ABSTRACT
This book was written w ith a consideration o f productivity and quality m anagem ent as essential dim ensions in an organization’s effectiveness. It is im portant to note that productivity and quality are connected and interrelated. The goal-setting process, operations im provem ent, perfor m ance m easurem ent, and other strategies geared tow ard organization im provem ent m ust be done w ith the understanding that productivity and quality are positively correlated. It is im possible to have one w ithout the other. A sound productivity and quality m anagem ent program can provide the basis for organizations to effectively address such issues as
W aste elim ination within the organization E lim ination o f process and procedural bottlenecks C ost reduction Defect reduction R apidly changing technology w ith increased sophistication and specialization R ate o f grow th o f diversified product lines and services O ther organizational com plexities
In order for productivity and quality m anagem ent efforts to continue to yield positive im provem ent and results, everyone within the organization m ust be w illing to encourage team work. There m ust be cross fertilization
o f ideas am ong people and across departm ents and functional areas. Everyone involved in the productivity and quality program m ust have the determ ination to im prove the work organization effectively and effi ciently. There m ust be strong awareness that com petition can create a w ide gap between two sim ilar tasks, processes, firm s, and profit levels obtained by sim ilar organizations. Today, m ost com panies in the United States and other countries worldwide are aware o f die productivity and quality advantage enjoyed by Japanese com panies. This is true in the electronics industry and autom obile industry, and other areas as well. If the right things are going to be done regarding productivity and quality im provem ent, organizations m ust constandy train and retrain talents to provide the technical vitality needed to deal with pressing issues. Every one within the organization m ust also believe that change is possible, change can bring prosperity, and change that brings im provem ent in organization should be welcome without caution and bottlenecks. A ccep tance o f changing values and challenges m ust also be done in conjunction with acceptance and im plementation o f new ideas, suggestions, and techniques.
