WORLD-CLASS QUALITY: INTEGRATE

The final geographical terrain is Integrate all quality practices for delivering world-class quality.

There are four dimensions for successful integration of quality into the life of an organization:

• Goals
• Cross-functional business processes
• People
• Systematic reviews and audits.

Strategic goals for the organization must include measurable stretch goals related to such areas as customer loyalty, product performance, competitive performance, cost of poor quality, and internal quality culture. These goals must be deployed.

The most critical cross-functional processes are managed best by permanent cross-functional business process management teams, led by a formal process owner. The senior management must be active in identifying these critical processes and supporting the owners and teams.

All employees must be trained in what it is that they are to do, that is different from what they did in the past. They must all be placed in a state of self-contol – that is, they must know what is expected of them, know how they are doing with respect to those expectations, and have the skills, tools, and authority to regulate their work to meet the expectations.

Finally, senior managers must personally review and audit progress towards quality goals. These audits can be effectively supplemented with such external criteria as the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award,, but they are no substitute for top-level attention to results…world-class results.

In conclusion, humans often require time to adjust constructively to the proposed changes. Dr J M Juran explained that change consists of two parts:

• A technological change
• A social consequence of the technological change.

People often voice objection to technological change, although the true reason for their objection is the social effect. Therefore, those proposing the change can be misled by the stated objections.

To achieve change, WCQ leaders should be:

• Aware that they are dealing with a pattern of human habits, beliefs, and traditions that may differ from their own
• Able to assess the social effects of the proposed technological changes
• Willing to provide enough time for the change to take place.

Random Thought

There should not be a separate system of financial rewards for contributions to quality.
Quality is part of the job!