Near the end of the twentieth century, the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) attempted to help administrators overcome the disastrous situation that was rampant in business administration. To some degree, TQM filtered into school administration as well.

Some of the concepts of TQM are interesting. Others are useful to school administrators because they help people think about the need to improve management and administration.

However, schools have advanced beyond TQM. Today we can enjoy a new concept that is introduced here: NQM - Non-Quality Management. NQM is pronounced Nincom. Keep that pronunciation is mind. It serves as a descriptive prefix for many of today's administrators.

Administration begins with the AP. Those letters stand for Assistant Principal. It also stands for the person who holds that job, Alan H. Panim. His friendly staff likes to call him by his nickname, Al HaPanim. The AP does more work and is more aware of the school's needs than anybody else - except for the secretary. The AP and the secretary do most of the work, since the principal and the coordinators suffer from promotion.

Why do schools have NQM?

Jewish Answer 1: Why not?

General Answer 2: There is no justification for quality administration. Studies repeatedly show that workers do not work properly. Those studies are created by the administration, which has little incentive to do things right.

Of course, there are superiors at all levels of administration. As the air gets thinner, each administrator has to smile at more superiors. Their job is to get along with their own superiors. Teachers are in a similar position, but with fewer superiors.

Enter NQM. NQM studies how well a person gets along with his administrative superiors or supervisors. NQM does not evaluate or relate to how well a person does a job. The lower level NQM administrators don't know how to evaluate others and they don't even care.

NQM is successful because the system works. Each administrator or supervisor feels that he is adored. People do not ask him for advice, guidance, asssistance, or help in dealing with problems. That would demonstrate that they are incapable of performing their job independently or successfully.

NQM results from "Those who can do, those who can't teach, those who can't teach, teach teachers." The NQM system perpetuates itself, as teachers are kicked upstairs by other functionaries in the system.

Does the nincom system work? Well, that depends. We can see the results of NQM in today's world. Anybody who wants to change the world will have to go through the politicians, administrators, and others who are part of the self-perpetuating NQM and ISBI system.

Is NQM bad? Well, it may be bad for those who cannot get along with their superiors. It's not bad for those who do get along. And it's irrelevant for those who actually do work.