Assignment two 1

Total Quality Management vs. A Retail Approach McKenna Kimbell University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Assignment two 2 For a recent English assignment I was required to choose a figured world to study. A figured world can be defined as a social environment with its own way of communication and rules for behavior and manners. For this assignment I choose the Harris Teeter supermarket. This is a large grocery store chain that is mainly in the south. For this paper I had to choose an area within Harris Teeter that I wanted to study and research. I have been an employee with Harris Teeter for three years now. It has not only been a place of work but also a second home. While working there I have seen different managers come in and go out. They each had their own way of managing the store but all had the same goal, keeping the customers happy. Seeing the different managers come in and out made me become interested in how the store is actually managed. Technically there is four managers that are over everyone. There is a store director, store manager, assistant store manager, and for me a customer service manager. With the changing store managers, I have seen a difference in not only how the store is run but also how customers respond. In just one year customers come to know the managers and the associates. Some even get to know each of them by name and get used to talking to them each time they enter the store. Associate and Management attitudes reflect on how the customers are satisfied. My interest with the store has become exactly how it is managed. To keep the store running in a smooth way, Harris Teeter uses a Total Quality Management philosophy (TQM). Many companies have their own management style that they use to meet the expectations of customers. This system requires companies to check and maintain products and services to make sure it meets the standards of the company and customers. Another way to define TQM is a unifying approach in management that supports the fulfillment of customer satisfaction through a variety of tools and techniques that result in a higher quality of goods and services. Total Quality Management involves the idea of always improving products and services offered by the company. There are three main goals that are very important, one is have a never ending push to improve products and service, second is require all personnel to be involved, and last is customer satisfaction. Harris Teeters main goal is to satisfy t he needs of the customers first, and the strive for the TQM system is exactly that. Throughout this paper I will go into detail about the TQM system and how Harris Teeter implements the system. I will also take a look into other management styles that are used in different companies. The group I am going to focus on is associates as well as others interested in management systems. For this assignment I was required to conduct research in my figured world. Based on my research I have found out more about the TQM system. Jarrod Richards defined total quality management as an integrative approach to management that supports the attainment of customer satisfaction through a wide variety of tools and techniques that he end result is higher quality of goods and services. A company with a total quality management system listens to the customers and finds out what they want and their complaints. Employee commitment plays an important role in the total quality management system because the employees have to be willing to work to satisfy customers. In the implementation article, it states that total quality management forms a management system that consists of values, techniques and tools. Depending on the store size the total quality management system is implemented in a different way. Something that is in

Assignment two 3 common in all systems are continuous improvement, customer focus, supply management and motivated and committed coworkers. Benggtsson and ljungstrom defined three different strategies that put the total quality management system in place. Quality through inspection has detailed routines and narrow areas of responsibility for employees. There is also a definite division between the people doing the work and people who inspect their work. Implementation of quality systems maintains a clear division between work and responsibility. Quality through motivation uses management programs and leadership to help motivate employees and get them involved in the process of improving quality. Employees are required to participate and work every day to improve the store in a variety of ways. There is no change in the work process or work organization, only self-inspection is different. Quality through work development puts an emphasis on work development , goal oriented working group, integration of work, development of competence and decentralization of responsibility and authority. This is a foundation to build interest, involvement, and motivation that is focus on the main goal of constant improvement and quality. It uses an improvement team as a way to improve and develop different processes. The role of trust and ethical core values, such as respect, fairness and honesty in a manager and organizational contest is very important in keeping the store together. It has been seen that company failure that implements a total quality management system, is a lack of knowledge and understanding about the human dimension. If there is no trust between management and employees, a reward system has no significant motivational effect. Research has shown that a reward system decreases an employees motivation when the management is seen as controlling rather than supporting and listening to people. Research has also shown that brand and company images influence relationship quality. Relationship quality has also shown a significant influence on relationship value. Images and relationship quality affect customer loyalty. Relationship quality is and important in relationship values in predicting loyal customers. It is also a key strategy for managers to consider when establishing and maintaining a long term relationship with customers. Relationship value also shows significance in customer loyalty. Companies should evaluate their cost and benefits in order to develop a relationship with their customers and keep that relationship. The qualified management support, independency and low organizational barriers had a significant positive effect on increasing organization ability to quality improvement. Results from a study showed that communication between employees and management played an important role in employee satisfaction. This showed that communication was an important element in successful and continuous improvement in the total quality management system. In this system, management has to be the first to show awareness of the total quality management system and must attract their employees attention. Better communication between employees and mangers has shown that motivation increased. With increased motivation there was also an increase in employee satisfaction and this leads to higher motivated employees, good work ethic and more efficiency at work. Motivated workers show a higher organizational commitment and are more likely to stay with a company and experience higher satisfaction with their job. From this, employee satisfaction and process

Assignment two 4 quality are directly influenced. If employees are not happy at a store, then it cannot be expected that customers are happy. To keep employees happy, effective management practices can consist of effective meetings, education and training, performance appraisals, and recognition. This can all be summed up as participation, development and motivation. For effective meetings, there has to be a definite need for the meeting and a clear purpose. Performance appraisals are important to provide constructive and developmental feedback; it should focus on positives, be encouraging and rewarding, and should not blame individuals. Recognition has proven to be an important way to keep employees happy. This can be provided through nominations, simple thank you notes, or celebration. Employees who suggestions show a positive impact can be recognized and rewarded. This shows the importance in employee satisfaction. If employees are happy, they will be more likely to work together and help improve the quality of the store. In a job standardization article, a closer look was taken on how total quality management was implemented. It stated that high service quality can increase customer satisfaction, reduce customer complaints and service costs, secure greater market share, and attain maximum possible profits. There is a turnover of managers in public organizations and this result in managers not being able to be involved in improving the store. From my observations, Harris Teeter does not allow a manager to stay in one store for more than a year. I have always believed that managers never stay in one place because if they show improvement at one store they are taken to another store to help improve that one. Using a total quality management system can help to provide more commitment from managers. Since managers do not stay in one place for very long, using this system can help keep the store on track and improve service quality. From assignment one I observed how people interact in Harris Teeter. Each day people interacted differently. The three managers that we have at the store each have their own managing style. All together, the managers follow the same style of keeping the store running; they each just interact differently with customers. Steven Beck, the assistant store manager, showed from the observations that he works hard to keep the customers happy. He was always busy stocking the shelves with products and helps out assisting customers with their problems. Different managers have their own way of keeping the store running As stated before, most companies use a total quality management style to keep their stores running. A different type of management style that came across was called the a Retail approach. In the article, the A Retail chain is looked at closer. A Retail is a grocery store food chain that is located mainly in Germany. They run on the saying we know best and a no nonsense discount store. This company is not like many of the grocery stores in the United States. A retail looks for ways to cut cost in all areas of the store. In 1961, they implemented their theory of management of a holistic approach to treating employees and customers well. This theory provides superior loyalty, sales and financial performance. The key to this strategy was reducing all the basics, for example customer service and employee headcount. The employees in the store were trained in all areas of the store, that way when they finished one job they could help in the rest of the store. Products were limited to only one variety and only house

Assignment two 5 products or items from tiny manufactures. This reduce the shelve space and retail expenses. Shelves were not shocked like stores here in the US; they are stocked using the sell-from-the-box technique. Full boxes were places on the shelf, and customers would get their items directly out of the box. High selling products were left on the pallets and then moved off when empty. This allowed employees to focus on a task and not have to worry about sticking shelves or unpack boxes. As of 2010, A Retail operates 9,000 stores and 4,200 of those are just in Germany. There is a store within 10 minutes of every customer. Different from most grocery stores, A Retail does not allow employees to voice their opinion. They do not even encourage employees to talk to one another. Today the store still operates on the same philosophy and has loosened up a bit on cost cutting factors. They now carry cold and frozen items and even carry household items, which is their biggest profit. Harris Teeter operates under the total quality management system. The main goal is customer satisfaction. Everything in the store is focused on keeping customers happy and satisfied. In the A Retail management system they want to keep customers happy but also get them in and out as quickly as possible. I think that the way that A Retail runs their stores is good for some companies but not others. Small companies like A Retail, have a good system in some ways. Since 1961, their company has loosened up in not being so focused on profits. This is an important aspect but is not necessarily a good thing all the time. Like in the total quality management system, if employees are not happy, then customers will not be happy. In the A Retail approach, employees are held to such a high standard that there is not a place to voice an opinion that may help benefit the store. From the research that I compiled, the A Retail approach -would not survive here in the US because most stores here focus on the customers more than the store itself. I think that the management style that Harris Teeter uses is perfect for the store. It gives managers some leeway on how they run their stores but gives them set goal for the store. They are able to listen and keep employees involved in the store. After working in Harris Teeter I have gotten used to the managing styles and the main things Harris Teeter strives for. Researching the other management styles makes it easier to relate to different things but also makes it hard to imagine a different way to run Harris Teeter. In the A Retail approach there is a much stricter style that runs the store. Employees are there to work and are expected to not talk and focus on their work. At Harris Teeter employees have a certain task that is supposed to be accomplished but it is left up to the employee how to get it done. I think that if Harris Teeter switched over to the A Retail approach they would not be able to survive. Customers are used to being the main focus in the store and even hold long conversations with employees and even managers. The center of the entire store focuses on the customers satisfaction. Further research on this subject could be more management sty les that are used. There are many different management styles and philosophies out there, and maybe one that would make Harris Teeter a better store. For now the total quality management system that Harris Teeter runs on is a good fit for the store.

Assignment two 6 Works Cited: Chen C, Myagmarsuren O. Brand equity, relationship quality, relationship value, and customer loyalty: Evidence from the telecommunications services. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence [serial online]. September 2011;22(9):957-974. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 2, 2013. https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt h&AN=66553763&site=ehost-live&scope=site Cole R. From continuous improvement to continuous innovation. Total Quality Management [serial online]. December 2002;13(8):1051. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 15, 2013. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=26bec594-f943-423797130d730d3baac9%40sessionmgr4&hid=7&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaX Rl#db=a9h&AN=7558655 Dahlgaard-Park S. Core values the entrance to human satisfaction and commitment. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence [serial online]. February 2012;23(2):125140. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 2, 2013. https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt h&AN=70903447&site=ehost-live&scope=site Elg M, Gremyr I, Hellstrm A, Witell L. The role of quality managers in contemporary organisations. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence [serial online]. August 2011;22(8):795-806. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 2, 2013. https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt h&AN=65216308&site=ehost-live&scope=site Farahmand N. Quality Improvement by Qualified Managers. Business Management Dynamics [serial online]. January 2013;2(7):28-43. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 2, 2013. https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt h&AN=86682336&site=ehost-live&scope=site Hsieh A, Chou C, Chen C. Job standardization and service quality: a closer look at the application of total quality management to the public sector. Total Quality Management

Assignment two 7 [serial online]. November 2002;13(7):899-912. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 16, 2013. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=26bec594-f943-423797130d730d3baac9%40sessionmgr4&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za XRl#db=a9h&AN=7175529 Kimbell, M. (2013, September). Assignment One Second Draft. Moodle. Lecture conduced from Charlotte, NC. https://moodle2.uncc.edu/course/view.php?id=17616 Ljungstrm M, Klefsj B. Implementation obstacles for a workdevelopment-oriented TQM strategy. Total Quality Management [serial online]. August 2002;13(5):621-634. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 16, 2013. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=7&sid=26bec594-f943-423797130d730d3baac9%40sessionmgr4&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za XRl#db=a9h&AN=8906892 Richards J. Total Quality Management. Business Management & Strategy (BMS) [serial online]. December 2012;3(2):36-42. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 30, 2013. http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=7f9c25e4-0177-4db6-9c8ed6224524b35b%40sessionmgr112&vid=4&hid=106
Rossig J. The Path to Five Star Management -- "A Retail". ISM Journal Of International Business [serial online]. October 2012;1(4):1-20. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed. October 25, 2013.

http://web.ebscohost.com/bsi/detail?sid=c9901b8a-4443-4cea-899546e06ee17926%40sessionmgr11&vid=1&hid=28&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnNpLWxpdmU%3d#db= bth&AN=90519439 Zelnik M, Maleti M, Maleti D, Gomiek B. Quality management systems as a link between management and employees. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence [serial online]. January 2012;23(1):45-62. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 2, 2013. https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bt h&AN=70466966&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Assignment two 8