Creating a TQM culture

Creating a culture and environment for quality improvement is hard work that takes time and commitment. It is often frustrating and painful. For an organization to be successful in this transformation, leadership is not just important, it is vital. The leaders in TQM have new roles to play, roles that go against the grain of many of the forces that led to management success. The tasks of the leaders in a TQM organization emphasize building teamwork and removing barriers that prevent the organization from meeting customer needs. When Jamie Haughton, CEO of Corning, was asked where in his job he found the time to commit to TQM, he replied, "Continuous quality improvement is my job; it is the most important thing I do ... Quality is the primary responsibility of the leader."