Total quality management: a matter of quality polarity analysis and management

Alvin Zander claims that group members are often more concerned with personal needs and rights than those of the organization. People tend to have their attention on only half (the upside of their preferred pole and the downside of the other) of the whole "picture" of a polarity. By making a complete, accurate diagram of the entire polarity and continually updating and using it, people can promote collaboration and effectiveness despite the automatic tendency for people to be both blind to the entire situation and individualistically undermining successful management of the polarity over time. In other words, most efforts to produce noteworthy and lasting results in successful implementation of total quality management most likely will be limited--or result in failure--due to the fact that nursing managers, staff, and administrators view autocratic management and employee empowerment as separate choices to be made and are unclear that their day-to-day action impacts both direction and empowerment continually. Polarity analysis and management tend to integrate what appear to be personal and individual needs with those of others in a collaborative partnership. When addressing any polarity, it is important to acknowledge that people at all levels of the organization potentially are paradoxically the greatest resources and the biggest barriers to unprecedented breakthrough results. Overzealous action to reduce autocratic leadership will subsequently affect empowerment negatively and thus ultimately erode direction. Likewise overzealous action to increase empowerment will promote a lack of focus and finally erode organization and compliance. As any group of people begins to experience the recurrence of the ups and downs of both poles, there is increased frustration, resignation, and sense of ineffectiveness.