ABSTRACT
A 1992 survey of 300 electronics companies indicated that 63 per cent of the organizations implementing new total quality management efforts had failed to yield improvements in their level of product defects. One of the first and most important elements in ensuring that a survey effort will result in organizational change is a commitment to action on the part of the survey champion, client and/or the senior management of the organization. The cascading method of delivery is a means of promoting a higher level of commitment to action in the organization, particularly where significant portions of management's time are used to discuss the survey results obtained. A commitment to action, often expressed in terms of the survey champion's own reaction and response to the results obtained, is key to building energy among others to use the results in their own decision-making processes.
