Quality managers, authority and leadership

Some quality managers in the construction industry are attempting to institute total quality (TQ) management. Having established quality assurance (QA) systems, these managers have realized that the benefits to be gained from this bureaucratic approach are limited. They now aim to transform the culture of the industry, making it less adversarial and more customer centred. Using a sociological analysis based on the forms of legitimation of power identified by Max Weber, the institutional situation of quality managers is examined and their consequent ability to introduce innovation is assessed. Weber suggests that there are three forms of authority: traditional, charismatic and rational. These are considered in the light of some modern organization theory and with reference to the particular problem of cultural change. Managers have the best hope of successfully introducing TQ when they can establish a measure of charismatic authority. This is consistent with the centrality given to the concept of leadership by writers on TQ. The practicalities of this are investigated through an account of the process of setting up a quality circle.