Total Quality Management within a Navy Organization: Assessing the Transformation Process

A quiet revolution is taking place in the way American industries are conducting business. Since 1980, when NBC aired its white paper If Japan Can… Why Can't We?, businesses across the nation have begun to look at their productivity in a new light. Both public and private sector organizations are attempting a transformation of their business operation from a traditional perspective to a quality oriented perspective. Literature is explored which clearly supports organizational assessment as part of an organizational transformation. The Survey of Organizational Climate was administered to a Navy headquarters organization involved in implementing Total Quality Management (TQM). Survey procedures, results and discussion are presented.