JOHN DEWEY, PRAGMATISM AND THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

摘要

Total quality management can advance both its theory and its applications through an understanding of the philosophy of Pragmatism. Pragmatism's major figure, John Dewey, asserted that knowledge was valid when it conducted the conversation between thought and action. Combining Empiricism with Rationalism, Dewey developed a philosophical system that undergirds TQM. This can be found in TQM's customer orientation, its emphasis on continuous improvement and reliance upon measurement and fact based analysis. TQM's application to performance enhancement of society's institutions is the embodiment of Dewey's Pragmatism.