Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L.

Ebora
CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare
Contemporary Approaches to Management
I.

Introduction
In managing an organization, there comes a diversity of point of views depending on what particular
aspect of the organization one has to address. It has been a point of discussion on what way should one
manage an organization. Approaches to management have different point of views to ponder upon. The
following discusses the approaches of the early years to contemporary approaches.

II.

Development of Management Approaches

Throughout the history, there were several people who coined their own approach to management. Each
of them has his own perspective in viewing what management is. Some of them consider the human behavior
aspect in explaining management. Others consider the classical approach to management. Still, others
consider the situations in dealing with management approach.
Some of the approaches are Human Behavior approach wherein an organization is considered as a person
and the management should understand human behavior. It emphasizes on greater productivity through
motivation and good human relation. Another approach is the Social System Approach wherein an
organization is a social system. It focuses on cooperation among group members to achieve the organizational
goals. Decision Theory Approach is another approach wherein decision making is the control point in
management. Contingency Approach is also known as the Situational Approach. In this approach, the
appropriateness of management depends on the situation. Operational approach concentrates more on the
roles and functions of the managers.

III.

Contemporary Approaches
a. Total Quality Management (TQM)
i. Description
Dam (2010) described Total Quality Management (TQM) as set of practices of
management in an organization gearing towards a consistent satisfaction from the costumers
where their expectations are met or exceeded. Moreover, TQM has stress on process
measurement and controls as means of improving continuously.
Rouse (2005), defined TQM as a comprehensive and structured approach to
organizational management that seeks to improve the quality of products and services through
ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback. (searchio.com).
TQM was believed to be first used in the Japanese companies. According to Heverly (1992)
as cited in Hazzard (1993), Japanese companies used TQM in an effort to reach and sustain having
a competitive edge. However, it actually began with American and British statisticians who,
according to the author, developed statistical quality control methods to support Allied efforts
during World War II. Following the war, W. Edward Deming convinced the Japanese that an
emphasis on quality would produce benefits in productivity (Hazzard, 1993, p.6).
TQM processes are divided into four sequential categories. Rouse (2005) described it as
PDCA cycle. PDCA means Plan-Do-Check-Act. Others described it as PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) but
they explain the same thought. In the planning phase, people define the problem to be
addressed, collect relevant data, and ascertain the problem's root cause; in the doing phase,
people develop and implement a solution, and decide upon a measurement to gauge its
effectiveness; in the checking phase, people confirm the results through before-and-after data
comparison; in the acting phase, people document their results, inform others about process
changes, and make recommendations for the problem to be addressed in the next PDCA cycle.
(searchio.com).

Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L. Ebora

CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare
Gupta and Bhardwaj (2013) asserted that TQM functions on the premise that the quality
of products and processes is the responsibility of everyone who is involved with the creation or
consumption of the products or services offered by an organization (p.70). In other words, TQM
involves the management, workforce, suppliers, and even customers, in order to meet or exceed
customer expectations.
ii. Strengths
Dam (2010) has enumerated several advantages of TQM.
Improves reputation- faults and problems are spotted and sorted quicker
Higher employee morale- workers motivated by extra responsibility, team work
and involvement in decisions of TQM
Lower costs- decrease waste and fewer defective products
Quality control inspectors
Provides an invaluable problem solving tool for managers and supervisors to use
Develops management skills that were never taught, or are long forgotten due to
lack of application
Management becomes more aware of problems that affect the individuals work
environment
Provides opportunity for personal growth and development (as a result of team
training activities) and the opportunity to develop and present recommendations
for improvement
Moreover, Hazzard (1993) has also presented the strengths of TQM.

Gives people a voice and enhances morale

Provides a better use of resources
Increases cooperation across departments
Enhances solutions to problems
Increases employee awareness of the institutions mission
Provides a common language
Allows staff members to know what they are about
Increases efficiency and effectiveness
Increases the sense of competition

iii. Weaknesses
On the other hand, Dam (2013), gave us disadvantages of TQM:
Initial introduction costs- training workers and disrupting current production
whilst being implemented
Benefits may not be seen for several years
Workers may be resistant to change- may feel less secure in jobs
Also, Hazzard (1993) presented his weaknesses of TQM:

Takes too much time and effort

The team often identify frustrations as a result of the time needed to gather data
and analyze solutions.
Changes organizational culture and traditions

Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L. Ebora

CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare

Top level administrators stays in lip service

Teamwork can also be accompanied by a great deal of frustrations
It cannot escape unexpected or uncontrollable situation such as budget cuts

b. Super 5 S Program
i. Description
5S (five-step) is a simple tool for organizing your workplace in a clean, efficient and safe
manner to enhance your productivity, visual management and to ensure the introduction of
standardized working. (leanmanufacturingtools.org). According to Imai (1986), the 5S
movements derived it name from the initials of five Japanese words that start with s (p.233).
5S is a five-step process in which each step is prerequisite for the next step. One cannot proceed
to step 2 without accomplishing step 1 and goes the same to the other steps.
The five steps are Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke. Thus, the name 5S emerged.
To maintain the 5S pattern, their English counterparts also start with the letter s. (

SEIRI
The first step is the seiri. The English counterpart of it is to sort. It is often
regarded as red-tagging. It is called as such for it calls for simple putting of red tag
for those things not needed for work.
Sorting is a two part process. First, the unneeded things should be
identified and second, the identified things undergo through evaluation and
disposition by management.
SEITON
The second of the five steps is the seiton or set in order. After the removal
of the unneeded things, this is the process of taking the remaining items and
arranging them in an efficient manner.
At this point of the whole process, there will be more extra space since
there are removal of unneeded things done at the first step.
SEISO
Third, there is seiso or sweep/shine/scrub. This the process in which there
is a thorough cleaning of the area, tools and other equipment. This is to ensure
that they are returned to a nearly new status. This process is done so that any
non-conformity will be noticed easily.
SEIKETSU
Seiketsu o standardizing is the fourth step in 5S. This is the process to
ensure that what is done in the first three steps are standardizedthere is a
common ways of working. Without a clear standard, there is no way to create
accountability, monitor adherence or make improvement.
SHITSUKE
The last step is shitsuke or sustain. This process is to ensure that an
institution continues to continually improve using the previous stages of the 5S.

Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L. Ebora

CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare
ii. Strengths
According to Bresko (n.d.), these are the strengths of 5S program:
Cleaner and safer work areas
Less wasted time through more workplace organization
Less space
Improved self-discipline
Improved culture
Others enumerated other benefits of this program: (lwandassociates.com)

Increases in productivity:
o Reduces lead times thereby improving product delivery times
o Reduces equipment downtime, maintenance and cycle time
o Improves daily and shift startup times and reduces changeover time
o Reduces the amount of time wasted searching for tools and equipment
Increases in quality:
o Improves quality by reducing the amount of errors/defects
o Implements standardization thereby achieving output consistency
o The pleasantries of the simplified work environment increases employee
moral
Reduction in cost:
o Provides cost-savings by reducing inventory, storage fees and space
requirements
o Improves safety thereby reducing the cost of worker injuries
o Reduces the amount of scrap thereby reducing production cost

iii. Weaknesses
According to Stephenson (n.d.), there are several weakness of 5S program:
Resistance to change
Not addressing problems in the workplace
Lack of management support
Misunderstanding of what 5S accomplishes
c. Kaisen Suggestion System (KSS)
i. Description
Kaizen is defined as improvement. Most of the times, Kaizen is described as improvement
involving everyone. Management involves two concepts: improvement and maintenance.
Maintenance refers to the activities directed towards maintaining the current standards.
Standards are maintained through training and discipline. On the other hand, improvement refers
to the activities directed towards improving current standards. (Imai, 1986, p.5).
In talking about improvement, innovation and Kaizen are the two concepts to be
considered. Kaizen signifies the small improvement made to the status quo as a result of on-going
efforts, while innovation signifies the drastic improvement to the status quo as a result of large
investments. (Imai, 1986, p.6).
While management focuses on productivity and quality, Kaizen remains on the other side
of the picture. Whatever improvements are made in business, it is for the improvement of
productivity and quality. Improvement starts in the recognition of need which comes from the

Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L. Ebora

CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare
recognition of the problem. If there is no problem, there is no need for improvement.
Complacency has become the archenemy of Kaizen. In Kaizen, there is emphasis on problem
awareness and it provides clues on how to identify problems. Once the problem has been
identified, it must be solved. This shows the problem solving aspect of Kaizen. Improvement reach
a higher level in every problem solved. In order to consolidate the new level, the improvement
should be standardized. Thus, another aspect of Kaizen is presentedstandardization. (Imai,
1986, p.8-9).
One of the most frequently discussed aspects of Kaizen as it is practiced in Japan, is
suggestions and proposals system (Peter, n.d., p.14). Imai (1986) described suggestion system as
an integral part if established management system. In this system, workers suggestions are
regarded as a criterion in assessment of performance of the workers supervisor. One of the
outstanding features of Japanese management is that it generates a large number of suggestions
from workers and, in turn, the managements work hard to materialize these suggestions or even
consider it.
Another aspect of suggestion system in management is that when a suggestion is
implemented, it leads to a revised standard. However, if the new standard is from the workers
own volition, the worker takes pride of it and willing to follow it. On the other hand, if the standard
is posted by the management, the worker may not be as willing to follow it.
Hence, through suggestions, workers participate in Kaizen and they play a vital role in
upgrading standard. As Peter (n.d.) asserted, the suggestions of the employees serve a dual
purpose: productivity enabler and culture change enabler.
Kaizen is broken down into three segment depending on the complexity and level of
kaizen: Management-oriented Kaizen, Group-oriented Kaizen and Individual-oriented Kaizen. The
suggestion system is an integral part of individual-oriented Kaizen. The main subjects for
suggestions in Japanese companies suggestion system are:
Improvement in ones own work
Saving in energy, material and other resources
Improvements in the working environment
Improvements in machines and processes
Improvements in jigs and tools
Improvements in office work
Improvements in product quality
Ideas for new products
Customer services and customer relations
Suggestions systems should go through three stages: (1) management should help
workers provide suggestions, (2) management should stress employees education to provide
better suggestions, and (3) when workers are both interested and educated, the management,
then, now can focus on the economic impact of the suggestions.
ii. Strengths
Imai (1986) has enumerated several strengths of Suggestion system:
Making the job easier
Removing drudgery from the job
Removing nuisance from the job
Making the job safer
Making the job more productive

Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L. Ebora

CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare

Improving product quality

Saving time and cost

Aside from these, suggestion systems provide an opportunity for the workers to speak
out with their supervisors as well as among themselves (p.114). Moreover, suggestion systems
provide an opportunity for the management to help workers deal with problems making the
suggestion systems valuable opportunity for a two-way communication and for workers selfdevelopment. (p.114)
iii. Weaknesses
There are several disadvantages of having a Kaizen suggestion system: (Final Kaizen,
slideshare.com)
It is difficult to achieve kaizen in practice, because it requires a complete change
in attitude and culture, and needs the energy and commitment of all employees.
It also requires a substantial investment of time..
It is difficult to maintain enthusiasm for several reasons
Some people see Kaizen as a threat to their jobs.
A lot of poor ideas tend to be put forward as well as good ones, which can be demotivating
By implication, there is complete satisfaction
Continuous improvement is not sufficient on its own, major innovations are also
needed. There is a danger of becoming evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Contemporary Approaches to Management | Jonas Erik L. Ebora

CED 210 | Managing Education for Community Welfare
IV.

Bibliography
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