Middle Management and Quality Control: Strategies for Obstructionism

Abstract

Quality control as developed in Japan is diametrically opposed to the traditional American corporate practices stemming from the so-called "Taylor scientific methods" which is based on a clearly defined hierarchy. American corporations attempting to implement quality control programs often run into difficulties with managers who perceive the democratic principles of quality control as a threat to their authority. This situation is particularly acute when full participation by middle and lower level managers has not been enlisted prior to implementation of the program and neither procedures nor goals have been clearly spelled out. In this study, the responses of middle and lower level managers under these conditions were observed. Several strategies emerged that were designed to minimize the perceived threat of quality control, including control of program activities and restricting employees' access to these activities. These covert and overt obstructionist tactics demonstrate the importance of careful planning of quality control programs before implementation and a willingness to make the radical organizational changes required by quality control if it is to be successful in American corporations.