An action research inquiry into implementing Total Quality Management in a Student Programs Office

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles and philosophies within the Student Programs Office at the Texas A&M University Memorial Student Center (MSC) during nine months of the 1992-93 academic year. Higher Education is a nontraditional context for the implementation of TQM, particularly in regard to the request of the Memorial Student Center's administrators for this implementation to occur in their organization. The implementation process consisted of a pilot study using three Quality Improvement Teams. This study followed the activities and accomplishments of one of the teams. This study used the naturalistic inquiry process (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) and an action research methodology (Lewin, 1948) to study Quality Team Three as they used various TQM tools and techniques to investigate a critical activity which had plagued the student programs organization, namely student training opportunities. Among other activities, the team determined how students currently learn the skills necessary to perform their volunteer tasks, surveyed how well the student volunteers were trained for their assignments, and identified barriers to effective training. At the conclusion of the team activities, recommendations were made to the MSC Council by all three quality teams regarding the information that each team collected, reviewed, and analyzed. The inquirer was the instrument used in this inquiry. No interview guide was developed during the orientation and conclusion phase of this study but the inquirer asked unassuming, probing questions to reveal information about the past and present state of the MSC. Other data sources included observation of participants and collection of institutional documents. Purposive sampling with persistent observation and triangulation was used to promote trustworthiness. Conclusions of the researcher included: The history and culture afforded the MSC a greater opportunity to successfully implement TQM. The quantity and quality of leadership opportunities increased with the introduction and implementation of TQM in the Student Programs Office. TQM principles and philosophies can be used to solve different problems confronting a Student Programs Office. A Participant/Observer role provided the researcher different viewpoints of the implementation process than a simple observer.