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- "Companywide Quality Management" by Alberto Galgano, published by
- Productivity Press (P.O. Box 13390, Portland, OR 97213-0909) 1994, 444 pp,
- $45 (+ $5 S&H)
-
- A Book Review by Norman C. Frank, PE, CQE, CQA
- CER Corporation, Washington, DC
-
- "Companywide Quality Management" by Alberto Galgano provides a comprehensive
- overview of the concept of companywide quality management (CWQM). This is
- the same as the Japanese concept of company-wide quality control.
-
- Galgano opens with an investigation of the meaning of quality. Quality is
- given a comprehensive meaning that requires comprehensive performance from
- each employee of the company, from top management down. Quality is stated as
- including competitiveness, delivery, cost, morale, productivity, profit,
- product quality, quantity or volume, performance, service, safety, concern
- for the environment, and the stockholders' interest.
-
- The book begins by defining and summarizing CWQM. The fictional "Ikiro", a
- Japanese entrepreneur, helps us understand the decisions that must be made to
- achieve companywide quality management. The difference in Ikiro's decisions
- and the decisions made in Western culture is made clear. The differences
- reflect a different goal of the company and is not a product of cultural
- differences. Galgano states, "CWQM can be regarded as an approach that
- attaches great value to human beings in their roles as customers, employees,
- and suppliers."
-
- Emphasis on the customer is a priority in making CWQM work. A thorough
- discussion of the customer and customer satisfaction is provided. Emphasis
- on employees is also a priority in making CWQM work. Galgano states that
- "men and women can perform miracles if they are treated as intelligent human
- beings."
-
- The second part ties together the various strategies (e.g., customer
- satisfaction, suppliers partnerships, kaizen, and internal promotion) leading
- to or forming a part of CWQM. This puts a perspective on the relationships
- of the various strategies put forth by other authors.
-
- Techniques and tools of CWQM make up the third part of the book. The Seven
- Statistical Tools and the PDCA Cycle, the Seven Management Tools, quality
- function deployment, and the "cause and effect diagram with cards" (CEDAC
- system) are discussed in general, and their relationship to the success of a
- CWQM activity is shown.
-
- The final two parts discuss executive leadership and introducing CWQM into a
- company. Galgano's strategies for introducing CWQM into companies of various
- sizes are based on 16 years experience of working with companies around the
- world to introduce CWQM.
-
- The value of the book lies in the overview, the perspective, and the
- relationships of the various strategies, tools, techniques, and approaches
- show by the author.
-
- Many bullet lists allow for easy understanding and mental categorizing of the
- information. The book is filled with figures, diagrams, and tables visually
- depicting the concepts introduced by the book. There are good historical
- references covering many of the concepts and strategies of the book. Galgano
- is the first to point out that these concepts are 25-30 years old in Japan.
-
- ---------------------
- Mr. Frank has over 25 years experience in the field of quality, in the areas
- of nuclear quality assurance, research and development, and consulting. He
- is currently in Washington, D.C., with CER Corporation out of Las Vegas,
- Nevada.
-