What is total quality management (TQM)? What are some of the tools used in TQM to diagnose and solve quality problems? Do TQM programs always work for organizations? Explain.

TQM is a systematic attempt to achieve continuous improvement in the quality of an organization's products and/or services.Some of the main tools used in TQM include flowcharts of work processes, Pareto analysis, fishbone diagrams, and statistical process control.While TQM efforts have been highly successful in some organizations, they have been met with resistance and ultimate failure in others.One reason why TQM might not work is that the long-term focus of TQM can be hard to maintain, especially if managers and employees expect radical improvements in a short period of time.Another reason has to do with the timing of the TQM program implementation.A number of organizations have tried to implement TQM programs while they were engaged in radical restructuring or downsizing, and employees are less likely to be receptive to calls for initiative and innovation when they are insecure about their jobs.