Home Features Mastermind Videos About Advertise Blog Network Contact
   

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

Featured Ebook


ebook Famous Entrepreneurs - Modern Empire Builders


Featured Ebook

More Evan Carmichael
More popular articles
Have A Suggestion?

Sales Lessons From Starbucks And Dell

The Non-Price of Quality



The Non-Price of Quality
   



Full of enthusiasm a quality coordinator, believing he is King Arthur of Quality, and assuming full management blessing, may get the shock of his life when all his demands for resources are turned down one after the other. The management would like him to make it happen for free. The following deficiencies seem to be common sins shared by most of the organizations of today in approaching their quality programs:

Unclear Objectives. Other than an impressive mission statement, framed and displayed in the most visible places in the company, most organizations do not integrate their quality objectives in their short, medium, or long term strategic plans. Thus not committing them to a specific course of action. They also avoid approving any kind of formal core structure for the quality operation under a false belief that the quality missionaries should all be volunteers with no demands for resources. The problem here is that top management, in addition to losing focus on the objectives, would not have a tool to measure the performance of their quality system as a project.

The Program Approach. Most of the organizations deal with quality as a program rather than a process, which limits their vision for continuous improvement and their flexibility to change the approach or inject new ideas into the process.

Product oriented. The main concept in modern quality is the implementation of total quality management (TQM) which will naturally result in quality products, but the way organizations concentrate on the product only turns this concept into a quality control system that enforces quality measures without turning people in the organization into fanatic believers to whom quality becomes a second nature and who would eventually produce nothing but quality goods and services.

Tamed conditioned quality. With the management’s perspective of concentrating quality improvement programs (QIP) on products only, some organizations mistakenly put quality and production under the same manger. They believe that by doing this they avoid the conflict of enforcing standards between the two functions. The irony here is that management would support quality provided it does not interfere with the production operation.

No resources needed. Not too many organizations are ready to pay the price of quality (POQ) such as allocating enough funds for preparing quality material, hiring core staff, or conduct training programs. Sometimes, the core staff would not even have a meeting space to discuss plans or solve problems.

Unavailability for meetings. Other functions’ managers usually believe that quality meeting are time losers. Their enthusiasm for the program wanes after a while and they do not make their people available for meetings because they have work to do. Managers in this case create an adverse resistance to the quality programs in their organizations.

Lack of motivation. The more that quality circles work to solve their areas problems, the more punishment they get from their immediate supervisors who believe that quality problem solving meetings are nothing but a medium to criticize their performance and their ability to resolve problems. If the organization’s management allows the abortion of the quality circle’s solutions and gives them both the assurance and security they need, they would soon lose their momentum, interest, and motivation.

Demand of quick return on investment (ROI). Unless the management realizes that quality improvement programs (QIP) are by nature long term programs, they will be putting too much pressure on the system users, demanding generous return on their scant investment. A system approach to quality management will certainly provide the management with a clear vision of how the quality process works. It also highlights directions to develop a good monitoring and control system to the organization’s quality system.

In my opinion, if we have to have a quality triangle, it should consists of the customers at the top of the pyramid and the vendors and producers at the bottom with equally responsibility of defining their customers needs and excelling them in the course of offering their services. While the customers drive organizational operations and insisting on superior quality products and services, the vendors and their customers the producers jointly should do everything in their abilities to comply. Customers here become the CEOs of the organizations that serve them, and the market quality will consistently be enhanced.



The Non-Price of Quality - To learn more about this author, visit Dr. Fathi El-Nadi's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends
[Get Copyright Permissions] E-Mail | Print | More  


Related Articles Related Articles
When to Press Your Printing Needs
  Process, Spot, Laser, Inkjet, photocopy … have you confused? Choose the right printing option and get a great result at the best price. Choose the wrong option and pay big bucks for sub-standard quality. Read abou...
"Quality" Franchise Opportunity
  If you are interested in a franchise opportunity, with the profitable revenues, spend some time learning about Quality Connections. Quality Connection is a family friendly direct mail publication business sta...
Sales Leads -- Quantity or Quality?
  Sales leads come in two categories: High quality and not so high quality. The higher the quality, the more certain it is that the sales lead will result directly in a closed sale. Key question: Should you be goi...
Eight Essential Qualities of Passionate, Powerful and Proven Leaders, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  The term leader is used and dare I say misused quite often in our society today. Leaders are mentioned in the context of community; family; business; church, local, state and federal government; an organization; or...
Concerns on Quality Impelementation
  Are we living in a world of deteriorating quality? Or do we have to believe the quality gurus forecast that only organizations that are quality driven will remain in the market with their head above the water? Is it...

Related Forum Posts Related Forum Posts
INTRESTED IN INTRESTED IN
Re: What are your success criteria? Re: What are your success criteria?
New blog loading in Internet Explorer New blog loading in Internet Explorer
Re: Blog entries... how many is too much? Re: Blog entries... how many is too much?
The Martha Rules The Martha Rules
Trump University Courses Trump University Courses
Non Commercial Food Service Handbook Non Commercial Food Service Handbook
Run a major competition Run a major competition

 
About the Author


Dr. Fathi El-Nadi
(Visit Dr. Fathi's Website)
Certified Crosby College TQM Instructor; Management & HR Development Senior Consultant to a number of Egyptian & Arab enterprises across the Middle East. - Rated by The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) as Senior HR Professional due to his significant contributions to prominent Multinationals in the US, The Gulf, and Egypt. - Had held senior Management, HR, and Training positions in SOM, Johnson Wax, General Motors, and Bristol Myers Squibb. - Currently teaching Management, HR, Strategic Management, and OB at a member of prominent private universities in Egypt. - Management & HR Development consultant to USAID, CIDA, DANIDA & IFC on development projects in Egypt. - Professor, Strategic Management & HR Development (The Arab Academy for Science & Technology / AUC) - Consultant & Member, The National Committee for Faculty & Leadership Development Project (FLDP), a 7 year World Bank Funded project to enhance the quality of Higher Education in Egypt. - Consultant to a number of Egyptian State universities on Strategic Planning & Quality Improvement projects.
Have A Suggestion?

View Author's Blog
Become An Author

View Author's Video
Become An Author

Free Downloads


Dr. Fathi El-Nadi's

Complete
List Of
Human-Resources
Articles

First Name
Last Name
Email
 
If you enjoyed this article, get Dr. Fathi El-Nadi's Complete List of Human-Resources Articles For FREE!
Become An Author