Small wonders

Abstract

Because their methods and motivations were born from different circumstances, the small businesses that won the nation's top quality prizes each offer unique accounts of what kept them on the road to quality when others strayed or lost sight of their destination. Representatives of the companies that won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the George M. Low Trophy: NASA's Quality and Excellence Award agree that small companies have advantages over large companies when implementing quality initiatives. As a matter of fact, the only disadvantage mentioned was financial constraints, but not one company felt this sole disadvantage was enough to keep any company from successfully implementing quality. For Globe Metallurgical Inc., Marlow Industries, Marotta Scientific Controls, Inc., and Wallace Co., Inc., total quality management (TQM), statistical process control (SPC), and continuous improvement are not programs--they are a way of doing business. The goals of their long-term plans were process improvement and customer satisfaction, not awards and recognition. One important lesson to learn from this brief tour of the winner's circle is that quality improvement can be an excellent management strategy for both lucrative and ailing businesses, but it is not a panacea or guarantee to 100% market share.