Should Organizations Pay for Quality?

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Abstract
TQM creates a dilemma for organizations. The dilemma is that TQM implies increased employee responsibility at shopfloor level. Increased responsibility traditionally equates with increased pay. The TQM gurus however advise that monetary rewards are likely to prove counterproductive. Analyses the problem and examines the potential impact of coercive and symbolic power as alternatives to material reward. Concludes that, although little can be achieved by rewarding contributions with money, neither of the alternatives are workable. The answer lies in matching increased responsibility with increased control. Suggests that organizations which succeed in adjusting this balance may gain a competitive advantage ahead of the Japanese.