Abstract
This study followed the implementation process of Total Quality Management (TQM) with IN the Student Programming Organization in the Memorial Student Center (MSC) at Texas A&M University. The implementation process or pilot study was conducted in the 1992-93 academic year. While the pilot study involved three quality teams, this study followed the activities of one team. TQM Team #1, the one this study followed, consisted of four students and four staff members and concentrated on structural barriers in the organization. The team used TQM tools, including a fishbone diagram and affinity charts, to investigate possible structural barriers. They focused their investigation on roles and collaboration. The team conducted interviews and collected information from the officers of the organization about their ideas about their role and collaboration. Recommendations were made to the MSC regarding the information collected, reviewed, and analyzed by the team. This study was conducted using naturalistic inquiry methodology. The study followed a dynamic process for nine months. Naturalistic methodology afforded the opportunity to study the interaction of people as they developed and changed as well as the changes in the organization. The primary method was participant observation of training and team meetings. The researcher served as the team facilitator assisting the group in TQM exercises. This level of involvement provided a unique opportunity to collect information from the group and question issues brought up in the discussion. Interviews were also conducted with team members and other stakeholders. Conclusions of the researcher included: 1) Total Quality Management teamwork made a positive improvement in the MSC 2) Involvement and the level of involvement aids in student learning and development 3) Teamwork can have a dramatic impact on any organization even if it is hierarchical, formal, and traditional in nature. 4) The role of team facilitator afforded me different viewpoints of the implementation process than a simple observer.
Carr, Rebecca Lynn (1994). A case study of the implementation of TQM at the Memorial Student Center at Texas A & M University : the impact on organizational structure. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -1471413.