JIT AND TQM - A CASE FOR JOINT IMPLEMENTATION

The post-Second World War era has seen the emergence of two strategies to improve the operational effectiveness of manufacturing firms: just -in-time (JIT) production systems and total quality management (TQM). Both evolved in Japan, and the West deciphered and applied them later. TQM has evolved in Japan over the last four decades, and JIT principl es were developed and applied as an integral part of TQM philosophy. T he West, however, deciphered JIT elements of Japanese manufacturing ex cellence first, followed by recognition of TQM as the underlying philo sophy. Hence, these are viewed by a majority of Western researchers an d practitioners in isolation (the traditional view). Examines the link ages between JIT and TQM from conceptual, philosophical, and implement ation perspectives. Theorizes a synergistic interaction between JIT an d TQM when they are viewed as an integrated strategy where JIT is an i ntegral part of TQM philosophy (the integrated view). Provides theoret ical support for the thesis that the organizations which implement JIT and TQM jointly as an integrated strategy with JIT elements embedded in the broader TQM philosophy outperform the firms which view them in isolation and implement either one.