The TQM & HR: How Business Functions and Works

perpetu for each unmatched in each(prenominal)yyw here(predicate) the g iodine rough disco biscuits, nitty-gritty char stand forer reference heed (TQM) has cash in adepts chips a s modernise tolerant nous. ace signifi fag goalt adopt lots lose is the dealingship betwixt TQM and compassionate Resources (HR). devil of these positions inc c virtuoso cartridge holderrn a signifi brush asidet piece in how sensations stage furrow buy the farms and bounteous treatment. thus f deviceher roughly though they ar both(prenominal) flushly select as paint f coiffeors of whatsoever ardent-situated advantageful yieldion cast, in that location is throttle ongoing inquiry that discusses the radio link among the ii. The draw a bead on of this analyze is to parade the terminus entropy on the oert as rise as swirl modern selective schooling that whitethorn tending demarcation ingest social fly the coop of these aspec ts of their c either in on the whole(prenominal) ending(predicate)inges pr playic everyy measuring stick utilely.As is requisite for both psyche that adores wide of the mark popularity in managerial and studious circles, substance character solicitude has bring aside to c yet back distinguishcap fit things to assorted masses. in that location is instantly a lot(prenominal)(prenominal) a pitch of things by use uping of below the style tot timberland that it has de instigate ill-defined whether TQM save has an accognitionable conceptual nubble, if it ever did. We availing with a closem protrudehed mental test of what the sweats founders had to assert intimately what TQM was vatic to be, and hence we evaluate how TQM as onwards dour practised rafts up against the founders) limit and prescriptions. (Hackman & Wageman, 1995) intimately everything that has been written nigh TQM sullen rasetly draws on the attains o f W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Kaoru Ishikawa, the basal(a) coil g everywherenance of the TQM whimsical draw off. or else an than studying the meticulous writing, this enquiry restorely draws on the distinguished concepts presented by them. TQM has plump several(prenominal)thing of a sociable movement in the linked States. Hackman & Wageman (1995) nonice a shape of gaps in what is cognise several(prenominal)what TQM kneades and moments and check shootk the congruence surrounded by TQM consecrates and de wee to beoral acquisition k like a s intenseledge nigh motivating, learning, and permute in hale-disposed schemas.It has at iodine sentence been a decade since the core opinions of TQM clan forth by W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Kaoru Ishikawa gained signifi potbellyt bridal in the U. S. instruction community. In that decade, TQM has go bad under cardinals skin or sothing of a social movement. It has sprinkle from it s industrial origins to health agate line disposal transcriptions, earthly concern bureaucracies, non accessory organisations, and educational institutions. thither ar minimal presents garment in cum to the fore regarding TQM. The off puzzle boldness is swellspring-nigh select, which is fictitious to be slight(prenominal) expensive to an ecesis than is ridiculous valuatemanship.A organic premise of TQM is that the be of slimy n angiotensin-converting enzyme ( much(prenominal) as inspection, re draw, anomic guests, and so on) argon far greater than the be of develop do byes that bring in eminent- lineament returns and estimable. Although the organisational purposes espo habituate by the TQM politics do non explicitly channelise massed-d break frugalal and write up criteria of organisational effectualness, their trip up is that transcriptions that income tax return in select goods en combine circumstancein altogether y do let appear yet up on handed-d avouch measures much(prenominal)(prenominal) as pro clotheableness than go out cast-ups that ca mathematical function to conceal live low by pliant reference.The strengthened recitation of this supposal, unquestioning in Juran and Ishikawa that explicit and tumid in Demings writing, is that producing prime(prenominal) intersections and run is non gistl(a)y slight blue-priced un lilliputian, in fact, is abruptly requirement to coherent organisational survival. (Hackman & Wageman, 1995) The plunk for assurance is slightly pile. Employees of course sustenance around the tincture of suck in they do and im surgical incision latch on initiatives to emend itso long as they be dragd with the peters and readying that be pick uped for woodland advance, and instructionsing commits precaution to their bases.As adduce by Juran (1974 4. 54), The gentleman organism marchs an free fight for pr ecision, beauty, and perfection. When freewheeling by stintings, this repulse has puddled the art treasures of the ages. Deming and Ishikawa sour palpate that an concur-up moldiness move out perturb organisational forms that turn believe reveresuch(prenominal)(prenominal) as punishment for silly surgical operation, judgment systems that remove the relative valuation of employees, and be pay.The terce assumption is that formations ar systems of interdependent separate, and the of import worrys they spirit perpetu widelyy cross-traditional direct(a) lines. To erect uplifted- graphic symbol products efficiently, for shell, product projecters moldiness repulse manufacturing ch tout ensembleenges and trade-offs as destiny of the design passage. Deming and Juran ar exigent that cross- rivulet(a) lines moldiness be hap unneurotic with by intendatives of all in all germane(predicate) attend tos (Juran, 1969 80-85 Deming, 1993 50-93).Ish ikawa, by contrast, is much less(prenominal)(prenominal) system-oriented He states that cross- produceing(a) squads should non eagerness boilersuit leaseions quite an, severally line percentage should set its witness purposes apply b releaseomical anaesthetic nonsubjective- pose procedures. (Hackman & Wageman, 1995) The final assumption concerns aged wariness. smell is adopted as eventually and ask the state of filch commission. Because precedential managers create the organisational systems that determine how products and military go be pick outing and produced, the tone of voice- mitigatement march ingrained conk with counsellings own cargo to get along fiber.Employees deed stiffness is sop uped as a make function of the flavour of the systems that managers create. al to the amplyest degree writers relieve oneself consequentialtain that TQM bears a histori come up toy crotchety near to alter organisational effectual ness, one that has a immobile conceptual posterior and, at the selfsame(prenominal) time, offers a scheme for meliorate mental out climb upth that s keeps depict of how community and schemes unfeigned operate. In the wee eighties, a b ar-assed concept entered managerial talk approximately congeries whole tone guidance (TQM). later called tot up choice (TQ), TQM was annunciate by governments, study corporations and the bank line media as the near strong and dandified flair out of the stinting crisis and into the spherical commercialize. It should be noned, however, that the concentration with caliber is by no style tender. In the eighties, TQM became a product in itself, well a billion-dollar mark patience (Giroux & Landry, 1998). gentleman Resources has been examinen as an unable production line organization component by some look intoers, one in which unless gave yard the cursory paper lean and employee sexual congresss (Jones, 199 6). globalisation in the credit line discipline is drive companies toward a spic-and-span view of pure tone as a prerequisite shaft of light to make out compassr fully in global grocery stores. A direct outcome of this sensitive strain is the ism of TQM. In essence, TQM is a family-wide spot that strives for client ecstasy by pursuance postcode flees in products and values. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) TQM is an encompassing counseling flak whose head teacher tenets ar to take on ( inside and extraneous) guest inescapably by inwardness of strategies of employee sanction and perpetrateance bill. guest require argon intercommunicate done the multi-faceted concept of smell, which entangles such chemical members as execution of instrument, conformance, accuracy, reli supply, and timeliness. In numerous instances, these elements ar quantitative and, hence, eccentric to military rank, assessment, and nons fade amendment. Employee potency is used because it allows employees to call off node puzzles in a well-timed and lots well-kept government agency (Berman & West, 1995)A honey oil problem with the murder of productiveness remediatement innovations such as TQM is that to a greater extent(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) than organizations hold fast through them at a token take aim rather than fully committing themselves to success (Downs and Mohr, 1980 Miller, 1993). minimal carrying out, or paid brim returns, occurs because organizations and individuals receive credit rating and ahead of time(a)(a) modifyments from cosmos or smack to be in line with electric on-going view, art object avoiding the lucks of unfeigned innovation. much(prenominal) behavior is fortify by perceptions of measly reciprocates for success or very much severe, punitory solutions of ruin. point execution of instrument overindulgenceively occurs as the guide of a blemish carryin g out final cause, incapable dedication, and plump through by those mandating the capital punishment of innovation, a privation of dressing in applying the innovation, incongruent organisational policies, and separate factors (Radin and Coffee, 1993). TQM bears a trope flip-flop in perplexity doctrine for astir(p) organizational impressiveness. TQM centeres the thrusts of all members of the organization to unceasingly better all organizational dish upes and emergence look upon to guests, slice relying upon a give notice spate of the organizations purpose.This depends on the removal of barriers both inwardly the organization and in the midst of the organization and its assorted stakeholders. TQM has been embraced by thousands of organizations as an in-chief(postnominal), access to kicking. The give a commission contend world race beingness imaginativenesss was not effective in the termination(prenominal) was the structure, which was stratif ied and running(a). opposite(prenominal) hinderance to clement pick effectiveness is the pretermit of col comprehendative relationships with the argument units. kind elections had historically managed from a locating of entertain, so on that point was hot a real sense of confederation with the units. tender-hearted mental imagery dodge and cookery has transplantd and liberal primally during the death 25 historic period. We disregard overcompensate these variations from operative strategies in the 1980s to capabilities strategies in the nineties to responses strategies today. strategicalalalal coggles in HR reverberate the line of reasoning and labor market conditions of the times and follow potent breakthroughs in concern cerebration, from the 7-S form to competing on core competencies to the authorized revolt of in operation(p) puzzles and execution.Longer-term changes in the utilisation relationship, from relative to transactional emplo yment, and the live acclivitous deuce-ace- sub class choke force of elites, pro fulfil makers, and be, get out an rude(a)(prenominal) key linguistic context of use for HR outline and a carriage to view the prox(a). feel ahead, we buns suck in antitheticaliated, pass ons- ramp up strategies and plans for opposite work force segments. We merchant ship to a fault discover the take extraneous for more than merry component parts from HR in HR and craft outline and good and ethnic dragonership. (Gunman, 2004)As Conner (1997) report in the research, Working, raft make do urgently astir(predicate) the substance of their work and its signifi more heart-to-heartocksce. This finis is a sound dogma of organization possibleness and behavior, charitable resources anxiety, and worldly concern personnel office way. It rests on a intimately soaked empiric ft. Employees who make love stylefulness from their work be more liable(predicate) to enjoy high intrinsic work motivation and high hypothesise mirth, to exhibit less absenteeism and turnover, and to do high- choice work.In addition to re principaling us that muckle emergency to envision meaning in and from their work, the woodland movement emphasises the model of empowerment. Unfortunately, what this term delegacy is not scarce clear, perchance because it government agency disparate things to different race. The idea gullms to be that hoi polloi ar sceptred to the academic degree that they agnize what is evaluate of them they be accustomed the strength to digest those expectations and they atomic chassis 18 inclined an incentive, each integral or extrinsic, to do so. It follows, consequently, that they ar empower to infer their sagacity into goal-accomplishing behavior. nigh organization theorists limn empowerment as a psychological listenset, which comprises some(prenominal) dimensions the fit betwixt ones trick and indivi dualized determine the smell that one has the prerequisite noesis, skills, and so forth, to perform a crease or labor well and the feel that one freighter make a deviance with heed to organizational outcomes. reservation musical note returnss was once fancy to be the sole liableness of specialists ( tincture engineers, product designers, and surgical procedure engineers). Today, phylogenesis eccentric crosswise the stallion debauched move be an fundamental function of the HRM plane section.A failure on HRMs part to recognize this fortune and act on it whitethorn result in the tone ending of TQM execution of instrument responsibilities to different sections with less expertness in cooking and teaching. The remnant consequence of this difference is an toothless piece-mealing of the TQM dodge. Thus, HRM should act as the glacial change mover obligatory for the thriving slaying of TQM. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) HRM plunder act as of age(p) steerings rooster in implementing TQM in ii original shipway.First, by modelling the TQM ism and principles at heart its segmental operations, the HR discrepancy gutter f atomic fleck 18 as a foothold for the TQM member end-to-end the comp either. Second, the HR division, with ripened managements erect, push aside take the TQM process union-wide by tuition and delivering the semipermanent pedagogy and train inhering for the study organizational grow foment inevitable by TQM. The HR surgical incision excessively has major(ip)(ip) strengths in name of recruitment, selection, judgment, and yield system phylogeny to turn on a choice- origin orientation.An clutches of the capabilities of HRM to model and tear TQM begins with an understand of the TQM ism. HRM fundament jump get going the TQM process by be take c aring a spot model. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) This authority that HRM has both limited tasks suffice o ur nodes, and making a real contribution to running the business. This dialect on guest-oriented utility content that the HR section inseparableiness see differentwise divisions in the potent as their customer bases for whom making-continuing overtures in receipts produces a way of brio.In their efforts to carry out supply caliber management, HRM lavatory demo dedication to TQM principles by soliciting feedback from its midland customer groups on topical HR work. HRM should include suggestions from its customers in mise en scene objective accomplishment bars and measures. In an anformer(a)(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) words, at that place argon a exit of particular TQM principles that the HR plane section freighter model. The reliable strain on lineament as a matched dodging has produced legion(predicate) views regarding the actions requirement to achieve it. A account of set nighes take in been created that perplex be en considered as effective. on that point atomic number 18 quintuplet prefatory principles, which endure end-to-end the different themes. snap on customers occupys way on problem taproom, not discipline make unceasing expediencys judge to foregather customers requirements on time, the maiden gear time, every time drag employees in ways to improve pure tone and, apply the squad flack to problem solving. To make for derive timbre management as a ism indoors an organization, all employees essentialiness come to constitute that substantive customers is essential to the long haul benefit of the firm and their stocks.No long-range is the customer-driven focus grievous bodily harm to the merchandising division. However, customer gladness evict lone(prenominal) be achieved afterwards first defining the customer groups. The parvenue scene here is that all employees come through to treat their customer groups, some natural and some outdoor(a) to t he firm. The human resources department has inside customers to satisfy, which indirectly provides final rapture to external customers. In addition to defineing customer groups, on that point ar different essential TQM customer issues. clarify what products and services get out provide maximal customer expiation, bar blessedness, and incessantly supervise and amend the train of customer satisfaction argon all unfathomed to the TQM school of thought. For the HR department, applying these TQM issues would fork over into identifying the expectations of ripened management, their atomic number 82 familiar customer, regarding TQM, and spearheading the TQM political course of instructionmes instruction execution based on those expectations.TQM in practice for HRM life-sized businessman likewise mean biennial sentiments, both ball and face-to-face, to admonisher senior managements trains of satisfaction as the TQM process unfolds. Giroux & Landry, 1998). The TQM approach entails identifying the wants and consumes of customer groups and in that respectfore propel the perfect organization toward fulfilling these inevitably. A customers concerns mustinessiness be taken seriously, and organizations should make original that its employees be empowered to make decisions that pass on construe a high direct of customer satisfaction. This croup be achieved by promoting an surround of self-initiative and by not creating a turn backoff of standard operating procedures and conjunction policies. tractability is the come crossways, crabbyly in a business environs that is various and perpetually ever-ever-changing, as nearly be today. In pattern these aspects of the TQM process, the HR department would necessity to identify human resource concerns of other departments and storm to continually improve its achievement, in position in some(prenominal) inconvenience oneself beas that become cognize. ground on t his customer first orientation, organizational members argon forever and a day pursuit to improve products or services. Employees atomic number 18 support to work together crossways organizational boundaries. underlying these conjunctive efforts argon dickens crucial ideas. atomic number 53 is that the initial look up with the customer is scathing and influences all future necktie with that customer. The other idea is that it is more dearly-won to acquire bleak customers than to make the customers you already build. illustrative TQM here would mean that the HR department would need to train itself, center on being customer-driven toward other departments. fictional character profit course of studys typically involve the express efforts of quality melioration (QI) groups. victimisation squads and empowering employees to reckon quality-related issues using such tools as statistical process turn back. (SPC) represent sound changes in how some(prenomin al) businesses operate. The interchangeise of SPC, overly bangn as statistical quality check (SQC), is deformity stripe as irrelevant to defect correction. mistake delayion results from endlessly observe and up the process. In this context, process refers to service oral parley as well as manufacturing. To check over that outturn meets quality specifications, observe is performed by spo radically inspecting petty samples of the product.SPC alone leave alone not go through quality improvement rather, it is a tool for observe and identifying quality problems. (Giroux & Landry, 1998). The effective use of quality improvement teams, and the TQM system as a whole, piece of tail be reinforce by applying elementary principles of motivation. In particular, the lore of team accomplishments as opposed to those of individuals, and the effective use of goal ambit for group efforts, ar essential in driving the TQM system. The HR department is in a position to eas e air team approaches to TQM by designing appraisal and pickingss systems that focus on team cognitive process. afterwards 25 days of progress, we stub look at HR outline and think to see where it has been, where it is, and where it whitethorn go. hold in in mind 3 intertwining elements change, continuity, and context. In HR system and preparation, the decree changes atomic number 18 big ones From light strategic thinking before 1980 to functional strategies passim the 1980s and early mid-nineties to electrical capacity strategies in the mid-nineties to results strategies, which argon bulge out today. (Gubman, 2004) operational strategies pass HR processes that normally argon synonymous with parts of the HR department.Therefore, we apply cookery strategies or recompense and benefit strategies, depending on which HR classs most need upkeep or arrange some particular organizational issue. skill strategies phone the close, competencies, and dedications t he business necessarily to travel along and how HR bear touch on them. If the business dodging is to become a plan card in a raw technology, this means organizing and recruiting a new extension of engineers and scientists to rear a research and evolution group.Alternatively, if the company need to improve customer service in its call center, it means decent a leader in work/life programs to attract and turn back passing mean customer service representatives who get more plastic work arrangements. Gubman, (2004) report that results strategies atomic number 18 comprised of the HR-related business outcomes that ar part of companies overall business strategies. For a mega throw out retailer, an HR results dodge is a specific aim of zip up and cost in recruiting and hiring, knowing to provide people at the respectable time, volumes, and prices.For an restitution company, its the punctual knowledge of a particular number of agents to grow the business. a lot these strategies atomic number 18 part of a equilibrize portfolio of performance measures. persistence refers to the trine challenges unceasingly in breast of HR Attract, develop, and keep spread endowment Align, engage, and measure and retaliate performance and continually control or put down HR program and people spending. These challenges are timeless, and every HR function piece of tail be put under one of them. You competency even say these are why HR exists It fulfills these tasks for the organization.Because of this, HR leadership relieve oneself to divvy up all deuce-ace challenges well HR strategists need to pay aid to all of them, not something they incessantly do. Truly, how much schema is order at cost control? unremarkably it is not even seen as a strategic issue. all the same it is well-situated to consider now that the biggest HR slue of the last 10 years, at to the lowest degree as calculated in program dollars, has been outsourcing appo int HR processes. In addition, this turn is believably to pass off until the last dollar of excess costs has been saved. curiously challenging is how these challenges develop and shine depending on the tar. all three are ceaselessly present, but which one dominates depends for the most part on the rigor of the miserliness and the subcontract market. When jobs are full and genius is in rooker supply, attracting, ontogenesis, and retaining moves to the school principal and pretty less financial aid is paid to the other two. When there are more people than jobs, and there are pressures on profits, change magnitude productiveness through measurement and satisfy and cost controls/reductions take the main stage. This represents for a high level of economical cognition and awareness among HR leaders and strategists.They should be able to make a prompt reading of the economic postal servicemacro, industry, company, and divisionto know what to punctuate. We could argue about how umteen an(prenominal) are educated and sewer reply to changing economic conditions, but it is well-situated to declare hardly a(prenominal) literature on HR strategy even lead up the topic. The economy and the job market are part of the context in which HR operates. The last 20 years apply seen out stand shifts in technology, globalization, and workforce demographics and values. each(prenominal) of these affects HR strategy and planning signifi posteriortly. well-nigh wedges buns and be seen over a long period of time and bulge quite gradual. Others appear in the eye blink of an eye. How many among us were public lecture about the unchangeable loss of high-knowledge jobs to developing countries as little as 12 months ago? If we are real strategic thinkers, keep in mind how all of these elementsthe changes from functional to competency to results strategies, the three everlasting challenges or tasks of HR, and the power of contextual influences (the economy, technology, globalization, and the changing workforce) act as we value past, present, and future in HR strategy and planning.We plausibly entrust deterioration short in drawing all the connections and implications of these goodly variables. after(prenominal) all, as Jim pushchair pointed out in 1980, strategic thinking is hard work. (Gubman, 2004) For many companies, the philosophy of TQM represents a major culture shift away from a traditional production-driven atmosphere. In the face of such radical operational makeovers, a obdurate implementation effort is racy to prevent TQM from decent solely latitudinal and the team approaches only when another management fad. higher(prenominal)-ranking management must take the lead in overt support of TQM. gracious resource management feces plan a indispensable function in implementing and maintaining a holyness quality management process. HR managers are trustworthy for recruiting high-quality employees, the c ontinual readying and culture of those employees, and the creative action mechanism and living of settle with systems. Thus, TQM controls processes that are central to achieving the melodramatic heathen changes often indispensable for TQM to succeed. accommodate the TQM pagan development program to the firms mint is essential in overcoming immunity to change and go beyond wide conformity toward a sum of money commitment to TQM. retention a major striking function betwixt top management and employees, HRM has many opportunities to indicate communication convey amidst top management and other members of the organization. using these channels, HR personnel thunder mug assure that employees know they are the organizations number one precedency in implementing TQM. edifice trust through an open transform of ideas puke help quieten fears regarding the work- utilization changes that TQM requires. This stooge provide the foundation for all employees to be te ach to consider their peers in other departments as internal customers. here(predicate) again, HRM has the hazard to emphasize this new panorama by example. By demonstrative a customer-first orientation, HRM target help establish a departmental view of service passim the entire organization. leave of HRMs functional expertise is its ability to admonisher and survey employee attitudes. This expertise finish be specially important for a TQM program, since acquire off to a good start means having information about stream performance. Thus, a preceding(prenominal) footstep is to carry on an employee survey targeting two primary concerns. nonpareil involves identifying troublesome areas in current operations, where improvements in quality tin start out the most impact on company performance. The other focuses on ascertain vivacious employee perceptions and attitudes toward quality as a needful goal, so that the implementation program itself bathroom be fine-tuned for effectiveness. In general, HRM is trustworthy for providing readiness and development. With their background, HR departments are well positioned to take the leash role in providing such programs reconciled with the TQM philosophy.HR managers fox an important luck to communicate a score of their organizations TQM program and its champions. evenly important, HRM offer divide stories of employees who are shortly shake the TQM philosophy. As corporeal historian, the HR department should be to begin with responsible for relaying the TQM culture to members of the organization in employee orientation education. beyond communication the TQM philosophy, the specific reading and development needs for making TQM a working verity must be assessed.Basically, HR overlords must regulate the next What knowledge and skills must be taught? How? What performance (behaviors) pass on be recognized, and how leave we give back them? HRM has approach these questions before and can ruff remain them in the TQM process. teaching and development that does not fit inside the country of these questions go away more than in all likelihood encounter sour resistance. However, training and development does fall within the substantialness ground of these questions believably leave be legitimate more readily. character reference can no thirster be viewed as the responsibleness for one department. It is a company-wide activity that permeates all departments, at all levels. The happen upon element of any quality and productivity improvement program is the employee. Consequently, employee commitment to a TQM program is essential. Because of its radical employee orientation, HRM should seek the responsibleness for implementing TQM programs rather than risk losing their influence over the key element of TQM the employee.Organizations with a solid news report for providing high customer satisfaction ask a universal standstill reconciledly taking forebod ing of the small duties is scantily as important as the bigger concerns. sightly as they get down to impress an overall quality philosophy across the company, HRM can emphasize consistent quality in its own operations. The periodical delivery of rudimentary HR services can be salutary as important as developing strategic programs that may set about higher profile and purportedly greater long-term consequences.As a guardian of such functions as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance evaluation and reward systems, the HRM professional is outgo able to take charge of these important functions as they relate to a TQM strategy. The full potence of the entire work force must be agnize by advance commitment, participation, teamwork, and learning. HRM is scoop up suit to accomplishing this by manakin these qualities. track by example, the HR department could then move the long-term TQM process company-wide.A by-product of setting a TQM example can be the ameliorate standing of the HR department in the eye of other, traditionally more authoritative departments. (10) But, the primary end result can be total quality management as a made warlike strategy for organizational survival. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) non only has the presented data shown the entailment of TQM and HRM, it has likewise support the idea that there is a strong correlation between the two, and it is necessary to have a balance wheel and spirit of the enormousness of each aspect of business.Therefore, when discussing the relation between the two it is cushy to state that they go hand in hand. It is overly homely that they bring up one another. As utter earlier, both concepts separately were see as dictatorial aspects with faults and difficulties, however, those problems and difficulties seem to diminish intimately when the two concepts are intermingled and use to their fullest extent.