CUSTOMERS
Quality
is seen as a very important strategic objective as well as a very important advantage in consideration of the fact that it generates customer
satisfaction and thereby help augment profits. Customers' satisfaction engenders their loyalty, which is equally critical since retaining customers is a prerequisite to attract new customers. The road to success is laid when there is a perfect match between quality offered and the quality actually desired. Thus, customers must perceive that besides quality, they have received value for their money. Band (1991) considers value creation as the 'ultimate customer strategy'. Ultimate customer strategy involves the integration of quality, service and customer satisfaction. From a total quality perspective, all strategic decisions a company makes are
'customer-driven'. A customer-driven company moves from talk to action with its focus directed towards the customer, his wants, and preferences. It thereby gains an understanding of of his use of its products and services. In order words, customer focus becomes the cornerstone of quality management. Development of new techniques to obtain customer feedback is a natural corollary in the context of a company becoming
'customer-centric'. A firm also must recognise that
'internal customers' are as important in assuring quality, as are the
'external customers'. Feedback from internal customers will go directly to internal suppliers. In total quality organisations as against traditionally run organisations, it is common for employees to visit customers' sites in order to have first hand information from customers about how well products and services meet their requirements. Even though the dream to 'sell like an ace and live like a king' (John Wolfe 191) will come to fruition, an organisation caught in the vortex of
'product life cycle' cannot extricate from finding itself placed in a situation of
'little done, vast undone' (Baxi 1967).
PERFORMANCE
As held by Campbell and Pritchard (1976 : 63-130), performance comprises all behaviours, which are directed towards task or goal accomplishments. People's performance derive from their levels of ability and motivation. This proposition is often expressed by the formula: (Steven Kerr and John W.Slocum ,Jr (1981 : 117-134)
Performance= f (Ability x Motivation)
One particular aspect that looks complicated, but can be made simple is creation of high trust intra-group relations., which not only increases motivation and performance, but also feed upon each other thus establishing a vicious circle.Employee performance does not remain in isolation, without customer and team-oriented recognition. High performance teams are identified to possess such attributes as participatory leadership, shared responsibility, a sense of common purpose, high communication, future-focused, and focused on task, creative talents and rapid response. From here arises not an excellence in simplicity, but one far superior, an excellence in composition (Burke 1910 : 166). The answer, in the midst of otherwise competing equals,lies in total quality performance backed by human resource practices. Guiding the total quality transformation process will not only improve productivity and and thereby help blunt the edges of competition, but will also ensure better returns on investment. Making full use of human capital through human resource practices is the one and only way to build the bridge towards achieving excellence in business. The goodwill of both the employees as well as the customers stemming thus from best human resource practices is the only asset that can keep at bay vulnerability to maket fluctuations. Such practices will be an 'open sesame' to Total Quality Movement as a 'shared destiny', with all the constituents of business , including employees and extended employees of the vendors.