Implementing IT governance in the public sector Learning how to implement Total Quality Management through the use of Pac-Man video game simulations

Transforming a public sector bureaucracy into a learning organisation by means of total quality management (TQM) can be a challenge when the politics of the organisation work against the process of trying to help individuals take responsibility for their own learning. In the TQM literature, a Pac-Man theory of implementing TQM has been suggested for dealing with these kinds of environments. However, as an understanding of the Pac-Man model requires a minimum understanding of how to play the Pac-Man video game, it remains to be known whether an effective learning strategy can be found. In this study an action research approach is used for testing the WikiHow strategy hypothesis on how to get good at video games by using Pac-Man as an example. Although the outcome of the experiment confirms the hypothesis by producing a recognisable learning curve, the learning did not reach a skill level of Pac-Man play needed for turning the video game into a practical simulator for implementing TQM. The contribution to theory and practice consists of confirming the relevance of li i g theor philosophy in the context of TQM while at the same time illustrating how scientific models depending on tacit knowledge may require a significant amount of time and effort to become scientifically useful.