Total quality management (TQM) is a management system focused on maintaining high quality standards across all operations of a company. There are eight key elements of TQM: ethics, integrity, trust, training, teamwork, leadership, recognition, and communication. These elements can be divided into four groups - the foundation of ethics, integrity and trust; building blocks of training, teamwork and leadership; binding mortar of communication; and the roof of recognition. Effective implementation of TQM requires focusing on developing all of these elements, with an emphasis on strong leadership and communication to hold everything together.