ABSTRACT

In discussing the inherent differences between quality efforts in service organizations and those in manufacturing organizations, “Total Service Quality” offers insights into the change in techniques necessary when going from one to the other. In both “The Service Revolution” and “A New Model for Quality,” the Paul Revere Insurance Group, one of the first service companies to fully embrace the idea of a full-fledged, organization-wide pursuit of quality, is cited. At Paul Revere, the Quality Steering Committee was made up of the number-one or number-two executive from every division and major department of the company. Quality may be the key to the survival of any organization into the 21st century. Quality and competitive benefits it invariably brings are within the reach of any organization whose leadership is willing to follow the proven beaten-flat, path blazed by these pioneers. The trade-offs between limiting quality improvement to small doses and getting everyone involved as quickly as possible heavily favor the latter approach.