Understanding the integrated linkage: Quality and productivity

Quality and productivity management practices are being pursued in most organizations, either in isolation or in an absolutistic fashion. Today, there is a growing realization that both practices should be integrated by breaking boundaries of absolutism for mobilization of all organizational resources towards a common goal, i.e. for creation of value. This paper is an attempt to synthesize the total productivity and total quality management (TQM) thinkings and to propose an integrated linking model. This linking model will facilitate contemporary organizations to plan for taking competitive advantages. The model has been formulated by taking cognizance of similarities in ideology between quality and productivity and generic factors affecting them. It is postulated that this model will provide a strong foundation for pragmatic acculturation and corporate discipline towards TQM.