Municipal Commitment to Total Quality Management: A Survey of Recent Progress

Abstract

How do cities implement Total Quality Management (TQM)? In which areas is TQM most common? Evan M. Berman and Jonathan P. West report the findings of a national survey of city managers and chief administrative officers in all cities over 25,000. They find that local governments use a broad range of strategies, and that city managers play an important role. The data indicate that currently 11 percent of cities have a "substantial" commitment to TQM. TQM efforts are most common in police, parks and recreation, streets, and personnel services. While modest positive results are reported for some cities, it is too soon to draw definite conclusions about the outcomes of municipal TQM initiatives.