ABSTRACT
Total quality management (TQM) is a complete and self-contained system of management based on the lifetime philosophy of Dr. W. E. Deming. It is Deming who characterized it as complete and self-contained, and his disciples think of it as such. It is certainly a philosophy of management, and it certainly contains many facets not found in the management styles and schools of other quality professionals. It contradicts some of the tenets of Frederick Winslow Taylor and Henry Ford, and it was a major
coup de grace
for Deming to have his philosophy adopted by the Ford Motor Company in 1980. While at Ford, the author studied under Dr. Deming and under his chief appointee for corporate quality.
