THE PROSPECTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIA POWER SECTOR

THE PROSPECTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIA POWER SECTOR

ABSTRACT

The dynamic nature of changes in the environment has made organisations, big or small the world over, to turn to “quality” to help them cope with competitive challenges, as they affect tastes and aspirations of consumers. Most organisations have therefore adopted Total Quality Management (TQM) as a way of providing quality products and services to their customers. The Nigeria power sector has been associated with poor quality performance. Therefore, the research examined the prospects of TQM in Nigeria power sector. In a nutshell the research sets out to examine the prospects of TQM in PHCN in relation to the attitude of top management, its applicability in the Nigeria power sector. The survey and descriptive methods were adopted. Three hundred and twelve randomly selected personnel from a population of 1408 participated in the study, as well as four hundred customers were randomly selected from a population of 268,091. The instrument of data collection labeled Total Quality Management Applicability Inventory (TQMAI) was built on a Likert Scale system. Findings indicate that no difference exists between the PHCN staff and customers in their understanding of the relationship between top management support for quality and prospects of TQM. Also the study found that the culture of PHCN does not favour the application of TQM. The study confirms the need for cultural shift/change in order to facilitate the application of the tenets of TQM, and reaping of benefits they may accrue. Conclusively, the Nigeria power sector should initiate a company wide awareness of TQM through seminar and workshop.