Define "total quality management" (TQM).

Total Quality Management (TQM) is fundamentally an organizational approach that emphasizes the involvement of all members of an organization in the quest to improve quality and performance. This concept recognizes that quality improvement is not just the responsibility of a specific department or team, but rather a collective effort that requires the participation and commitment of every employee, from frontline workers to upper management.

By engaging all members of the organization, TQM fosters a culture of continuous improvement and quality enhancement, aligning all efforts towards providing value to customers and stakeholders. Every individual plays a role in identifying areas for improvement, implementing changes, and sustaining improvements.

The focus on comprehensive involvement helps generate a sense of ownership and responsibility among employees, leading to more innovative solutions and fostering teamwork across the organization. This holistic approach ultimately aims to enhance customer satisfaction through superior quality delivery, setting TQM apart from methods that narrowly target specific departments or processes.