Top management are the head of the organization. Their actions ripples across the entire organization. Thus, the success of any organization depends majorly on the actions and decisions of the top management.
Similarly, their inaction also affects the organization. Thus, the success of any quality or safety system implementation depends not only on the actions of operators but also the actions and decisions of the top management.
The top management must work with the workers for success to be realized. They are not merely in power to victimize and step on their workers. Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organization.
The following are the roles of the top management in the implementation of any quality and or safety management system (ISO 9000):
- To establish and maintain the quality policy and quality objectives of the organization – Quality policy and quality objectives are established to provide a focus to direct the organization. Both determine the desired results and assist the organization to apply its resources to achieve these results.
- To promote the quality policy and quality objectives throughout the organization to increase awareness, motivation and involvement – the enthusiasm seen in the top management is rippled across the entire organization motivating the workers to achieve the company objectives.
- To ensure focus on customer requirements throughout the organization – the customer is the main focus of all organizations. Organizations must strive to satisfy the customer requirements.
- To ensure that appropriate processes are implemented to enable requirements of customers and other interested parties to be fulfilled and quality objectives to be achieved – Everything that is needed to achieve the goals of the company and satisfy customer demands must be provided by the top management. Organizations are made of processes, the success of each process determines the success of the entire organization.
- To ensure that an effective and efficient quality management system is established, implemented and maintained to achieve these quality objectives – The top management should ensure that all requirements for the quality or safety management system are met.
- To ensure the availability of necessary resources – Achievement of targets requires resources, both human and money. These must be provided when required to achieve results.
- To review the quality management system periodically – review pinpoints avenues for improvement. Auditing must be done periodically to ensure continuous improvement is achieved.
- To decide on actions regarding the quality policy and quality objectives – major decisions regarding changes and or improvements to the company focus are in the hands of the top management.
- To decide on actions for improvement of the quality management system – Any improvement necessary for the quality or safety management systems are sanctioned by top management after reviewing the audit reports.
Attribution:
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