Vocabularies of Motive and the `New' Management

The paper examines the significance of Total Quality Management (TQM) as a new vocabulary of motive (Wright Mills 1940) for management. The relationship between such a vocabulary and substantive changes in workplace relations is examined by means of case study analysis of three firms: a disk drive manufacturer, a computer systems manufacturer and a drinks manufacturer. TQM was presented as a device for tackling the perceived dysfunctions of bureaucracy, and new forms of open management, teamwork, continuous improvement and partnership between customers and suppliers were espoused in each case. The specific application of TQM varied however and those changes introduced did not replace bureaucratic principles of standardisation, differentiation and control through a single chain of command. Nor was the historical tension between the technical/co-ordinating functions of management and the role of management in controlling and motivating labour overcome. TQM was used by senior management as a means of restructuring management roles, justifying increased corporate control and intensifying work. Overall it appeared to reinforce instrumental rationality and seems unlikely to contribute to authentic empowerment at work.