[The following article appears in the September 1993 edition of
_TQM_in_Higher_Education_.]

                  IS THERE HOPE FOR TQM IN THE ACADEMY?
                                    
                               Trudy Banta

     In 1989, I received a three-year grant from the Fund for
Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to work with
institutions, both two- and four-year, to study the implications
of TQM for higher education. We met for discussions twice a year
for three years and established our own study groups on individu-
al campuses.

     In 1989 there was a great need to translate TQM principles
from the language of business and industry to that of the acade-
my. Over the course of the project, we produced a brief overview
of quality improvement principles as they can be applied to
higher education.

     Now--nearly 5 years since we wrote the FIPSE proposal--there
are hundreds of articles and several books on the topic.

     The FIPSE project culminated in a meeting that took place in
May 1992 in Knoxville, TN. We invited the quality improvement
coordinators of seven research universities that were acquiring
some reputation for implementing TQM--Maryland, Michigan, Minne-
sota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech.

     We considered several topics at that meeting, one of which
was our perceptions of the features of a quality-oriented insti-
tution. I'd like to share with the TQM/HE readers these features.

Features of a Quality-Oriented Institution

     This list will sound simplistic, like a Dale Carnegie
recipe. Yet the philosophy underlying TQM is profound. Its
implementation requires a cultural change in most organizations.

Such an institution:

1. Is committed to the need for continuous improvement forever.
People are always thinking about how to get better.

2. Identifies whom it wishes to serve and what these potential
clients want and need--students, recipients of research and
service, community.

3. Addresses the needs of the clients in its mission statement.

4. Identifies the values that guide its actions.

5. Develops a vision of what it would like to be in the future.

6. Has strong leadership that communicates continuously to
faculty, staff, and students the mission and goals, values, and
vision.

7. Identifies its critical processes--teaching, research, and
service.

8. Aligns the implementation of its activities with its mission
and values. 

9. Provides continuing educational opportunities for all employ-
ees, both in group process and in job-related skills.

10. Uses cross-functional teams to improve processes. Works with
its suppliers, builds quality into each process, and ceases
dependence on inspection to achieve quality--which was the chief
problem with performance funding in Tennessee.

11. Pushes decision-making to the lowest appropriate level,
creating an attitude of interdependence and trust throughout the
institution.

12. Bases decisions about the allocation of resources on data.
Uses quantitative thinking, along with competence in group
problem-solving skills and relevant statistical procedures. These
should be in widespread use throughout the institution.

13. Views itself as a learning organization, one that:

     ù promotes student learning, research, and service.
     
     ù studies, monitors, and evaluates the processes that pro-
     duce the products.
     
     ú makes active collaborators in the improvement process of
     all concerned, including faculty, staff, students, parents,
     suppliers, employers, and community members. 
     
14. Recognizes and rewards those who work hard to improve quali-
ty.

For more information, contact: Trudy Banta, Office of the Vice
Chancellor for Planning and Institutional Improvement, Indiana
U.-Purdue U. at Indianapolis, Administration Bldg. 140, 355 N.
Lansing St., Indianapolis, IN 46202; Ph: 317/274-4111; Fax:
317/274-4651.

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