WORKFORCE AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY CONCERN IN HRM

Workforce Availability and Quality concern in HRM

Workforce Availability and Quality concern in HRM

Introduction

Over time the meaning of quality has changed. The fact that the quality revolution commenced in manufacturing meant that the natural evolution of TQ began with a focus on producing quality products. This involved considering what the problems with the product were and then assessing how related processes could be improved. However, this “traditional production-based concept of conformance to specifications has given way to a customer orientation of quality”.

Workforce Availability and Quality concern in HRM

Understandably, this evolution has resulted in the identification of three different types of quality. These are process quality (which concerns reliably producing a required output), product quality (which seeks conformance with technical requirements) and benefit quality (which is concerned with meeting customer requirements). While each of these is important, benefit quality is the one that organizations consider to be the most important. Without benefit quality the other two types of quality do not really matter!

The move towards a total quality orientation requires a complete change in thinking for many organizations. In this regard, several suggestions have been made by various authors. Perhaps Cullen best summarizes these approaches in his review of successful total quality companies:

* Leadership is required from the top.

* The cost of quality should be measured in terms of both conformance and nonconformance.

* A focus on customer satisfaction is the starting-point of quality.

* Long-term continuous improvement is the ultimate aim of a quality initiative.

* Everyone must be involved in quality but it must be led from the top.

What is apparent in reviewing these suggestions is that quality is no longer considered a manufacturing issue or a technique confined to one aspect of an organization. It is now realized that TQ should be a company-wide initiative involving all employees across all functions of the organization. Quality is seen by many to be the means of achieving success in a highly competitive global marketplace. It all begins with an emphasis on the customer.

Regardless of the nature of the business or the industry, every company has customers on whom it relies for profit achievement. There is little point in producing a good quality product through quality processes if that product is not what the customer wants. This growing recognition of meeting customer needs is changing the direction of quality initiatives in organizations. Customer care can be accomplished as follows:

* Understand the customer. In order to achieve this, companies must undertake a formal process of market research and seek feedback through informal discussions with clients and customer service staff.

* Establish methods of measurement. Measurement should always be from the customer's perspective; in other words, it is necessary to define what are the most critical aspects of the business from the customer's point of view.

* Involve all employees in setting and improving standards. If employees are involved from the beginning, they will be more committed to achieving the ...