TQM Theory in Airport Passenger Handling

Total Quality Management Theory

Total Quality Management Development

How Total Quality Management (TQM) Theory can be applied to improve the airport passenger handling

Total Quality Management (TQM) specifically deals with work process and people. Implementation of TQM calls for team work and employee involvement. All operations, suppliers, and customers have to be involved. Besides, it also calls for performance measurement. TQM is normally implemented by business organizations to satisfy its customers. It improves organizational performance (Asher, 1996).

Work processes have to be coordinated for continuous improvement in business units to be realized. The underlying reason behind this is meeting customer expectations. TQM endeavors a scenario where quality is enhanced in all facets of an organization while costs are kept at bare minimum. Any organization irrespective of its size can implement TQM especially if it wants to meet the demands of the customers. A major setback has however been the non-compliance of these organizations with the principles and procedures of TQM implementation (Asher, 1996). A number of organizations run TQM as a program that can perform magic by itself. Some organizations have also failed to achieve the customer satisfaction bit because of selective use of the principles.

Leading world airlines have their unique problems with respect to passenger handling. There have always been issues related to luggage loss, cancellation of flights, and diversion of flights due to poor weather conditions, power black-out, and some myriad issues that lead to customer dissatisfaction. All these are summed up into inefficient service delivery. Customers never shy away from expressing their dissatisfaction about the kind of services they are offered. Because of the deregulation of the airline industry airlines have taken to setting fares and service levels based on the market situation. This has sparked competition among industry players. For an airline to gain competitive advantage over the other it has to outshine its rival.

Customer satisfaction is the in-thing in the aviation industry and the industry players are putting in much effort to elbow others out of their territory (Asher, 1996). Quality management is therefore an integral part of the airline's business operation if they endeavor to improve their services to meet customers' expectations. This paper seeks to establish how Total Quality Management (TQM) Theory can be applied to improve the airport passenger handling.

Because TQM philosophy is customer oriented an airline has to develop airlines operations to deal with issues that pertain to operations. This will streamline the airline's operation (Asher, 1996). All employees will have to participate in problem solving process regardless of functional or hierarchical boundaries. The employees will then have a feeling of psychological ownership. They will have some level of freedom when it comes to taking decisions that affect their jobs (Asher, 1996). They will undertake to engage in performing functions like information processing, problem solving and decision making. In the process, both internal and external customer satisfaction get boosted. This creates a flexible environment where innovation thrives. Because TQM incorporates concepts like service quality, process management, quality assertion, and quality perfection (Asher, 1996).

The airline has to take charge of all transformation process that entails operations and services. This has to be done to satisfy the needs of the passengers in the most economical way. Not so much can be achieved without the management accepting the concept of improvement (Andrle, 1994). All the company stakeholders have to come to terms with the fact that the company needs total transformation with regard to the quality of services the airline offers as well as its operations. The management must accept to participate in all improvement. They have to value opinions of others to achieve total quality management and provide total quality operations and services that are appealing to customers.

The management of the airline should be in the frontline when it comes to application of Total Quality Management to their operations and services (Andrle, 1994). Total quality management is based on internal control that is an integral part of the work system, the employees, and services being offered to the passengers of the airline company. TQM, if implemented, can determine problems that are likely to arise and anticipate its occurrences. When the airline pushes the problem solving and decision making responsibilities to the operations and services, the concerned individuals are capable of assessing and taking remedial action so that they deliver an operation or service that pleases their passengers (Andrle, 1994). The airline management has to combine TQM with the core strategies of the industries.

Most organizations fail to live up to the expectations of their customer because of existing organization culture. An airline that seeks to improve its passenger handling must contemplate initiating cultural change (Andrle, 1994). It has to change its corporate culture and adopt a culture that is customer centric. An organization's culture plays an integral role in influencing what the executive group attends to, how information is interpreted, and drawing up strategic position of a firm.

Culture is integral in strategy planning and implementation. Quality culture does nurture high social relationship, respect for individuals, a sense of membership, and a belief that continuous improvement is for the greater good of an organization. Responsibilities will therefore be decentralized to the lowest cadre of the airline management (Andrle, 1994). This brings into one fold the intellectual capability of every individual within the airline organization. The airline has to change from the traditional approach to quality management that suffocates innovation. Despite the challenges that come about because of changing an organization culture individual's have to prepare to have change in their attitudes.

Total Quality Management does emphasize customer focus approach. This helps airlines that have adopted TQM theory to know how their customers perceive them. Implementation of Total Quality Management by airlines enables these airlines to pay closer attention to issues pertaining to quality (Andrle, 1994). This in the process guarantees error free transactional process. The customers will have no reason to complain. This enhances customer satisfaction. Customers who are satisfied with the kind of treatment they underwent will most likely recommend others to such airlines (Andrle, 1994). The airline stands to spend less on advertisement hence cost reduction. Because of a cut in operating costs the airline is likely to have a competitive edge over her peers.

To improve airport passenger handling the airline has to invest in employee training. This helps the employees in managing the TQM ideology. This enhances their skills and techniques in quality improvement especially if they want to attain the aims and objectives of their business (Andrle, 1994). Employees, when trained, are capable of identifying improvement opportunities because the training provides them with skills and knowledge they can use in improving service delivery to the passengers (Alamdari, 1999).

The airline must work as a team so that the workforce remains committed to its goals and objectives. Teams made up of people with right attitude makes a company realize the gains of quality management (Alamdari, 1999). Working in a team makes team members have positive work attitude, loyalty to the organization and focus on organization goals notwithstanding. Members of a team can propose improvements they are supposed to make. The proposed improvements can change the attitude of the employees of the airline that are resistant to change. Any recommendations that are made by team members have a likelihood of being implemented especially when the team is formidable (Alamdari, 1999). The airline employees who work in groups are likely to enhance service delivery. This can be true in circumstances when the morale of workers is boosted.