodology was used in the assessment of the acceptability of the guide and evaluation of the success of the guide.
Procedures included multiple literature reviews, evaluative activities, analysis of data, use of multiple TQM tools, and development of a guide.
The results of the study indicated a high correlation between senior leader commitment to TQM and the success ofTQM implementation. Twenty major areas or elements ofTQM were identified. These elements are the areas that should be considered when strategic and operational implementation are attempted. Thirteen strategies to institutionalize TQM were revealed and were placed into four categories. Over 80 strategies were found to implement various aspects of TQM and a relationship to the twenty elements emerged. However, it was concluded that detailing out the operational level of TQM implementation prior to starting implementation would decrease the likelihood of successful implementation since it would decrease the flexibility of TQM as a management tool. Therefore, it was determined that the strategic guide should be focused on gaining senior executive commitment and providing implementation options for that person to select when engaging in Hoshin or operational planning. The product of the study, therefore, is a guide for the Secretary of Administration to use when implementing TQM through a Hoshin Planning process.
The major recommendation that emerged from this study was that the Department of Administration should implement TQM as a business level strategy to accomplish the goals of the department if the Secretary of Administration is committed to TQM. Another recommendation is that the DOA engage in Hoshin Planning prior to full implementation of TQM and that at the end of the planning process all division directors who do not support TQM within their respective divisions should not be forced to implement TQM due to their lack of commitment. It is further recommended that a detailed record of the implementation process by made and that the results of the effort placed in a report and filed with the North Carolina State Library.