Total quality management in the public sector : an international perspective

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a set of concepts, tools and applications which has been so successful in manufacturing industry that we are now witnessing experimentation in the transference of Total Quality Management to the public sector provision of government, health and education in North America, Europe and elsewhere. TQM is starting to set a new paradigm for management approaches in the public sector and "not for profit" enterprises. All key public service managers should at least need to know the basics of TQM, its possibilities and limitations for the public sector, and particularly the types of applications which could work for them. For all public sector managers this book provides: a clear understanding of the key concepts of TQM; a critical understanding of their relevance to the public sector; empirical evidence of TQM applications in government, health and education; and exploration of the public sector TQM possibilitites yet to be realized. It draws throughout on case examples from Britain, Canada, the USA and continental Europe which illustrate the application of TQM to the public sector.