Federal Quality Management

Quality management--a management approach that emphasizes improving product quality while decreasing production costs by boosting workplace efficiency--has gained in popularity in the federal government. About 68 percent of the 2,200 federal groups responding to a 1992 GAO survey reported using quality management. However, the same survey found that actual employee involvement was limited. Survey respondents said that problems involving human resource management were among the major barriers to implementing quality management--which, if to be successful, required employee participation. This report describes the human resource management approaches used to implement quality management by 10 federal organizations that have won government awards for their quality initiatives.

GAO found that: (1) the agencies have spent significantly more money on employee training and have used in-house training for at least part of their training efforts; (2) in-house training has resulted in reduced costs, customized programs, and credibility with employees; (3) increased and more direct communication between managers and employees has improved the flow of ideas, information sharing, and coordination and cooperation between agency units; (4) the 10 agencies have developed teamwork approaches to address cross-functional issues; (5) some agencies are developing self-managed teams to carry out certain tasks; (6) the 10 agencies have empowered their employees to be actively involved in improving their work processes, widening their responsibilities, and contributing ideas to improve services; and (7) all agency personnel surveyed stress the importance of top management support and participation for QM implementation to succeed.