Reward and recognition (R&R) have various functions and can be valuable tool at
organizations on their road for TQM as for example:
1.They improve the reinforcement of quality-related behavior and achievements.
2.They show organizational values, and they show how the organization appreciates efforts .
3. They indicate achievement, and R&R activities provide feedback which is an element of
continuous improvement ( Kaizen ). Recognition is also a form of feedback about the result of
individual or team efforts. It shows the individuals or the teams that they are on the right track
toward continuous improvement. Recognition as feedback can come from supervisors, other
teams, internal customers in the organization, or external customers in the marketplace.
4.Kaizen philosophy and TQM processes demand empowered employees, team players and
cross-functional activities. R&R can motivate these individuals and groups to continue their
active participation in the organization. It will also create a positive environment for various
teams to compete against each other and these give a 'win-win' situation between the
organization and employees. Employees can also be motivated to utilize various TQM tools,
solve problems, and to interact with internal and external customers.
5.The R&R system will increase the awareness among 'workers that management is prepared
to reward them if they are serious in applying critical TQM values, such as quality, customer
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satisfaction, and continuous improvement. Employees will have higher motivation if they work
in organizations that are consistent in their R&R process and the workers will perceive
management initiative as a fair effort by management. .This will extend the feeling of trust, and
create a strong sense of belonging in the organization. According to Deming's views, R&R can
help transform the organization toward a philosophy of quality.
6.Some forms of recognition, such as awards and plaques, show publicly that the individual or
team has achieved some degree of success within TQM frame . They are a visible indicator,
both to the team and to outsiders, of a job well done. So recognition highlights employees and
teams who make a definite contribution to the continuous improvement or TQM effort. Such
recognition stimulates additional effort in employees.
The researcher believes that recognition should not be of high monetary value. There are
some variations between the Japanese and Western methods of rewarding the worker. Imai
on his influential book “ Gemba kaizen a common sense, low cost approach to management “,
mentioned that the Japanese method does not encourage large monetary rewards. To them,
monetary gain demeans the process. They do recognize the workers' efforts. Rewards for
suggestion ideas from the workers are given on the basis of the number of ideas they
contribute, and it does not really matter if it saves the company $ 1 or $100,000. Each
suggestion will receive a point that later can be converted into products or services, such as a
holiday trip, or $5 worth of merchandise (depending on the accumulated points).
Oliver, cited on book on Imai“ Gemba kaizen a common sense, low cost approach to
management “,has given some examples of rewards . There it is stated that rewards as much
as possible, it should be given to team members rather than being based on individual
participation. Recognition, ceremonies, and symbols are important underpinnings to the
successful functioning of system or the TQM process. An expression of appreciation for a job
well done can be as formal as a written "thank you." or a plaque, or a certificate. An informal
verbal "thank you" can also encourage morale., such as a holiday trip, or $5 worth of
merchandise (depending on the accumulated points). For example, managers are encouraged
to know their workers by name, only effective in big corporations. This process not only
increases the manager's awareness of the worker's name, but it also increases the motivation
of the worker to be recognized by performing well and by receiving the token .To make this
plan workable, the company gives 25 tokens to hand out during the coming year for every 100
workers in the department. The manager will give a token to the worker who did an exceptional
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job, whether the work was consistent or incidental. A bag may be given for the second year,
and a company T-shirt may be the reward for the third year. A manager for exceptional
performance must single out workers who receive this token.
2.4 Kaizen and Total Quality Management (TQM )
Kaizen as explained earlier is a kind of umbrella concept that includes initiatives and activities
like TQM, suggestion systems , to mention those we think are the most important ones ( and
are the most interest issues faced by organization A, that we focus later on).
TQM is a journey, a movement centred on the improvement of managerial performance at all
levels. It deals with:
• Quality Assurance,
• Employee Involvement,
• Cost reduction,
• Safety,
• Continuous Improvement, and
• Productivity improvement.
Moreover, TQM journey deals with management concerns such as organizational
development, cross-functional management, and quality deployment. In other words,
management has been using TQM as a concept and a tool for improving overall performance.
TQM integrates fundamental management techniques, existing improvement efforts, and
technical tools under a disciplined approach focused on continuous process improvement
(35).The activities are ultimately focused on increased customer-user satisfaction.
The importance of people in the total process is emphasized on TQM journey. Considerations
such as culture, incentives, teamwork, training, and work involvement are typical. The optimum
effectiveness of TQM results from an appropriate mix of the social and technical systems. It is
common practice to emphasize the technical aspects of improvements, such as machine or
computer-related, with less emphasis on people and their roles in the process. Improving
quality and productivity to achieve competitiveness emphasizes the need for an enterprise to
capture the potential inherent in the workforce by enabling each employee to do his or her job