Contemporary Management Technique Research Paper
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Contemporary Management Technique Research Paper
Grey Madrid
Liberty University
Author Note
Grey Madrid
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Grey Madrid
Email: Gmadrid1@liberty.edu
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Considered the U.S.'s largest home improvement retailer, The Home Depot has become
synonymous with home repair. Catering to a demographic of professional home improvement
product consumers has increased The Home Depot's revenue by offering higher quality products
and finishing project assistance. The firm credits 53% of its sales from the Pro-desk sector
(Girard, 2004, p. 70). The retail giant supplies home improvement enthusiasts with various
construction products, tools, accessories, and electronics and services. The Home depot is
probably the most popular coffee chain in the industry through their forceful expansion tactics to
eliminate competition. The firm has semented its status with its inclusion of the pro-desk. The
pro-desk department is Home depot's program for professionals and customers whom thru
membership as pro-desk members, receive benefits for purchasing items in bulk. "The Pro
Initiative program started back in 1998 with the introduction of special contractor services in
select markets. Today, there are pro desks at 1,400 Home Depot stores and tool-rental services in
925 locations" (Girard, 2004, p. 70). The firm places emphasis on quality items, services,
customer service and employee satisfaction. Maintaining such a status requires implementing
management technique tools and the ability to execute these tools correctly. To continue
conquering the home improvement market will need to adopt a contemporary management
technique that continually improves the quality of its products, services, and customer
satisfaction.
Rationale for Choosing a Management Technique
Management accountants, guided by a strategic focus, have responded to the six changes
in the contemporary business environment with 13 methods that are useful in implementing
strategy in dynamic time. The methods are as follows: the balanced scorecard, value chain,
activity-based costing and management, business analytics, target costing, life-cycle costing,
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benchmarking, business process improvements, total quality management, lean accounting, the
theory of constraints, sustainability and enterprise risk management (Blocher et al., 2012, p.13).
A contemporary management technique not currently being implemented in the organization that
could aid the organization Total Quality Management. Implementing Total Quality Management
provides a useful approach for viewing and improving the firm's work processes. The technique
selected is appropriate for The Home Depot because it involves continuous improvement of the
product and services that align appropriately with its agenda and vision for the future. Among the
core Home Depot values is taking care of our people; the technique discussed in this paper
aligns with the companies' success.
Total Quality Management
Blotcher states Total quality manager is a method by which management develops
policies and practices to ensure that the firm's products and services exceed customers'
expectations (2012, p16). Also considered a business strategy, total quality management aims to
constantly increase quality and performance at all levels utilizing innovative practices. "Total
quality management (TQM) is crucial to the process of satisfying customers' needs and
generating business profits" (Anil & Satish, 2017, para. 3). In order to maintain a sustainable
competitive advantage, it is vital to enhance customer satisfaction. A firm's survival relies on the
satisfaction of its customers and hence organizations should use customer satisfaction to assess
performance (Anil & Satish, 2017, para. 4). An essential element in total quality management's
success is the involvement and participation of the firms' personnel; organizational
communication is vital to maintain personnel participation. All positions within the Home Depot
firm will need to work together to successfully implement the technique.
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In-Depth Analysis of the Technique
Total Quality Management (TQM) demands satisfaction of all needs of all consumers
while updating internal processes that maximize the profit of the organization (Mihailovic &
Tanaskovic, 2017). Understanding the needs of all customer entails an deeper understanding of
the quality management technique. Total quality management is based on eight principles, which
include consumer-centric, total employee development, process-centered, strategic and systemic
approach, integrated system, continual improvement, fact-based decision making, and
communications. Diamandescu explains that the eight principles of quality management
considered being determinant for continuous performance improvement (2016, p. 672).
Consumer-centric
The customer's opinion is critical in total quality management since, eventually, the
customer determines the level or quality. The quality improvement of a product or service is
determined through the customers' evaluation and satisfaction of the item or service purchased. It
should be the firm's primary focus to ensure the customer receives high-quality products to
improve development technology, improve procedures and educate personnel to secure a positive
outcome.
Total employee development
"This principle consists in developing the capacity to act and to decide individually in
solving problems, and to engage in quality improvement projects" (DIAMANDESCU, 2016,
p.674). A complete level of commitment from the staff and personnel is obtained when
management creates an approachable environment and company culture, which helps increase
employee morale. Ultimately, through employee empowerment, the firm can obtain a successful
quality management technique.
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Process Centered
Understanding processes is a crucial component of the quality improvement of a product
or service. The process-centered principle requires identifying processes that a firm should
consider implementing in order to keep them under control and continuously improve efficiency.
Integrated system
A company needs a system for comprehension and management of the quality results to
manage the processes that improve quality effectively. The strategic and systemic principle
involves understanding the quality management system within the firm, in addition to creating
and understanding network processes and their interactions.
Strategic and systemic approach
It is vital to a companies success for the firm to have a thought-out strategy and system
implemented prior to executing quality management approaches. This principle studies the
products and service's tactical and operational approach to accomplishing an organization's goals.
Continual improvement
"This principle involves all staff at all levels and in all entities to improve the organizations
distinctive capabilities" (DIAMANDESCU, 2016, p.676). Continuous improvement motivates
companies to become even more innovative and forward-thinking. Gathering feedback from
customers is also a useful way of selecting areas of improvement.
Fact-based decision making
Decision making inspired by facts helps determine the performance of an organization.
Continually gathering and reviewing data increases the accuracy of decision-making processes
and accurate forecasts. All personnel responsible for decision-making processes must ensure all
decisions are solely based on facts.
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Communications
Implementation of effective communication within a firm plays a crucial role in
streamlined processes and motivating employees. This principle states the importance of
cultivating a clear communication plan which is aligned with the firm's goals, objectives and
missions.
Implementation Process
Implementing total quality management principles has improved tremendously the
companies competitive edge. Additional benefits like winning new business, continuity in
improving efficiency and loss reduction, increase in customer demand and labor productivity.
Therefore, there are several steps in the implementation process of TQM including; identification
of TQM as organization's strategy by senior management, assessment of culture, customer
satisfaction, and quality management techniques, identification of principal values and
communicating them, developing TQM plan, identification and meeting of consumer needs,
identification of critical factors fundamental to accomplishments of goals, the formation of teams
for process improvement, and evaluation (Valmohammadi & Roshanzamir, 2015).
Application by Other Organization
Starbucks has aligned its quality improvement structure by implementing total quality
management. Starbucks, like The Home Depot, is a driving force within its industry. Therefore it
utilizes quality improvement approach to continually retain the competitive edge and stay ahead
of its competition. Motivated and inspired personnel, strong company culture, locations with
great ambiance, innovative social responsible platform, leadership, strong financial position and
most importantly, customer loyalty are all attributed to effective implementation of total quality
management techniques.
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Applicability to The Home Depot
Involving the organization's personnel would be the first step in implementing quality
management in the firm. It is vital to express to the personnel the importance of their continued
support as it relates to the company's business plan and success. Multiple training sessions and
development sessions should also be implemented where the goal and vision will be emphasized
and their important roles will be highlighted. Next, the firm should identify their key customer
group and solicit customer feedback. The voice of the customer (VOC) is a metric utilized by the
department to adequately and accurately determine how the customer feels about the overall
services provided. Information from the customer is gathered thru questionnaires, focus groupsd
and social media posts. Based on the customer feedback will then result in an improvement plan,
where the quality management principles will be implemented. The improvement plans are then
assigned to personnel subgroups tasked in carrying out the implementation effectively.
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References
Blocher, E., Stout, D. E., Juras, P., & Cockins, G. (2012). Cost management: A strategic
emphasis (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Anil, A. P., & Satish, K. P. (2017). Enhancing customer satisfaction through total quality
management practices – an empirical examination. Total Quality Management &
Business Excellence, 30(13-14), 1528-1548.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2017.1378572
Chaudary, S., Zafar, S., & Salman, M. (2014). Does total quality management still shine? re-
examining the total quality management effect on financial performance. Total Quality
Management & Business Excellence, 26(7-8), 811-824.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2014.895521
Mihailovic, L., & Tanaskovic, A. (2017). Modern approach to quality management: The
principles of total quality management. Tehnika, 72(5), 748-753.
https://doi.org/10.5937/tehnika1705748m
DIAMANDESCU, A. (2016). THE MAIN PRINCIPLES OF TOTAL QUALITY
MANAGEMENT. Challenges of the Knowledge Society, 6, 672-678.
https://doaj.org/article/27717785ed48498ab83d55088e2ff134
Valmohammadi, C., & Roshanzamir, S. (2015). The guidelines of improvement: Relations
among organizational culture, TQM and performance. International Journal of
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