You can’t increase productivity, processes, or sales without the total commitment of all employees. They need to understand the vision and goals that have been communicated. They must be sufficiently trained and given the proper resources to complete tasks in order to be committed to reaching goals on time.

To implement this TQM principle:

• Clearly communicate and acknowledge the importance of each individual contribution to the completed product.
• Stress that each team or individual accepts ownership and give them the responsibility and opportunity to solve problems when they arise.
• Encourage employees to self-evaluate performance against personal goals and objectives, and make modifications as necessary to improve workflow.
• Acknowledge successes and optimized performance to build confidence in your employees and your stakeholders.
• Make responsibilities clear, provide adequate training, and make sure your resources are used as efficiently as possible.
• Encourage people to continually seek opportunities to learn and move into other roles to increase their knowledge, competence, and experience.
• Create an environment where employees can openly discuss problems and suggest ways to solve them.

The key benefits of total employee commitment include:

• Increased employee retention because employees are motivated, committed, and actively involved in working toward customer satisfaction
• Individual and team innovation and creativity in problem-solving and process improvement
• Employees who take pride and accountability for their own work
• Enthusiasm for active participation and contribution to continual improvement