Written by:
Thomas Loeffler

Quality Management

The total quality management revolution which occurred in the United States after the recessions in the 1970s and 1980s brought about a new focus for management in corporate America. With Japan rising in the U.S. market as a strong competitor, our country, collectively, decided to take ownership of quality over quantity. This was the only way to compete in an ever changing global climate. Today, there is a striking resemblance to this same shift in focus as we approach the light at the end of our current recession.

GM’s new CEO, Edward Whitacre, was quoted in The Wall Street Journal recently on his efforts to emphasize the importance of managers’ decision-making. In the 1980s, our goal was to improve our products’ quality. Today our goal is to improve our management quality. What can this refocus do for us as a nation?

Historically, developed economies such as ours will reach a peak in growth for an extended period of time. At some point during this period, the country will both innovate and adapt to continue a steady growth, or we will see the legs fall from under in a fatal collapse. As we continue to seek new avenues to stimulate supplementary growth in our economy, the management style from top level corporate America will surely dictate our ability or inability to adapt in the global, and now common, business arena.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.