The empowered classroom: Applying TQM to college teaching

Total quality management (TQM) principles of 100 percent customer satisfaction/zero defects, self‐managing or autonomous teams, employee empowerment, and continuous process evaluation and improvement were utilized in the design and implementation of a graduate course in organizational behavior. Students made many choices that are usually made by the instructor. Students responded with enthusiasm to the challenge of self‐managing teams and empowerment; in contrast, the concepts of customer satisfaction and process evaluation were found to be relatively more difficult to translate into class process. Theoretical and practical implications of applying a business management model to an educational context are discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the study’s implications for higher education.