Introduction
The concept of Total Quality Management was developed in the 80s with the aim of promoting quality management in organizations in a global and inclusive way. From the first moment, it is defended, both from academic and professional spheres, its potential to have a positive effect on the activity of companies and, in addition, on the achievement of competitive advantages. However, the application of any management system such as total quality management, with implications both at the level of business culture and the design and execution of educational processes, with an unavoidable organizational effort and very important in terms of time and resources, which, in turn, makes it essential to obtain empirical evidence that confirms the contribution of this system to business performance.
The total quality
Total quality includes each and every aspect of the organization, because they involve and commit each and every person in the organization. Traditional quality tries to fix quality after making mistakes; But total quality is focused on getting the product to perform well from start to finish.
The concept of quality has been defined in various ways by specialists and scholars of business management. Everyone has a very personal way of expressing it, but most of those concepts are coincidental. In other words, they express the same thing but with different words. The important thing is to know how to differentiate what is quality from what is not. Crosby, cited by Ortega (1983), points out that the quality of a good or service is nothing other than its conformity with customer requirements. This concept emphasizes the user of the good or service provided: the level of quality corresponds to an individual perception while the concept is generic. Juran refers to it as the adequacy of use of a good or service, that is, to what extent that good or service meets the needs of the user.For their part, Feigenbaum and Harrington, cited by Ortega (op. Cit), conceptualize it in terms of the level of compliance or exceeding the expectations of customers or users. Others, such as Adam, Hershauer and Ruch (1985), maintain that quality is «… the degree to which a product or service conforms to a set of predetermined standards, related to the characteristics that determine its market value and its performance based on which it was designed »(p. 22). This has to do with the degree of adequacy to the requirements, needs and expectations of the user regarding the good or service given. For Horowitz (1990), quality is nothing other than the level of excellence that the company has chosen to achieve to satisfy its key clientele. This represents, at the same time, the extent to which such quality is achieved.This concept is focused on two key elements: the "level of excellence" and "the key clientele". The level of excellence is reached when responding to the demands of a selected group "… each level of excellence must respond to a certain value that the client is willing to pay, depending on their wishes and needs" (p. 2). The "key clientele" is one that, due to its expectations and needs, imposes on the company the level that they must reach. Berry (1992) points out: "… quality is the satisfaction of customer needs" (p. 2). This definition focuses on the results of the quality achievement process, on the effects of its application and on the beneficiaries of the services and / or products: the customer.An expanded concept establishes that quality consists in meeting the needs of customers and their reasonable expectations.
Total quality in education
The concepts of quality and the processes and procedures to achieve it are not exclusive to the industry, they are perfectly applicable in education. Every day, society and government entities put more pressure on institutions, and on the entire educational system, in order to achieve an increasingly better quality level of education. This can be done if the concepts and models used in the industry are taken as a basis, despite the differences between the aims and objectives of each one. Education has as its purpose the formation of man, both in its technical and humanistic aspects. Organizations are as efficient as their processes are, defining as a process all the activities that interrelate with each other;From another perspective, processes are the way things are done in the organization, depending on the case of production and delivery of goods or provision of a service.
Taking the concept of Deming (1989) which raises "the requirements of actions and mental schemes oriented to Total Quality within this process of change and in which quality becomes more of a philosophy of life, a way of to be and to be". (p.93).
Total Quality is a basic tool for an inherent property of anything that allows it to be compared to anything of the same species. It is here where we can illustrate this concept with the experiences given in Venezuela, related to public educational institutions, (at that time in its I and II stages of basic education), which have been successful in incorporating in their organizational structure the term of quality and better still having adopted the quality management system, finally obtaining the ISO 9001: 2000 certification. As cited by the Registry of Systems for the Certification of Firms with Evaluated Capacity ISO 9000 (2005): State Basic Unit “Dr. José María Vargas ”,“ María Teresa Toro ”State Educational Unit,State Educational Unit "Cecilio Acosta II" and State Education Unit "Lino Clemente" (p.2022).
Quality is a very controversial topic, especially when one of the most used concepts is analyzed, quality is the set of characteristics inherent in the provision of a service to satisfy the needs and expectations of the client and other interested parties. As a consequence of the aforementioned, we must understand how complex the concept is, since if the quality management system is the set of activities and functions to achieve quality, we must think about what the entire actions mean. That is to say, not a single detail can escape, the quality must extend to every process, so that everyone is responsible for the quality of what they do, taking all steps to satisfy the needs of the organization's internal and external client..
Based on what has been said, it could be thought that quality is a strategy used to improve competitiveness, being responsible for guiding all organizational processes and, of course, continuous improvement. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that, according to the organization, a design must be made according to the social and cultural realities, political-economic environments, or structure of the sector in which the company or organization carries out its activity.
When implementing a quality management system, it is necessary to take into account the need to know and establish the organizational culture, make a diagnosis of how the processes are carried out and probably make significant changes, to examine all possible options that allow offering the More timely solutions to the strategy to be implemented, always aligned with the institutional vision and mission. It is also necessary that the school does not disassociate itself with the community of which it is part, since change depends on the ability to adapt to the present context. That is why, without a doubt, the changes that current society is going through, especially with globalization, the digital age, and not least communications, are constantly challenging the school, therefore,It is almost obligatory that the traditional school be maintained over time, and that it survive these constant changes, seeing the need to adapt to the current context and open up to new learning.
The term of the knowledge era is known to many, but few schools offer the necessary conditions for students to become part of this era, and a good way to carry out these changes is through leadership, which must be thoughtful, critical, tolerant, analytical, conciliatory, negotiator, collaborative, among others, but above all, motivate so that all members are engaged in the improvement system, incorporating new ideas, which will allow them to be an innovators.
It is of utmost importance, the role played by the training institutions of teaching professionals, since they are in charge of generating good leaders, who are capable of meeting the expectations described above. Actually, to achieve a positive social impact, leadership is essential in any strategy to be carried out, in the same way, to manage resources and to carry out control, in the best sense, of the processes in which all people are involved. For the above, leaders in organizations must develop the mission and vision, as well as the values necessary to achieve success, since this behavior allows reaching the proposed goals, achieving excellence.The main factor that determines the success or failure of the implementation of a quality system is the perception that the group has of the management of the institution, understanding this, as all the people who have the responsibility of leading a group or being responsible for the actions to be carried out.
Hence the recommendation, that Management must establish a quality culture based on Total Quality principles, spread it among all the people in the organization and support and promote its management. The leader must be an agent of change in the educational paradigm, this is to support new proposals, both in the how, how, for what, of teaching, either with new methodologies or technologies. The leader must start using the crisis in his favor, since educational failures are symptoms that something that worked a long time ago is no longer valid and must be rebuilt and systematized.
The leader must dream and be very creative, teaching his employees that they are to get where they want to go, with work, dedication and perseverance. He must be a visionary capable of selling his dreams, he must instill in his employees the idea that they are the trainers of "the women and men of tomorrow". We must teach that all human beings, despite being unique, have a brain capable of thinking to do great things, that we can develop intellectual potential and develop powerful abilities that allow us to literally be more intelligent. The leader must possess the ability to awaken in all his employees, the potential they have inside.
Another point that is necessary and important is the policies and strategies to be used, the organization must establish its mission and vision through a strategy clearly focused on all stakeholders and supported by relevant policies, plans, objectives, goals and processes. Organizations achieve their maximum performance when they manage and share their knowledge within a general culture of learning, innovation and continuous improvement. All people should participate, as far as possible, both in defining the strategy and in the plans and objectives to be achieved.
Based on everything raised, we must incorporate the term "quality is assured", being appropriate to speak of the ISO 9000 standard, because they offer organizations the opportunity to actively participate in the current market, as it provides a series of requirements In reliable and universally recognized specifications, so that any organization achieves quality, the implementation of a quality system under ISO 9000 standards can generate multiple benefits, among which are, according to González (1998):
- It is an internationally recognized certification. It generates and strengthens trust between client and suppliers. It serves to encourage company workers to achieve continuous improvement. It allows them to capture and develop in new markets, both national and international. By creating a standardized system, they are optimized the operations and processes that the company carries out, allowing to increase its efficiency. It eliminates waste and inefficiencies in the system, resulting in a significant reduction in costs. It contributes to achieving the quality levels demanded by customers. It provides credibility and strengthens the company image. (p. 22).
In addition to all the aforementioned benefits, the standard allows the consolidation of the philosophy of total quality, strengthening the culture of quality in the organization, as well as the improvement of management systems by joining efforts to avoid making useless or divergent efforts.
Now, ISO What is it ?, They are the initials that identify the International Standardization's Organization, translated “International Organization for Standardization”. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, its mission is to develop and promote common standards worldwide. It is currently made up of more than 100 countries. The scope of each of the ISO 9000 standards for the establishment of the quality system (9001-9002-9003) is given by the type of company that will adopt the quality system. The standard to use is selected according to the process that covers the operations of the company.
Thus, the companies that within their production process elaborate the design of a product or service, produce it, install it and provide after-sales service will apply the ISO 9001 standard for the implementation of a quality system. This standard is recommended for apply it in educational institutions. This Quality System will include a set of Reference Standards that will establish requirements to be met by all relevant aspects that affect the quality of training of students from a primary education institution to the Higher level, from the functional organization of the themselves to operating procedures for specific tasks.
The quality of the 21st century must be aimed at serving people, that is, their clients (internal and external), optimizing benefits and well-being, but first of all the people who work for and in the organization must have their needs met, remembering our friend Maslow.
The quality system must guarantee that things will always be done the same way, regardless of who or when it is done; therefore it must be supported by documentation that formalizes the continuous improvement process. When a quality assurance system is incorporated, elements such as the quality manual and the procedures manual are being integrated. The Quality System that we are describing can be a good management tool, it all depends on the attitude of the Management.
This management can be seen as a model, and sustain it with the principles of total Quality, since it provides a global conception of what continuous improvement means, likewise this model should be used as a tool for systematic reflection, only In this way, it will be understood that it is not a norm, that reflection is what will give the vision of the opportunities offered by continuous improvement.
The school is an open system to the environment that surrounds it and to its expectations, therefore, the school has as its reason for being, to produce what the environment (environment, society) is interested in and needs. Schools, like many other institutional systems, tend to favor conformity to preserve balance. By studying the concept of school as an institution in constant innovation, as one that is influenced by the needs of society, and as responsible for forming identities; The school is conceived from a more intrinsic point of view, where it is understood from different "dimensions", which must be considered to define it as an "organization".
Education has as its purpose the formation of man, both in its technical and humanistic aspects. This means that what is pursued is not only to train an individual capable of intelligently facing real-life problems and giving them effective and concrete solutions using or developing the most appropriate technology for their needs, but also that this individual be prepared to understand their fellow men and live in society, with a conduct based on the noblest moral principles.
In order to understand the internal structure of the school, one looks at it from a “systematic approach”, which seems interesting, because we live in an environment full of systems and orders that govern another, in this case the school is a complex and ordered system, which perhaps makes it superior to others. Here is the interesting part, since the administrative system must be considered as a means to unite other subsystems of the organization and to integrate activities in order to achieve management objectives. Now, the question is, if the school is an institution of order, and there are sets of subsystems that form a system to understand it as an organization, why does the school not achieve the success that is proposed in future projects or goals? Could it be that the systems feedback process is not effective?.
It is there where we must assume that educational institutions must adapt to new demands and become an open and very dynamic system, based on the fact that not only is individual performance important, but also that they are coordinated in an appropriate way. What not only include pedagogical resources, but also human resources, only then will you be able to understand and solve the challenges that arise. Unfortunately the educational reality is different, there are reforms in the educational system, but it continues with the mistakes of the past, it is observed that teachers continue with past patterns.
To achieve these goals, a quality education is necessary and convenient. This means many things to different people. Each one has their own concept of what that is and a personal vision of how to achieve it. García Hoz (op. Cit) maintains that the quality of education is determined by two components, on the one hand, by the disposition, which includes the conditions of integrity and coherence and, on the other, effectiveness. In this sense, he defines educational quality as «… the way of being of education that meets the conditions of integrity, coherence and effectiveness. In other words, an education has quality insofar as it is complete, coherent and effective ». (p: 3). Integrity indicates the fact that in education all the factors necessary for the development of man are included.Education must be a complete, perfect whole. Intelligence is what gives man his peculiar position of superiority over other things, hence education, somehow, begins with intellectual improvement; However, intelligence is not the only element of the human being, man is the unity of his intellectual soul and material body. Education reaches its integrity as it reaches all values and all human activity. The integrity of education, according to García Hoz (op. Cit., P. 4), can be summarized in the following fields:Intelligence is not the only element of the human being, man is the unity of his intellectual soul and his material body. Education reaches its integrity as it reaches all values and all human activity. The integrity of education, according to García Hoz (op. Cit., P. 4), can be summarized in the following fields:Intelligence is not the only element of the human being, man is the unity of his intellectual soul and his material body. Education reaches its integrity as it reaches all values and all human activity. The integrity of education, according to García Hoz (op. Cit., P. 4), can be summarized in the following fields:
1. Intellectual formation by means of which man becomes more and more capable of reaching the truth.
2. Technical training through which man perfects his ability to use and modify material things that are useful for his existence, 3. Aesthetic training through which man is able to perceive the values of reality, discover and create beauty by incorporating it into his life, 4. Moral formation to know, distinguish and do good, and
5. Religious formation, through which man develops his ability to relate to the world of transcendence with God.
Process design: A process can be defined as a set of interlinked activities that, starting from one or more inputs, transforms them, generating an output (result).
How does the organization design, manage and improve its processes to support its policy and strategy and to fully satisfy, generating increasing value, its customers and other stakeholders? Starting from the idea presented above, the design of processes can be conceptualized as one that involves a series of stages and decisions must be made in each of them, since they belong to different disciplines, either administratively or technologically, in the social, in the environmental and in the educational case in the pedagogical, which means that the designer of the processes has to outline for each application and design a different one.
Organizations act most effectively when all their interrelated activities are systematically understood and managed, and decisions regarding existing operations and planned improvements are tailored from reliable information that includes the perceptions of all their groups of interest.
Process management is nowadays one of the most relevant administrative concepts within organizations, since to the extent that these are properly managed, the results will be directly proportional to said management. Directing and controlling the processes according to the requirements established for the products, services, processes and raw materials are a guarantee of achieving the goals that are set daily by the organizations.
The raison d'être of any company must be able to identify the target market and incorporate differentiating elements into its products and services are the challenges that organizations must overcome in a globalized market. The aforementioned alone does not guarantee the maximization of the value of the companies. Having the right staff, duly paid and accompanied by other attributes such as training, work environment, stability, recognition of work well done and others that promote the well-being of employees, will help the objectives defined by senior management succeed.
However, if the aforementioned conditions were met, there is no guarantee that the objectives will be achieved, since this must be done in an environment that generates services designed to meet customer expectations. For this reason, processes are the fundamental factor in ensuring that companies achieve their goals or objectives.
By virtue of all the above, I present some phrases that I consider of interest to the reader that reinforce the importance of managing the processes:
“Managing is essentially reaching goals. There is no management without goals ”. Vincent Falconi.
"The basis of the company's management is its processes, due to its ability to contribute in a sustained manner to the results, provided that the company designs and structures its processes with its customers in mind." R. Zaratiegui.
It is important to emphasize that process management, as well as other administrative tools or technologies, should not be used alone within organizations, because they support or help to consolidate a management model. They have a reason for being or a justification to be applied, if they are used individually or are not subject to a management model, they become simple fads that are quickly forgotten or stop being used.
For this reason, it is essential that the organization first establish a management model that supports, among others, the consolidation of process management.
The administration of the process management system must be based on technology, thus satisfying and responding to the needs of customers. This technology offers innovative solutions to the world since they are applications specially developed to model, direct, control and optimize processes. One of its main benefits is that they facilitate the integration and quality of the processes by being able to manage them as a chain and not as independent processes. Another of its advantages is that it allows its control and monitoring in all.processes.
Once the concepts are defined and clear, we can perfectly define the management of the processes, this perceives the organization as an interrelated system of processes that contribute to increasing customer satisfaction. An organization can be seen as a process system.
As mentioned above, it is necessary to have the leadership of the top management of the organization, this must be assumed with commitment, and favorable attitudes towards improvement activities and their results. Likewise, leaders must ensure that improvement teams have at their disposal all the necessary resources and the necessary training to undertake and complete their mission, responding to the demand of the school.
Every leader must pay attention, in the interactions that occur between people, allowing this, to obtain a range of possibilities for solving problems.
Within the systemic way of thinking there are many points of view which must be accepted as valid, based on the fact that a system is a set of interrelated elements that can be considered as a single entity and have a common goal. It should also be noted that the school is a social organization, that is, it is made up of people, which implies a degree of imperfection in the system.
To manage a process, it is important to be clear about the factors involved and what considerations must be borne in mind in each of them. To facilitate this concept, a conceptual map is presented below with the most important stages and what should be done in each one.
Bibliography
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