Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art for Corporate Communications

Department

Business

First Advisor

Michael Castro

Second Advisor

Michael Kramer

Third Advisor

Thomas Dehner

Abstract

This thesis will focus on the study of communication, leadership and Total Quality Management The case study establishes a link between these concepts and their application, directed at influencing of the growth and expansion of alternative transportation for St Charles County, Missouri.

The subject of TQM is a common point of discussion within the engineering and construction industry, with numerous technical publications written on the subject The primary concern within the industry is the. lack of implementation for continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. Documentation on resistance to change describes why the process of TQM is beneficial, but the issue of lack of implementation persists as the participants of an organization view TQM as a program, not a corporate lifestyle transformation.

This thesis explores the application of military leadership tools used to complete a mission, through iterative and cyclic processes, in relation to the challenges of influencing a change in an organization or system. In this case, the organization is the St Charles County community and the system is the growth and expansion of alternative transportation. The tools are dependent on the communication ability of the leader to advocate the process.

The framework for implementing the TQM process is the Army's Eight Troop Leading Procedures and the After Action Review. The research of human behavior, public relations, Situational Leadership, organizational development, addiction, quality systems, Statistical Process Control, etc. support the communication process of influencing the application of TQM principles through these practical leadership tools.

The results of the thesis are qualitative, and subject to perception and interpretation of the reader. This does not have an adverse impact on the theory of applying the military leadership tools for implementing TQM, other than continued resistance Jo change. The human nature aspect of the process requires a vision for transformation as a necessity for continuous improvement and customer satisfaction in an organization or system.

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