THE PROCESS OF MANAGEMENT

A COMPARISON OF WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENTS OF

TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT AND TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Tom Rothrauff

Saint Leo University

Abstract

This study was designed to review the dynamics of the current quality revolution that is sweeping the world. Specifically it relates to and examines the effects of W. Edwards Deming’s Total Quality Management (TQM) approach to managing for quality improvement of the workplace environment in city governments.

The testable research hypothesis for this study was that the implementation of Deming’s model i.e., the “holistic” approach to improve workplace environment quality that would result in a significantly positive change in organizational climate, as perceived by the non-managerial employees. Ten additional ancillary sub-hypotheses relating to the measurement of the holistic tableau were also examined. In addition, sample cities demographic data were compared for likeness of samples.

Study respondents included non-managerial employees from two public sector cities, one that embraced a traditional management (TM) ideology and one that practiced the TQM management (TQM) philosophy. While no attempt was made to compare each city with contemporaries employing the same management philosophy, both sample cities were distinguished by their reputation for professional performance in their chosen management practice.

The Workplace Environment Scale (WES) was the instrument used to measure the organizational climate manifested by each management practice. Three dimensions consisting of ten sub-scales, which served as the frameworkfor the statistical analysis, demonstrated the workplace environment.

Findings revealed significant differences in the preferred direction by the TQM managed city in seven of the ten sub-scales, two of the three dimensions, as well as for the total WES score. In addition, there was no significant difference found in the majority of demographic categories. In summary, it is concluded that the Deming model of TQM’s holistic management approach did have a more positive effect on the workplace environment.

Finally, this research contributed new information to the field of public administration in the areas of strategy e.g., the affect of workplace environment on productivity; in organizational behavior; and in management’s leadership principles and practice.