Take the case of an organization of your choice and explain the concept of safety management with respect to that organization.
Industry contributes not only to physical hazards to workers like unguarded machines, poor housekeeping, falling of objects, flying particles which may cause injury. But certain processes, environment or conditions may affect the workers health as well. Let us have a look at what these hazards could be in relation to public health in general. Public Health (General) Some hazards encountered are discusses below:
1. Tobacco: It is widely used by workers. The forms include smoking, chewing, snuffing. This may cause lung and oral cancer, lung ailments etc.
2. Drinking water: The main source of water for industry is from river or from the ground. Leather industries and chemical industries let their effluent flow into a river or be absorbed in the ground thus polluting the soil and water (causing water pollution and soil pollution.) The polluted water may cause lot of health problems like jaundice, liver and kidney failure, gastro-enteritis.
3. Cancer: Workers is chemical industries are exposed to chemicals like benzene, asbestos, nitrogen oxides, polyvinyl chlorides etc. These chemicals classified as carcinogens may cause cancer to the workers.
4. Radiation: Workers engaged in x-ray units and mines which contain radioactive materials may be affected due to radiation. This may cause cancer to the public.
5. Drug abuse and alcoholism: Drugs and alcoholism are very common public health hazards. They impair the sensory organs and due to inadequate judgement of the workers may cause accident.
6. Unhygienic food: Inadvertently supplied through canteen in the industry may cause
diarrhea, typhoid food poisoning, hepatitis etc to the workers. Cause of Health Hazards (particulars to industry) The general occupation health hazards may be due to;
i) Heat ii) Cold iii) Light iv) Noise v) Radiation vi) Chemical
vii) Occupational Diseases.
i) Heat: Most of India is in the equator region and it is hot in summer months.
Unlike western countries the employees get exhausted due to heat. Heat stroke is
a common feature due to exhaustion during summer. ii) Cold: Due to cold during winter the fingers may lose their sensation which may
cause finger injuries. Loose items like mufflers/scarves may get entangled into
running machines and cause injuries. iii) Light: Adequate light is to be arranged in the work place. Vision is disturbed due
to inadequate lighting, leading to the possibility of an accident. iv) Noise: This creates a stressful situation, causing irritation, loss of hearing, rise in
the blood pressure and increase in the heart beat. v) Radiation: Workers engaged in NOT operation, X-ray laboratories and in atomic
power industries are vulnerable to radiation which may cause cancer in the long
run. vi) Chemicals: Silica dust can enter the lungs and may cause silicosis. Asbestos may
cause Asbestosis. These are all lung ailments. Dye stuffs are used in dye industries mixed with water, any person drinking such water may suffer from
liver/kidney disorders in course of time. Chemicals such as acids and corrosive
alkalis may cause burns if they fall on the skin.
In the construction industry, metal surface finishing work is done by and
blasting. This in due course of time causes silicosis. Chemicals such as paints,
thinners, binders fasteners may cause many health hazards to workers. Controls of Health Risk
Health risk may be controlled through the following measures : i) Engineering measures: By devising good and safe engineering processes the risk
to the health of workers can be reduced. ii) Legal Measures: Government by notification asks the employers / industries to
modify the process or control the hazard. iii) Medical Measures: Medical measures include
a) Medical Examinations: All workers in the industry to be screened for occupational diseases.
b) Periodical Examination: All workers working in highly hazardous chemicals must be periodically examined.
c) Health Care: Health care to all employees be provided in chemical industry.
d) Health Education: Workers should be educated for good and hygienic way of living.
e) Records: Records of all medical examination to be kept and maintained for
review and prevention. Maintaining a Healthy Environment
i) Managing a healthy environment involves the following activities: ii) Pre-employment medical examination iii) Continuous education on health & hygiene iv) Periodical inspection of the site
v) Provision of proper personal protection equipment provided to employees. vi) A good medical / clinic facility.
Substance Abuse Prevention (Screening for Alcohol and Drugs) Alcohol and drug use by workers may i) Increase the accident rate ii) Increase the medical expenses iii) Increase absenteeism iv) Cause absenteeism and reduce the income to the family.
As per the Factories Act possession and use of alcohol and narcotics is not
permitted inside the work premises.
Alcoholism and drugs abuse by workers can be dealt with by: i) Counselling to workers ii) Strict vigil at workplace iii) Surprise inspection at work place iv) Medical test
v) Termination from service (disciplinary action)
Personal Protection
Elimination of unsafe conditions should be the first priority. For additional protection to
individuals, personal Protection Equipment (PPE) should be provided. Depending on the
nature of the job the PPE has to selected and given.
Why is the PPE needed?
Statistics on accident investigation reveal that 60% of workers at the site sustaining head injuries do not wear helmets, and nearly 99% of workers suffering face injuries do not wear face protection. 77% of workers suffering from foot injuries do not wear safety shoes, and 60% of workers.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
What are the different activities, which are covered under EMS? Discuss briefly.
What are the different activities, which are covered under EMS? Discuss briefly.
About forty years ago the world markets were flooded with cheap poor quality products. "Made in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan" and so forth, were synonymous with these products. The defensive reaction from the industrialised first world countries was to counter this competition with the slogan of "quality product" combined with reliability and value for money. This led to the establishment of the concept of total quality management in the International Standards Organisation (ISO). With this quality stamp on one's product, one could compete internationally. At the same time, this drive for quality products and total quality management, sanctioned by reputable institutions and approved by governments and international organisations, also aimed to protect the consumer against sub-standard products and services.
International organised business enterprises, with the support of their national governments, took the lead in drafting acceptable and agreed to quality standards and quality management systems. Various countries, including South Africa, promulgated their own quality management standards over the years. This eventually led to the acceptance of the ISO 9000 series of quality standards, which were agreed to internationally. In the South African wine industry, however, only a limited number of wineries opted to implement ISO 9000, mainly as result of product quality that is already determined by the South African Wine and Spiritus Board.
The awakening of the world community to a continuously deteriorating regional, continental and global environment in the sixties led to the concept of environmental quality as being part of total quality management - one cannot lay claim to manufacturing a quality product or providing a quality service while at the same time our environment, which is so necessary for our long-term survival, is being destroyed in the process through unacceptable levels of air and water pollution, ecological degradation, contamination of our soils, over-exploitation of non-renewable resources, the unsustainable utilisation of renewable resources and so forth.
This environmental awareness, in turn, led to a groundswell of support for internationally acceptable and agreed to environmental management performance requirements and systems. Again, individual countries and groups of countries established and promulgated their own environmental management standards, such as the British BS 7750 series and the EMAS system of the European Union. After several years the ISO took over and created the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards.
Since South African foreign traders are competing in the "global village", they have to play the game according to internationally acceptable rules. Unfortunately, to a certain extent, the insistence by foreign trading partners on conformance to and compliance with the quality and environmental standards by South African enterprises, has been used as a trade constraint (to protect their own industrial base), despite the fact that some international trade agreements specifically forbid this kind of discrimination in trade relations. Although national states in the first world are quite aware of these discriminatory practices, they quickly claim innocence, because they argue: "We do not interfere with the practices of private companies". Thus South African companies trading in foreign markets therefore have a choice either to play the international game according to the internationally acceptable rules or to capitulate and concentrate on the internal market. However, one must remember that the intention of the ISO 14000 environmental management system is to assist the company to do their environmental management tasks more efficiently and effectively. Enterprises, however, who see the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) only as a useful marketing tool wHI soon realise that they have become slaves to the system. By contrast, those with a true concern for the environment will find the system both effective and a useful marketing tool.
Towards the end of this year we will see a further development of the total quality management concept by the promulgation of the internationally accepted ISO 18000 series of safety and health standards which will run parallel with the ISO 14001 system. The international community is therefore slowly but surely moving in the direction of an integrated management system comprising occupational health and safety, environment, risk management and quality - the so-called SHERQ management model. If the South African wine industry is serious about maintaining an international role, it should heed these developments in time in order to be properly prepared and to remain at the cutting edge of developments in the foreign trading field.
KEY ELEMENTS OF AN ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Seventeen EMS elements are included in the ISO 14001 EMS and are based on a "Plan, Do, Check, Act" model to ensure that environmental issues are systematically identified, controlled and monitored. The key elements can be described as follows:
• Environmental policy
The winery should develop a policy statement of its commitment to the environment that should be used as a framework for planning and action. Management may decide to include only the cellar under the system, although it is recommended to eventually include vineyard practices to ensure client satisfaction.
• Environmental aspects
Winery management must ensure that environmental attributes of all activities in and around the winery and vineyards have been properly identified. Those aspects that could have significant impacts on the environment should be determined and prioritised according to significance. The impacts register should be revised from time to time to reflect changes in the environment as a result of new operations or availability of new scientific information.
• Legal and other requirements
The winery must compile and establish a comprehensive list of all environmental, legal, and other provisions, guidelines (such as "Integrated production of wine") and regulations, relevant to the production of wine. This list must be revised and updated as new legislation, guidelines and other environmental requirements are promulgated and published.
• Objectives and targets
Management must establish environmental goals for the company that are in line with the policy, environmental impacts, views of interested parties and other factors.
• Environmental management programs
The winery must design, develop and implement appropriate environmental management programs to ensure compliance with its environmental objectives and targets. These programs must be monitored and internally audited from time to time.
• Structure and responsibility
The winery must design, develop and implement a manpower management program. Environmental responsibilities, accountability, authority and liability must be assigned to each employee according to his/her capabilities; and responsibility, accountability, authority and liability should be negotiated with each employee and be incorporated in his/her job description/employment contract.
• Training, awareness and competence
Staff must be trained to competently assess and comprehend whether their activities constitute a health risk or a risk to the environment.
• Communication
The winery must establish processes for internal and external communications on environmental management issues.
• EMS documentation
The winery must maintain information on its EMS and related documents.
• Document control
The winery must ensure effective management of procedures and other system documents.
• Operational control
The winery must identify, plan and manage its operations and activities in line with the policy and objectives and targets.
• Emergency preparedness and response
The winery must ensure that appropriate emergency preparedness programs, plans and schedules are in place and that response procedures are adequate to prevent the spreading of environmental accidents and incidents. Follow-up plans must prevent the recurrence of environmental emergencies. All staff members should be adequately trained and suitable equipment should be provided and applied to ensure effective environmental emergency preparedness.
• Monitoring and measurement
The winery must ensure that appropriate monitoring and measurement programs, plans, schedules and methods are in place to ensure continued compliance with environmental legal provisions, environmental standards and guidelines imposed on the wine industry. Monitoring and measurement data must be used to test environmental management performance from time to time.
• Nonconformance and corrective and preventive action
Whenever deviations from the environmental standard occur, appropriate corrective and preventive actions must be instituted to ensure compliance. All corrective and preventive actions must be documented to monitor progress and to ensure successful completion.
• Records
The winery must ensure that all environmental management records are easily identifiable, properly stored and maintained and that back-up copies are secured in the event of destructive events.
• EMS audit
The winery must design, develop and implement an appropriate internal environmental audit system to verify continued conformance with the EMS and satisfactory environmental performance.
• Management review
The winery must review the appropriateness of the ISO 14001 EMS from time to time to ensure continual improvement in environmental management performance.
BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING AN ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
General
The ISO 14001 EMS forms part of total quality management of a business organisation in that it deals with environmental quality management. The system is also flexible enough to allow for a wide range of different ways in which it can be utilised to accommodate issues and aspects not directly related to the environment. For example, job descriptions of, or employment contracts with, employees do not only have to contain environmental responsibilities, accountabilities, authority and liability, but should also be compiled to include other responsibilities in winery operations as required by law.
Benefits
The implementation of an ISO 14001 EMS could have the following benefits:
• For the non-corporate organisation the EMS can be harnessed to provide a very useful, more general, management system containing much more than just straightforward environmental information.
• The EMS provides a framework within which all environmental management information can be made available at the press of a button.
• The EMS can form part of a company's marketing strategy and tools.
• The implementation of an EMS enables the company to compete on an international basis.
• The EMS prepares the company and enables it to gain the necessary experience for the time when the implementation of an ISO 14001 will become a compliance requirement from government.
• The EMS enables the company to tackle environmental issues and management in a systematic and organised fashion.
• If the EMS is implemented correctly, it serves as an early warning system to alert the company to potential non-compliance aspects and issues.
• The EMS information enables the company management to obtain an overall view of environmental performance at a glance.
• The EMS integrates different sets of information and data into a comprehensible holistic picture of the company's environment.
• The EMS provides for co-ordinated inputs and outputs from related management activities.
• Harmonised decision-making is promoted through the integration of information and data from related activities covered by the EMS.
• The different core elements and sub-elements of the EMS work somewhat like a jigsaw puzzle - it enables each contributor of information and data to obtain management and operational role clarity and to appreciate his contribution to the successful functioning of the company's activities.
• In view of the fact that monitoring and auditing constitute an integral part of the EMS, company management will always be assured of sufficient performance or alerted to the lack thereof.
• If properly implemented, the EMS is a management tool that works for the company - the company does not work for the system.
• With South African business having become part of the "global village" we have to compete on an international level. The EMS enables us to confront such competition in the environmental performance field head-on and to demonstrate our competitiveness based on international standards and practices.
About forty years ago the world markets were flooded with cheap poor quality products. "Made in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan" and so forth, were synonymous with these products. The defensive reaction from the industrialised first world countries was to counter this competition with the slogan of "quality product" combined with reliability and value for money. This led to the establishment of the concept of total quality management in the International Standards Organisation (ISO). With this quality stamp on one's product, one could compete internationally. At the same time, this drive for quality products and total quality management, sanctioned by reputable institutions and approved by governments and international organisations, also aimed to protect the consumer against sub-standard products and services.
International organised business enterprises, with the support of their national governments, took the lead in drafting acceptable and agreed to quality standards and quality management systems. Various countries, including South Africa, promulgated their own quality management standards over the years. This eventually led to the acceptance of the ISO 9000 series of quality standards, which were agreed to internationally. In the South African wine industry, however, only a limited number of wineries opted to implement ISO 9000, mainly as result of product quality that is already determined by the South African Wine and Spiritus Board.
The awakening of the world community to a continuously deteriorating regional, continental and global environment in the sixties led to the concept of environmental quality as being part of total quality management - one cannot lay claim to manufacturing a quality product or providing a quality service while at the same time our environment, which is so necessary for our long-term survival, is being destroyed in the process through unacceptable levels of air and water pollution, ecological degradation, contamination of our soils, over-exploitation of non-renewable resources, the unsustainable utilisation of renewable resources and so forth.
This environmental awareness, in turn, led to a groundswell of support for internationally acceptable and agreed to environmental management performance requirements and systems. Again, individual countries and groups of countries established and promulgated their own environmental management standards, such as the British BS 7750 series and the EMAS system of the European Union. After several years the ISO took over and created the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards.
Since South African foreign traders are competing in the "global village", they have to play the game according to internationally acceptable rules. Unfortunately, to a certain extent, the insistence by foreign trading partners on conformance to and compliance with the quality and environmental standards by South African enterprises, has been used as a trade constraint (to protect their own industrial base), despite the fact that some international trade agreements specifically forbid this kind of discrimination in trade relations. Although national states in the first world are quite aware of these discriminatory practices, they quickly claim innocence, because they argue: "We do not interfere with the practices of private companies". Thus South African companies trading in foreign markets therefore have a choice either to play the international game according to the internationally acceptable rules or to capitulate and concentrate on the internal market. However, one must remember that the intention of the ISO 14000 environmental management system is to assist the company to do their environmental management tasks more efficiently and effectively. Enterprises, however, who see the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) only as a useful marketing tool wHI soon realise that they have become slaves to the system. By contrast, those with a true concern for the environment will find the system both effective and a useful marketing tool.
Towards the end of this year we will see a further development of the total quality management concept by the promulgation of the internationally accepted ISO 18000 series of safety and health standards which will run parallel with the ISO 14001 system. The international community is therefore slowly but surely moving in the direction of an integrated management system comprising occupational health and safety, environment, risk management and quality - the so-called SHERQ management model. If the South African wine industry is serious about maintaining an international role, it should heed these developments in time in order to be properly prepared and to remain at the cutting edge of developments in the foreign trading field.
KEY ELEMENTS OF AN ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Seventeen EMS elements are included in the ISO 14001 EMS and are based on a "Plan, Do, Check, Act" model to ensure that environmental issues are systematically identified, controlled and monitored. The key elements can be described as follows:
• Environmental policy
The winery should develop a policy statement of its commitment to the environment that should be used as a framework for planning and action. Management may decide to include only the cellar under the system, although it is recommended to eventually include vineyard practices to ensure client satisfaction.
• Environmental aspects
Winery management must ensure that environmental attributes of all activities in and around the winery and vineyards have been properly identified. Those aspects that could have significant impacts on the environment should be determined and prioritised according to significance. The impacts register should be revised from time to time to reflect changes in the environment as a result of new operations or availability of new scientific information.
• Legal and other requirements
The winery must compile and establish a comprehensive list of all environmental, legal, and other provisions, guidelines (such as "Integrated production of wine") and regulations, relevant to the production of wine. This list must be revised and updated as new legislation, guidelines and other environmental requirements are promulgated and published.
• Objectives and targets
Management must establish environmental goals for the company that are in line with the policy, environmental impacts, views of interested parties and other factors.
• Environmental management programs
The winery must design, develop and implement appropriate environmental management programs to ensure compliance with its environmental objectives and targets. These programs must be monitored and internally audited from time to time.
• Structure and responsibility
The winery must design, develop and implement a manpower management program. Environmental responsibilities, accountability, authority and liability must be assigned to each employee according to his/her capabilities; and responsibility, accountability, authority and liability should be negotiated with each employee and be incorporated in his/her job description/employment contract.
• Training, awareness and competence
Staff must be trained to competently assess and comprehend whether their activities constitute a health risk or a risk to the environment.
• Communication
The winery must establish processes for internal and external communications on environmental management issues.
• EMS documentation
The winery must maintain information on its EMS and related documents.
• Document control
The winery must ensure effective management of procedures and other system documents.
• Operational control
The winery must identify, plan and manage its operations and activities in line with the policy and objectives and targets.
• Emergency preparedness and response
The winery must ensure that appropriate emergency preparedness programs, plans and schedules are in place and that response procedures are adequate to prevent the spreading of environmental accidents and incidents. Follow-up plans must prevent the recurrence of environmental emergencies. All staff members should be adequately trained and suitable equipment should be provided and applied to ensure effective environmental emergency preparedness.
• Monitoring and measurement
The winery must ensure that appropriate monitoring and measurement programs, plans, schedules and methods are in place to ensure continued compliance with environmental legal provisions, environmental standards and guidelines imposed on the wine industry. Monitoring and measurement data must be used to test environmental management performance from time to time.
• Nonconformance and corrective and preventive action
Whenever deviations from the environmental standard occur, appropriate corrective and preventive actions must be instituted to ensure compliance. All corrective and preventive actions must be documented to monitor progress and to ensure successful completion.
• Records
The winery must ensure that all environmental management records are easily identifiable, properly stored and maintained and that back-up copies are secured in the event of destructive events.
• EMS audit
The winery must design, develop and implement an appropriate internal environmental audit system to verify continued conformance with the EMS and satisfactory environmental performance.
• Management review
The winery must review the appropriateness of the ISO 14001 EMS from time to time to ensure continual improvement in environmental management performance.
BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING AN ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
General
The ISO 14001 EMS forms part of total quality management of a business organisation in that it deals with environmental quality management. The system is also flexible enough to allow for a wide range of different ways in which it can be utilised to accommodate issues and aspects not directly related to the environment. For example, job descriptions of, or employment contracts with, employees do not only have to contain environmental responsibilities, accountabilities, authority and liability, but should also be compiled to include other responsibilities in winery operations as required by law.
Benefits
The implementation of an ISO 14001 EMS could have the following benefits:
• For the non-corporate organisation the EMS can be harnessed to provide a very useful, more general, management system containing much more than just straightforward environmental information.
• The EMS provides a framework within which all environmental management information can be made available at the press of a button.
• The EMS can form part of a company's marketing strategy and tools.
• The implementation of an EMS enables the company to compete on an international basis.
• The EMS prepares the company and enables it to gain the necessary experience for the time when the implementation of an ISO 14001 will become a compliance requirement from government.
• The EMS enables the company to tackle environmental issues and management in a systematic and organised fashion.
• If the EMS is implemented correctly, it serves as an early warning system to alert the company to potential non-compliance aspects and issues.
• The EMS information enables the company management to obtain an overall view of environmental performance at a glance.
• The EMS integrates different sets of information and data into a comprehensible holistic picture of the company's environment.
• The EMS provides for co-ordinated inputs and outputs from related management activities.
• Harmonised decision-making is promoted through the integration of information and data from related activities covered by the EMS.
• The different core elements and sub-elements of the EMS work somewhat like a jigsaw puzzle - it enables each contributor of information and data to obtain management and operational role clarity and to appreciate his contribution to the successful functioning of the company's activities.
• In view of the fact that monitoring and auditing constitute an integral part of the EMS, company management will always be assured of sufficient performance or alerted to the lack thereof.
• If properly implemented, the EMS is a management tool that works for the company - the company does not work for the system.
• With South African business having become part of the "global village" we have to compete on an international level. The EMS enables us to confront such competition in the environmental performance field head-on and to demonstrate our competitiveness based on international standards and practices.
'Leadership is one of the fundamental factors in deciding how an organization turns out to be'. Taking this, discuss the six actions of leaders..
'Leadership is one of the fundamental factors in deciding how an organization turns out to be'. Taking this into account, discuss the six actions of leaders.
Individuals' knowledge and practices in classrooms and schools appears to be accompanied by ongoing support and assistance to them as they are implementing the changes. This assistance comes in various forms and from various sources. One of the sources identified was school principals, who can exercise leadership in facilitating the change process. Principals are not the only persons providing facilitative leadership, however, for such leadership is not defined by positions on organizational charts. Rather, it is defined functionally.
The attention to leadership has been unprecedented in business, and government, as well as education. What is the leadership function? One aspect of the leadership discussion for the past several years has focused on the distinction between management, which educational administrators typically do with reasonable success, and leadership, which educational administrators allegedly do not do, but should. Although these concepts are frequently confused, several researchers have made a clear distinction.
The Need for Leaders
Deal (1990) maintains that "nothing will happen without leadership. From someone -- or someplace ~ energy needs to be created, released, channeled, or mobilized to get the ball rolling in the right direction". "Research on schools in the last couple of decades leads to the interpretation that schools can develop as places for excellent teaching and learning, but left to their own devices many of them will not" (Wimpelberg, 1987, p. 100). As Glatter (1987) points out, "there has too often been an assumption that you only need to introduce an innovation for it to be effectively absorbed by the institution". As Block maintains, leaders are needed to translate intentions into reality.
Many researchers have reported the importance of effective school-based leadership (Duttweiler & Hord, 1987; Fullan, 1985; Rutherford, 1985), and effective district-level leadership in bringing about change and improvement (Coleman & LaRocque, 1990; Hill, Wise, & Shapiro, 1989; Jacobson, 1986; Muller, 1989; Murphy, Hallinger, & Peterson, 1985; Paulu, 1988). The challenge for these leaders is to provide teaching/learning conditions and school and district structures (curricular, organizational, physical) that enable students to function effectively and develop the attributes necessary for lifelong learning, independent living, and participation as a contributing member of society. School improvement efforts to realize these outcomes will be enhanced by the vision and leadership of many individuals, internal and external to the system (Cohen, 1987; Goodlad, 1975; Fullan, 1991; Hall & Hord, 1987; Schlechty, 1988; Sergiovanni, 1990b). These individuals will include school board members, superintendent and other central office staff, principals, lead/mentor teachers, parents and community representatives, and others at the regional and state levels (Barth, 1988; Engel, 1990; Johnston, Bickel, & Wallace, 1990).
The Leaders
Cawelti (1987) noted that "research has documented what common sense has long dictated: that school leaders do determine whether or not schools are successful". This growing knowledge
base points to the importance of effective principals to student success in school. Beginning with the effective schools studies, which were conducted largely in low socioeconomic settings, for example by Edmonds (1979), Lezotte and Bancroft (1985), Venezky and Winfield (1979), and others, the more effective campuses were found to be administered by strong educational leaders.
Principals.
Thomas, as early as 1978, studying the role of principal in managing diverse programs, concluded that many factors affect implementation, but none so much as the leadership of the campus principal. More recently, the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth (1983) identified the primary determining factor of excellence in public schools as the skillful leadership of the individual principal. The Task Force report further noted that on campuses where principals have leadership skills and are highly motivated, the effects have been startling, regardless of the unique ethnic or socioeconomic factors of the school community and the nature of the populations the school serves.
Research and "exemplary practice" have documented that the principal is a central element in improving instructional programs within the school (Fullan, 1991; Hansen & Smith, 1989). Andrews maintained in an interview with Brandt (1987) that "gains and losses in students' test scores are directly related to teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership" (Brandt, 1987). Lieberman and Miller (1981) noted that the principal is critical in making changes happen in schools. Reinhard, Arends, Kutz, Lovell, and Wyant (1980) determined that, at each stage of the change process, contributions by the principal were extremely important to the project's overall success.
Targeting the principal as a leader of change, studies have focused on what effective principals do. Leithwood and Montgomery (1982) found that "effective" principals were proactive in nature and took steps to secure support for change efforts on behalf of their students. Stallings and Mohlman (1981) indicated that principals who were particularly effective in program implementation went out of their way to be helpful to teachers and staff, were constructive in criticism they provided, and explained their reasons for suggesting behavior changes. They shared new ideas, set good examples by being on time or staying late when necessary, were well prepared, and cared for the personal welfare of their teachers (Rutherford, Hord, Ruling, & Hall, 1983).
Little (1981) found that effective change facilitation occurred in schools that were administered by principals who "communicate particular expectations to teachers; model the norms they support; sanction teachers who perform well by using and allocating available resources; and protect teachers from outside interferences by acting as a 'buffer' between the district and the needs of the teachers". From a four-year study of London schools, Mortimore and Sammons (1987) reported 12 key factors related to schools' effectiveness. The first of these was the principal's purposeful leadership of the staff, where the principal "understands the needs of the school and is actively involved in the school's work, without exerting total control over the staff'
In a description of principals' behaviors relating to successful change facilitation, Rutherford and colleagues (1983) found the following factors:
They have a clear vision of short and long-range goals for the school, and they work intensely with brute persistence to attain their vision. The achievement and happiness of students is their first priority; and they have high expectations for students, teachers, and themselves. They are actively involved in decision-making relative to instructional and administrative affairs, and they attend to instructional objectives as well as instructional strategies. They collect information that keeps them well informed about the performance of their teachers; they involve teachers in decision-making but within the framework of established goals and expectations; and directly or indirectly they provide for the development of teachers' knowledge and skills, and they protect the school and faculty from unnecessary intrusions. They seek policy changes at the district level for the benefit of the school, and they give enthusiastic support to a change. They provide for the personal welfare of teachers, and also model the norms they want teachers to support. They aggressively seek support for resources within and outside the school to foster the goals of the school.
Leadership teams
While the early studies of leader behaviors for change focused largely on principals, it also became clear from these studies that principals were aided by assistant principals (Mortimore & Sammons, 1987), by formally organized school improvement teams of teachers, and by more informal but collegial arrangements with "change facilitator ""teachers on their staff, central office personnel, and external consultants (Hord, Stiegelbauer, & Hall, 1984). Parents, too, were active. Cawelti (1987) noted that "we face a critical shortage of instructional leaders", thus there is a need to encourage leadership wherever it may be found. Principals were aided by assistant principals (Mortimore & Sammons, 1987), by formally organized school improvement teams of teachers, central office personnel, and external consultants. Parents, too, were active.
Superintendents.
An emerging knowledge base has been developing about strategies used by the district-level executive, whose area of responsibility is the entire district and community. Research studies have shown that superintendents develop particular relationships with principals as their allies for change. Superintendents use, at the district level, strategies that are parallel to those used by principals at the school level. It is not conceivable that all superintendents who are facilitating change effectively can allocate major amounts of their time to these efforts. Therefore, many superintendents delegate responsibilities to central office staff but nevertheless actively monitor the process and progress of reform. Superintendents use, at the district level, strategies that are parallel to those used by principals at the school level.
A schema by which to consider what principals, leadership teams, superintendents, and other leaders do to implement change has been adapted from a formulation reported by Hord and Huling-Austin (1986). The findings that follow apply to principals and superintendents (whose actions typically have high impact) and to all other persons in any positions who are willing and able to exercise the actions described.
A Six-Component Framework
From a longitudinal study that focused specifically on identifying the actions or interventions of principals and other facilitators in behalf of teachers' implementation of change, a classification
of interventions resulted (Hord & Ruling-Austin, 1986). Eight functional classifications of interventions were used to organize the actions of principals and other facilitators
Of these eight functions, four are represented most frequently in the studies of school change:
• providing logistical and organizational arrangements,
• training,
" monitoring and evaluation, and
• providing consultation/problem solving and reinforcement.
In addition, two other functions are prominent in the literature on change implementation: creating an atmosphere and culture for change, and communicating the vision. A six-part framework, then, is used here to report findings about leaders' roles in implementing change. Note that the Hord and Huling-Austin (1986) labels have been slightly modified for improved reader understanding (i.e., "consultation and reinforcement" has been renamed, "continuing to give assistance"):
Tools and Techniques for Leaders
During the seventies and eighties the need for facilitating change became more clear. A parallel need was to understand the change process better and to clarify the role of the facilitators. A series of studies was launched to meet this need, and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model was developed.
Tools for change facilitators.
The Concerns-Based Adoption Model resulted from longitudinal studies of change in schools and colleges. The task was to understand what was needed to provide support for the implementation stage of the change process. The outcomes w,ere concepts, tools, and techniques for the use of the change facilitator. Three diagnostic components included Stages of Concern, which describes the affective side of change, or how individuals respond or feel about a change; Levels of Use, how individuals are behaving relative to a change; and Innovation Configuration, how the change is being put into effect in classrooms and schools. Two prescriptive frameworks for change facilitators were developed out of these studies: the Intervention Taxonomy, which classifies the kinds of interventions needed for successful change, and the Intervention Anatomy, which characterizes various aspects of an intervention.
Hall, Wallace, and Dossett (1973) conceptualized the seminal model and Hall and Hord (1987) and Hord, Rutherford, Huling- Austin, and Hall (1987) produced a compilation of the studies. Seven basic assumptions informed the research, were verified, and provided guidelines for structuring the change facilitator's activities.
Principles of change facilitation.
The first principle is understanding that change is a process, not an event; therefore, change requires time, energy, and the resources to support it as it unfolds. Second, change is accomplished by individuals first, then by institutions. There is, of course, individual/organizational interaction in the process of change. It is difficult, for instance, for individuals in a school to become collegial if the organization does not change scheduling and other structures to allow or support this to happen. The model, however, assumes primacy of the individual, suggesting that only when the persons in an organization have changed, can it be said that the organization has changed. Third, change is a highly personal experience (thus the focus on the individual as the unit of analysis in this model); individuals change at different rates and in different ways.
Fourth, change entails growth in both feelings about and skills in using new programs; thus, individuals change in these two important ways over the course of a change experience. Fifth, interventions can be designed to support the individual's implementation of the innovation. The change facilitator should take into account the feelings and skills of the individual when planning actions to support the change process. Sixth, the change facilitator needs to adapt to the differing needs of individuals and to their changing needs over time. Last, the change facilitator must consider the systemic nature of the organization when making interventions, since activities targeted for one area of the system may well have unanticipated effects in another.
The change facilitator has tools for collecting diagnostic information about individuals and the innovation during the process of change. Based on the diagnostic data, the change facilitator makes interventions selected from the resources available and targeted appropriately for the individuals. The model is based on the hypothesis that proactive facilitators, working in particular ways, will enable new programs, or innovations, to be implemented more effectively and efficiently, moving over time toward desired goals.
The premise that "change is a process," first stated in 1973 by Hall, Wallace, and Dossett, has been verified in other studies of change and is now a widely espoused axiom. Beer, Eisenstat, and Spector (1990) in the corporate sector, for example, report that "companies need a particular mind-set for managing change: one that emphasizes process ... persistence over a long period of time as opposed to quick fixes". However, current practice at all educational levels ~ school, district, state, and national ~ tends to ignore this concept. Many educational policymakers behave as if change is a single event and can simply be mandated. Such a view ignores the critical period of implementation, putting change into place, and the requirements for support by knowledgeable and skilled facilitators.
Individuals' knowledge and practices in classrooms and schools appears to be accompanied by ongoing support and assistance to them as they are implementing the changes. This assistance comes in various forms and from various sources. One of the sources identified was school principals, who can exercise leadership in facilitating the change process. Principals are not the only persons providing facilitative leadership, however, for such leadership is not defined by positions on organizational charts. Rather, it is defined functionally.
The attention to leadership has been unprecedented in business, and government, as well as education. What is the leadership function? One aspect of the leadership discussion for the past several years has focused on the distinction between management, which educational administrators typically do with reasonable success, and leadership, which educational administrators allegedly do not do, but should. Although these concepts are frequently confused, several researchers have made a clear distinction.
The Need for Leaders
Deal (1990) maintains that "nothing will happen without leadership. From someone -- or someplace ~ energy needs to be created, released, channeled, or mobilized to get the ball rolling in the right direction". "Research on schools in the last couple of decades leads to the interpretation that schools can develop as places for excellent teaching and learning, but left to their own devices many of them will not" (Wimpelberg, 1987, p. 100). As Glatter (1987) points out, "there has too often been an assumption that you only need to introduce an innovation for it to be effectively absorbed by the institution". As Block maintains, leaders are needed to translate intentions into reality.
Many researchers have reported the importance of effective school-based leadership (Duttweiler & Hord, 1987; Fullan, 1985; Rutherford, 1985), and effective district-level leadership in bringing about change and improvement (Coleman & LaRocque, 1990; Hill, Wise, & Shapiro, 1989; Jacobson, 1986; Muller, 1989; Murphy, Hallinger, & Peterson, 1985; Paulu, 1988). The challenge for these leaders is to provide teaching/learning conditions and school and district structures (curricular, organizational, physical) that enable students to function effectively and develop the attributes necessary for lifelong learning, independent living, and participation as a contributing member of society. School improvement efforts to realize these outcomes will be enhanced by the vision and leadership of many individuals, internal and external to the system (Cohen, 1987; Goodlad, 1975; Fullan, 1991; Hall & Hord, 1987; Schlechty, 1988; Sergiovanni, 1990b). These individuals will include school board members, superintendent and other central office staff, principals, lead/mentor teachers, parents and community representatives, and others at the regional and state levels (Barth, 1988; Engel, 1990; Johnston, Bickel, & Wallace, 1990).
The Leaders
Cawelti (1987) noted that "research has documented what common sense has long dictated: that school leaders do determine whether or not schools are successful". This growing knowledge
base points to the importance of effective principals to student success in school. Beginning with the effective schools studies, which were conducted largely in low socioeconomic settings, for example by Edmonds (1979), Lezotte and Bancroft (1985), Venezky and Winfield (1979), and others, the more effective campuses were found to be administered by strong educational leaders.
Principals.
Thomas, as early as 1978, studying the role of principal in managing diverse programs, concluded that many factors affect implementation, but none so much as the leadership of the campus principal. More recently, the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth (1983) identified the primary determining factor of excellence in public schools as the skillful leadership of the individual principal. The Task Force report further noted that on campuses where principals have leadership skills and are highly motivated, the effects have been startling, regardless of the unique ethnic or socioeconomic factors of the school community and the nature of the populations the school serves.
Research and "exemplary practice" have documented that the principal is a central element in improving instructional programs within the school (Fullan, 1991; Hansen & Smith, 1989). Andrews maintained in an interview with Brandt (1987) that "gains and losses in students' test scores are directly related to teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership" (Brandt, 1987). Lieberman and Miller (1981) noted that the principal is critical in making changes happen in schools. Reinhard, Arends, Kutz, Lovell, and Wyant (1980) determined that, at each stage of the change process, contributions by the principal were extremely important to the project's overall success.
Targeting the principal as a leader of change, studies have focused on what effective principals do. Leithwood and Montgomery (1982) found that "effective" principals were proactive in nature and took steps to secure support for change efforts on behalf of their students. Stallings and Mohlman (1981) indicated that principals who were particularly effective in program implementation went out of their way to be helpful to teachers and staff, were constructive in criticism they provided, and explained their reasons for suggesting behavior changes. They shared new ideas, set good examples by being on time or staying late when necessary, were well prepared, and cared for the personal welfare of their teachers (Rutherford, Hord, Ruling, & Hall, 1983).
Little (1981) found that effective change facilitation occurred in schools that were administered by principals who "communicate particular expectations to teachers; model the norms they support; sanction teachers who perform well by using and allocating available resources; and protect teachers from outside interferences by acting as a 'buffer' between the district and the needs of the teachers". From a four-year study of London schools, Mortimore and Sammons (1987) reported 12 key factors related to schools' effectiveness. The first of these was the principal's purposeful leadership of the staff, where the principal "understands the needs of the school and is actively involved in the school's work, without exerting total control over the staff'
In a description of principals' behaviors relating to successful change facilitation, Rutherford and colleagues (1983) found the following factors:
They have a clear vision of short and long-range goals for the school, and they work intensely with brute persistence to attain their vision. The achievement and happiness of students is their first priority; and they have high expectations for students, teachers, and themselves. They are actively involved in decision-making relative to instructional and administrative affairs, and they attend to instructional objectives as well as instructional strategies. They collect information that keeps them well informed about the performance of their teachers; they involve teachers in decision-making but within the framework of established goals and expectations; and directly or indirectly they provide for the development of teachers' knowledge and skills, and they protect the school and faculty from unnecessary intrusions. They seek policy changes at the district level for the benefit of the school, and they give enthusiastic support to a change. They provide for the personal welfare of teachers, and also model the norms they want teachers to support. They aggressively seek support for resources within and outside the school to foster the goals of the school.
Leadership teams
While the early studies of leader behaviors for change focused largely on principals, it also became clear from these studies that principals were aided by assistant principals (Mortimore & Sammons, 1987), by formally organized school improvement teams of teachers, and by more informal but collegial arrangements with "change facilitator ""teachers on their staff, central office personnel, and external consultants (Hord, Stiegelbauer, & Hall, 1984). Parents, too, were active. Cawelti (1987) noted that "we face a critical shortage of instructional leaders", thus there is a need to encourage leadership wherever it may be found. Principals were aided by assistant principals (Mortimore & Sammons, 1987), by formally organized school improvement teams of teachers, central office personnel, and external consultants. Parents, too, were active.
Superintendents.
An emerging knowledge base has been developing about strategies used by the district-level executive, whose area of responsibility is the entire district and community. Research studies have shown that superintendents develop particular relationships with principals as their allies for change. Superintendents use, at the district level, strategies that are parallel to those used by principals at the school level. It is not conceivable that all superintendents who are facilitating change effectively can allocate major amounts of their time to these efforts. Therefore, many superintendents delegate responsibilities to central office staff but nevertheless actively monitor the process and progress of reform. Superintendents use, at the district level, strategies that are parallel to those used by principals at the school level.
A schema by which to consider what principals, leadership teams, superintendents, and other leaders do to implement change has been adapted from a formulation reported by Hord and Huling-Austin (1986). The findings that follow apply to principals and superintendents (whose actions typically have high impact) and to all other persons in any positions who are willing and able to exercise the actions described.
A Six-Component Framework
From a longitudinal study that focused specifically on identifying the actions or interventions of principals and other facilitators in behalf of teachers' implementation of change, a classification
of interventions resulted (Hord & Ruling-Austin, 1986). Eight functional classifications of interventions were used to organize the actions of principals and other facilitators
Of these eight functions, four are represented most frequently in the studies of school change:
• providing logistical and organizational arrangements,
• training,
" monitoring and evaluation, and
• providing consultation/problem solving and reinforcement.
In addition, two other functions are prominent in the literature on change implementation: creating an atmosphere and culture for change, and communicating the vision. A six-part framework, then, is used here to report findings about leaders' roles in implementing change. Note that the Hord and Huling-Austin (1986) labels have been slightly modified for improved reader understanding (i.e., "consultation and reinforcement" has been renamed, "continuing to give assistance"):
Tools and Techniques for Leaders
During the seventies and eighties the need for facilitating change became more clear. A parallel need was to understand the change process better and to clarify the role of the facilitators. A series of studies was launched to meet this need, and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model was developed.
Tools for change facilitators.
The Concerns-Based Adoption Model resulted from longitudinal studies of change in schools and colleges. The task was to understand what was needed to provide support for the implementation stage of the change process. The outcomes w,ere concepts, tools, and techniques for the use of the change facilitator. Three diagnostic components included Stages of Concern, which describes the affective side of change, or how individuals respond or feel about a change; Levels of Use, how individuals are behaving relative to a change; and Innovation Configuration, how the change is being put into effect in classrooms and schools. Two prescriptive frameworks for change facilitators were developed out of these studies: the Intervention Taxonomy, which classifies the kinds of interventions needed for successful change, and the Intervention Anatomy, which characterizes various aspects of an intervention.
Hall, Wallace, and Dossett (1973) conceptualized the seminal model and Hall and Hord (1987) and Hord, Rutherford, Huling- Austin, and Hall (1987) produced a compilation of the studies. Seven basic assumptions informed the research, were verified, and provided guidelines for structuring the change facilitator's activities.
Principles of change facilitation.
The first principle is understanding that change is a process, not an event; therefore, change requires time, energy, and the resources to support it as it unfolds. Second, change is accomplished by individuals first, then by institutions. There is, of course, individual/organizational interaction in the process of change. It is difficult, for instance, for individuals in a school to become collegial if the organization does not change scheduling and other structures to allow or support this to happen. The model, however, assumes primacy of the individual, suggesting that only when the persons in an organization have changed, can it be said that the organization has changed. Third, change is a highly personal experience (thus the focus on the individual as the unit of analysis in this model); individuals change at different rates and in different ways.
Fourth, change entails growth in both feelings about and skills in using new programs; thus, individuals change in these two important ways over the course of a change experience. Fifth, interventions can be designed to support the individual's implementation of the innovation. The change facilitator should take into account the feelings and skills of the individual when planning actions to support the change process. Sixth, the change facilitator needs to adapt to the differing needs of individuals and to their changing needs over time. Last, the change facilitator must consider the systemic nature of the organization when making interventions, since activities targeted for one area of the system may well have unanticipated effects in another.
The change facilitator has tools for collecting diagnostic information about individuals and the innovation during the process of change. Based on the diagnostic data, the change facilitator makes interventions selected from the resources available and targeted appropriately for the individuals. The model is based on the hypothesis that proactive facilitators, working in particular ways, will enable new programs, or innovations, to be implemented more effectively and efficiently, moving over time toward desired goals.
The premise that "change is a process," first stated in 1973 by Hall, Wallace, and Dossett, has been verified in other studies of change and is now a widely espoused axiom. Beer, Eisenstat, and Spector (1990) in the corporate sector, for example, report that "companies need a particular mind-set for managing change: one that emphasizes process ... persistence over a long period of time as opposed to quick fixes". However, current practice at all educational levels ~ school, district, state, and national ~ tends to ignore this concept. Many educational policymakers behave as if change is a single event and can simply be mandated. Such a view ignores the critical period of implementation, putting change into place, and the requirements for support by knowledgeable and skilled facilitators.
Briefly discuss the concept of QFD and the House of Quality (HOQ)
Briefly discuss the concept of QFD and the House of Quality (HOQ) table.
Quality Function Deployment has been defined as 'a system for translating consumer requirements into appropriate company requirements at each stage from research and product development to engineering and manufacturing to marketing/sales and distribution (American Supplier Institute, 1989). QFD is taking the voice of the customer from the beginning of product development and deploying it throughout the firm through a sequence of phases. In QFD, the voice of customer aligns the company's resources to focus on maximizing customer satisfaction and minimising waste. QFD is not just a quality tool, it is also a planning tool for developing new products and improving existing products.
QFD permits the 'voice of the customer', rather than the 'demands of managements', to allocate company resources and to coordinate skills and functions in producing the final product. Benefits of listening to the customer requires that the management works to gain an understanding of its customers at three levels. The first level is understanding the basic wants and needs of the customer. A Cross-functional team using a variety of market research methods (e.g. individual interviews, focus groups and mail and telephone surveys) generates a list of customer requirements. The information collected during this stage is referred to as the 'spoken' quality demands and performance expectations. The requirements are usually vague (e..g. 'good ride') or incomplete and must be further defined into measurable characteristics. There is also information which is not directly given by the customer but must be included in the analysis to obtain a more complete understanding of customer requirements. The 'unspoken' attributes are often overlooked by the customer or assumed to be incorporated into the product (e.g. airplane arrives safely). The product must fulfill all these basic requriements, along with attaining high levels of performance in order to achieve a competitive level of customer satisfaction.
Second, QFD must drive the company to go beyond these data collection techniques and identify fundamental customer needs and root product function. In addition to the spoken and implied wants of the customer, QFD forces the design team to determine hidden customer requirements by studying how customers use a product, examining the product's applications and learning customer behaviors. For example, customers may express a desire to have the bank offer more covenient hours. One response would be to open the bank for longer hours. Another would be to be offer access to its services via a computer network and automated teller machines.
Third, in addition to learning the basic quality and performance attributes and root product functions, the product must provide unexpected features which 'excite and delight' the customer in order to sustain long term market share. These features are not usually known by the customer because they are either not aware of technological advances (e.g. new laser applications) or have become accustomed to standard product uses or application. While some new characterstics have evolved from technological breakthrough, no all new features must come through research and development. 'New' features or product applications are found when time is spent understanding the customer and how the product is being used. As new features are introduced and competitors copy or surpass existing products or services, characterstics which one surprised the customer, become standard product features over time (e.g. air bags in automobiles). Hence, the list of product characteristics must be continually updated and revised.
Quality Function Deployment has been defined as 'a system for translating consumer requirements into appropriate company requirements at each stage from research and product development to engineering and manufacturing to marketing/sales and distribution (American Supplier Institute, 1989). QFD is taking the voice of the customer from the beginning of product development and deploying it throughout the firm through a sequence of phases. In QFD, the voice of customer aligns the company's resources to focus on maximizing customer satisfaction and minimising waste. QFD is not just a quality tool, it is also a planning tool for developing new products and improving existing products.
QFD permits the 'voice of the customer', rather than the 'demands of managements', to allocate company resources and to coordinate skills and functions in producing the final product. Benefits of listening to the customer requires that the management works to gain an understanding of its customers at three levels. The first level is understanding the basic wants and needs of the customer. A Cross-functional team using a variety of market research methods (e.g. individual interviews, focus groups and mail and telephone surveys) generates a list of customer requirements. The information collected during this stage is referred to as the 'spoken' quality demands and performance expectations. The requirements are usually vague (e..g. 'good ride') or incomplete and must be further defined into measurable characteristics. There is also information which is not directly given by the customer but must be included in the analysis to obtain a more complete understanding of customer requirements. The 'unspoken' attributes are often overlooked by the customer or assumed to be incorporated into the product (e.g. airplane arrives safely). The product must fulfill all these basic requriements, along with attaining high levels of performance in order to achieve a competitive level of customer satisfaction.
Second, QFD must drive the company to go beyond these data collection techniques and identify fundamental customer needs and root product function. In addition to the spoken and implied wants of the customer, QFD forces the design team to determine hidden customer requirements by studying how customers use a product, examining the product's applications and learning customer behaviors. For example, customers may express a desire to have the bank offer more covenient hours. One response would be to open the bank for longer hours. Another would be to be offer access to its services via a computer network and automated teller machines.
Third, in addition to learning the basic quality and performance attributes and root product functions, the product must provide unexpected features which 'excite and delight' the customer in order to sustain long term market share. These features are not usually known by the customer because they are either not aware of technological advances (e.g. new laser applications) or have become accustomed to standard product uses or application. While some new characterstics have evolved from technological breakthrough, no all new features must come through research and development. 'New' features or product applications are found when time is spent understanding the customer and how the product is being used. As new features are introduced and competitors copy or surpass existing products or services, characterstics which one surprised the customer, become standard product features over time (e.g. air bags in automobiles). Hence, the list of product characteristics must be continually updated and revised.
Briefly discuss the concept
The team must examine the matrix to determine which technical requirement will need design attention, and the costs of that attention will be given in the bottom row. If certain technical costs become a major issue, the pretties may then be change. It will be clear form the central matrix, if there is more than one way to achieve a particular customer requirement, and the roof matrix will show if the technical requirements to achieve one customer requirement will have a negative effect on another technical issue.
The very bottom of the house of quality diagram shows the target values of the technical characteristics, which are expressed in physical terms. They can only be decided by the team after discussion of the complete house contents. While these targets are the physical output of the QFD exercise, the whole process of information-gathering, structuring and ranking generates a tremendous improvement in the team's cross-functional understanding of the product/service design delivery system. The target technical characteristics may be used to generate the next level house of quality diagram, where they become the WHATs, and the QFD process determines the further details of HOW they are to be achieved. In this way the process 'deploys' the customer requirements all the way to the final operational stages. Figures shows how the target technical characteristics at each level become the inputs to the next level matrix.
House of Quality___________________________________________
QFD was first put forth in 1966 in Quality Assurance work done by Prof. Yoji Akao and Mr.
Oshiumi of Bridgestone Tire.
Its purpose was to show the connections between true quality, quality characteristics, and process
characteristics. This was done using the Fishbone Diagram, with true quality in the heads and
quality and process characteristics in the bones.
For more complex products, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Kobe Shipyards combined these many
fishbones into a matrix.
In 1979, Mr. Sawada of Toyota Auto Body used the matrix in a reliability study which permitted
him to address technical trade-offs in the quality characteristics. This was done by adding a
"roof to the top of the matrix, which he then dubbed the "House of Quality."
Components of House of Quality______________________
The House of Quality is actually an assembly of other deployment hierarchic
and tables.
These include the Demanded Quality Hierarchy (rows), Quality
Characteristics Hierarchy (columns), the relationships matrix which relates
them using any one of several distribution methods, the Quality Planning
Table (right side room), and Design Planning Table (bottom room).
Many people, who haphazardly learned QFD some 20 years ago and failed
update their knowledge since then, refer to these rooms by undifferentiated terms sucn as wnats,
Hows, etc. (Sadly, this include many book authors, professors, and consultants.) This is not a
wise way to do QFD because it limits your ability to apply QFD only in the most elementary
form. It could be even detrimental for today's businesses that operate in complex environments.
It is recommended that such terms be abandoned and that users refer to the actual data by name.
This makes sense when there are multiple matrices used and proper naming conventions add
clarity to the process
The Myth About The House of Quality______________________________
Most interesting is that in many QFD studies, the House of Quality (HOQ) is not the starting point and can even be unnecessary.
That "the House of Quality is the QFD" is a myth that is still propagated by many people and books of outdated QFD knowledge, unfortunately, even though Dr. Yoji Akao (founder of QFD) has repeatedly warned it is not so by itself._______________________________
The team must examine the matrix to determine which technical requirement will need design attention, and the costs of that attention will be given in the bottom row. If certain technical costs become a major issue, the pretties may then be change. It will be clear form the central matrix, if there is more than one way to achieve a particular customer requirement, and the roof matrix will show if the technical requirements to achieve one customer requirement will have a negative effect on another technical issue.
The very bottom of the house of quality diagram shows the target values of the technical characteristics, which are expressed in physical terms. They can only be decided by the team after discussion of the complete house contents. While these targets are the physical output of the QFD exercise, the whole process of information-gathering, structuring and ranking generates a tremendous improvement in the team's cross-functional understanding of the product/service design delivery system. The target technical characteristics may be used to generate the next level house of quality diagram, where they become the WHATs, and the QFD process determines the further details of HOW they are to be achieved. In this way the process 'deploys' the customer requirements all the way to the final operational stages. Figures shows how the target technical characteristics at each level become the inputs to the next level matrix.
House of Quality___________________________________________
QFD was first put forth in 1966 in Quality Assurance work done by Prof. Yoji Akao and Mr.
Oshiumi of Bridgestone Tire.
Its purpose was to show the connections between true quality, quality characteristics, and process
characteristics. This was done using the Fishbone Diagram, with true quality in the heads and
quality and process characteristics in the bones.
For more complex products, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Kobe Shipyards combined these many
fishbones into a matrix.
In 1979, Mr. Sawada of Toyota Auto Body used the matrix in a reliability study which permitted
him to address technical trade-offs in the quality characteristics. This was done by adding a
"roof to the top of the matrix, which he then dubbed the "House of Quality."
Components of House of Quality______________________
The House of Quality is actually an assembly of other deployment hierarchic
and tables.
These include the Demanded Quality Hierarchy (rows), Quality
Characteristics Hierarchy (columns), the relationships matrix which relates
them using any one of several distribution methods, the Quality Planning
Table (right side room), and Design Planning Table (bottom room).
Many people, who haphazardly learned QFD some 20 years ago and failed
update their knowledge since then, refer to these rooms by undifferentiated terms sucn as wnats,
Hows, etc. (Sadly, this include many book authors, professors, and consultants.) This is not a
wise way to do QFD because it limits your ability to apply QFD only in the most elementary
form. It could be even detrimental for today's businesses that operate in complex environments.
It is recommended that such terms be abandoned and that users refer to the actual data by name.
This makes sense when there are multiple matrices used and proper naming conventions add
clarity to the process
The Myth About The House of Quality______________________________
Most interesting is that in many QFD studies, the House of Quality (HOQ) is not the starting point and can even be unnecessary.
That "the House of Quality is the QFD" is a myth that is still propagated by many people and books of outdated QFD knowledge, unfortunately, even though Dr. Yoji Akao (founder of QFD) has repeatedly warned it is not so by itself._______________________________
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Kaizent Discuss in brief.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Kaizent Discuss in brief.
The advantages
Kaizen can be useful in any industry, whether it is ailing or not. Its advantages are : Primarily it puts people first.
It concentrates attention on the processes and activity is centered on getting the process right.
It rewards effort as well as achievement.
It is a method for active problem solving.
It delegates responsibility to all participants.
It gives employees a sense of purpose.
It acts as a motivator for building quality in to product.
It eliminates the need for inspection.
It harbours group-centered activity and therefore encourages teamwork.
It helps to breakdown departmental barriers.
The focus for improvement is returned to the needs for the customer.
It aims to reduce waste and superfluous activity which are non-vasible to management.
It helps to establish long-term goals for the company so that it can keep abreast of change.
The above are only some of the more abvious reasons for starting down the path to continuous improvement. The list is limited only by the imagination of the observer. In any activity, there are endless opportunities to do things better, then again. By adopting the philosophy wholeheartedly, people can be inspired to achieve levels of quality and artisanship hitherto thought impossible. The human mind is limitless in its ability to achieve. All that is required is a believing heart, and a strong will. The desire to improve, once caugh, will be self-perpetuating when the benefits of that improvement become visible. People must believe in themselves and their ability to do better. Of course, it is frightening to chang, to break ouf of a humdrum state of affairs. However, if one does not try, changes are that the rut merely grows deeper and more difficult to get out of.
Disadvantages
Kaizen is not a new idea - it has been I practice, both in parts and in toto for good many years
now. However the Indian industries are still shy of exploiting its full potential. The reason are :
The difficulties in getting started. Just where does one start? (The unequivocal answer to that
would be with management!)
The difficulties in understanding the concept as a whole from an Indian point of view.
Changing people's attitude to accept something different and by implication foreign (the answer
to that again would be to remove the foreignness by emphasizing the points of similarity. Human
being are simimar enough in the most basic elements wherever they happen to live.)
Maintaining momentum once the initial fizz has gone out of the proceeding. All too often,
introductions are gimmicky and full of razzmatazz, but they fail to have substance and therefore
inevitably fail.
Getting people to think in the long term.
'Convincing people that quality is not costly, but actually saves money, time and effort.
Getting away from 'inspection' culture, which admits failure even before it occurs.
Diehard managerial practice which thrives on territoriality and the big-brother syndrome.
The time investment of starting and keeping going any continuous improvement intiative. People
are desperate about time, but how effectively is it managed?
Too much involvement needed from management. It is hard work, but managers work already.
They are just not working on the right things, that is all!
Suppose you are working in an organization and are supposed to improve the quality of the section you are working in.
Suppose you are working in an organization and are supposed to improve the quality of the section you are working in. Stepwise formulate a plan for improving the quality of your section.
(a) Fad of the Month
If organisation is proactive in quality but has reactive perceptions about the future they will introduce one fad after another to practice he latest quality tools but with little effectiveness.
(b) Frustration
A reactive approach to quality when combined with the proactive approach to the future leads to high frustration. The organisation may have great plans for quality but they don't find an opportunity to implement the same as they are involved in fire-fighting or managing one crisis after another.
(c) Extinct
A combination of reactive quality as well as future may endanger the very survival of that organisation which may become extinct.
(d) High Energy High Success
An organisation can become dynamic and thrill its customers (also capture the market share) if it combines a proactive approach to quality with proactive thinking about future. This combination leads to a kind of a fission relation in which when two highly potent masses are placed together a lot of organisational power is unleashed to generate high energy which will lead the organisation to achieve levels of success.
Role of Quality in strategic business planning process:-
In order to integrate quality with the strategic planning process a systematic and sequential procedure has to be adopted.
The following nine broad steps comprise the 'strategic planning process'.
1. Listen to the customer's needs.
2. Plan how you will meet the customers' needs.
3. Be aware of your values and align your organisation to serve the customers.
4. Be aware of the forces that will influence you.
5. Develop specific quality objectives.
6. Consider various scenarios.
7. Plan to close the gaps.
8. Take action to achieve the objectives.
9. Revaluate and renew efforts.
1. Listen to the customer's needs.
The basis of strategic planning is the identification of customers and their wants and needs. An organisation must seek its customers' requirements, expectations and assess future trends before developing a strategic plan. Customer requirements include prices customers are likely to pay in addition to reliability and performance. Frequent listening to the voice of the customer shall provide the organisation much useful customer feedback. Viewpoint is to treat customers as stakeholders in the organisation. The quality policy should be relevant to the expectations and needs of its customers.
2. Plan how you will meet the customers' needs.
Next, the organisation must determine its positioning with regards to its customers. Various alternatives such as whether the organisation should give up, maintain or expand market position in some or the other product categories which should be considered. An organisation in order to become successful should concentrate and consolidate its position in the areas of excellence to be able to provide high quality products/services to its customers in the most profitable manner. This can be achieved by formulating the mission statement of the organisation which will guide it in delighting the customers and clients. The mission statement with emphasis on quality provides legitimacy to the quality in the organisation. Employees are encouraged to believe that quality improvement is core part of their jobs. The focus on quality in its mission statement will help an organisation to come closer to meeting and exceeding the customer expectations.
3. Be Aware of Your Values and Align Your Orgnisation to Serne the Customers
The next step is to develop the internal vision of the organisation after the organisation's positioning with its customers have been clarified by developing a mission statement with strong emphasis on quality. Sometimes the organisational restructuring has to be attempted to achieve the desired outcome. Once the mission statement is prepated/developed the organisation need to invest some more time in reflecting on their vision and values before developing a strategic plan. The strategic plan provides the path for achieving the vision and mission of the organisation. The value statement provides guidelines for work ethic and the behaviour of employees. The values define what people in the organisaition believe. For a successful strategic plan the following core values are essential: 1. Drive out fear. 2 Participative leadership.
3 Use of data and management science techniques.
4 Continuous improvement
5 Commitment to learning.
The vision statement (or a set of value statements) describes where the organisation wants to be in terms of "overall performance and competitive leadership". This is the core of the quality-centered strategic planning. 4. Be Aware of the Forces that will Influence You
Strategic planners must devise an appropriate mechanism through which they can scan both the present and future trends of external environment that will exert an influence on the organisation. A review of an organisation's history helps in discerning future trends. The success of strategic planning process depends on the ability to think of the future as an environment that is shaped and formed by plans and actions undertaken by organisations in proactive manner. 'The Force Field Analysis', a technique developed by Kurt Lewin,a social scientist is useful in the scanning process.This technique visually displays the various positive and negative forces that impact a situation.
All these three are vital to achieving the mission and vision The key strategic objectives are also called the actionable key business drivers which are shown in figure.
6. Consider Various Scenarios
In this step various scenarios are considered which can be envisioned on the basis of three
possibilties:
(i) Events going well for the organisation
(ii) Events going very badly
(iii) Events going in a manner that is most likely to happen.
Using multiple scenarios offers many advantages. Based on the mindsets of the strategic planners and thinkers either the optimistic, pessimistice or middle-of-the-road scenarios can be developed. It enables an organisation to prepare itself to be flexible in adapting to any of the above scenarios. It will also help in identifying gaps that exist between where the organisation presently stands and where it needs to be.
7. Plan to Close the Gaps
The strategic planning team identifies and establishes goals which will assure high quality in their endeavours. They should perform gap analysis to find the difference between current situation and the goals. Quality improvement is not possible without a specific plan to close the gaps. Assessing the relative importance and relative difficulty or each gap enables strategic planners to direct their energy in closing the gaps. This may also be termed as process improvement. Organisation should embrace quality as an essential ingredient in their vision, mission and objectives. They should also increasingly use specific statistical quality tools to achieve their quality objectives. Figure highlights some such tools.
It is necessary to use the right tools to help the organisation close the quality gaps. The strategic planners must take some steps to close the gap between the vision and current reality.
8. Take Actions to Achieve the Objectives
At this stage the time is ripe to get down to the implementation of action plans and also to develop a suitable mechanism for tracking the performance results. Two issues are o paramount importance:
• Should the organisation focus on measuring the implementation of the action plan?
• Should it focus on the objective in the strategic plan?
The use of an external standard for benchmarking performance can be a useful technique. Such standards can help in deciding about the imlementation of a strategic plan in any organisation.
One of the criteria that can be used is customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the biggest proof that the customer's inputs are well integrated with various organisational processes and activites. If customers are not satisfied then it is clear that the organisation is not on the right path in its pursuit of strategic quality objectives. This consciousness leads management to take corrective actions to improve the situation. The management should develop an action plan for every gap identified in the strategic plans. It defines what actions will be taken by whom and when. These action plans should be developed with a commitment for implementation by line managers.
9. Reevaluate and Renew Efforts
The external environment is continuously changing, causing an impact on the organisation. A strategic plan once developed is not static as it has to come up to the expectations of the dynamic realities. The
Strategic planers should reassess and reenergize the system, before the energy and enthusiasm wanes in the earlier established strategic plan. Otherwise the strategic plans will become obsolete
and forgotten.
In order to keep the organisation focused on the path of quality improvement, it is very important to think of renewing strategic plans in the light of prevailing environmental conditions.
There may be some resistance to the change by line managers as they have to reframe their action plans. The need and importance of the process of continuous quality improvement
should be explained to them in order to manage resistance to this change. Juran
observed,"talking about quality does not provide results. Results occur when people get
organised to improve their work processes." The strategic planning process connects all of the
components of the quality programme to achieve high levels of quality and to satisfy their
customers which will enable them to survive and prosper in future.
(a) Fad of the Month
If organisation is proactive in quality but has reactive perceptions about the future they will introduce one fad after another to practice he latest quality tools but with little effectiveness.
(b) Frustration
A reactive approach to quality when combined with the proactive approach to the future leads to high frustration. The organisation may have great plans for quality but they don't find an opportunity to implement the same as they are involved in fire-fighting or managing one crisis after another.
(c) Extinct
A combination of reactive quality as well as future may endanger the very survival of that organisation which may become extinct.
(d) High Energy High Success
An organisation can become dynamic and thrill its customers (also capture the market share) if it combines a proactive approach to quality with proactive thinking about future. This combination leads to a kind of a fission relation in which when two highly potent masses are placed together a lot of organisational power is unleashed to generate high energy which will lead the organisation to achieve levels of success.
Role of Quality in strategic business planning process:-
In order to integrate quality with the strategic planning process a systematic and sequential procedure has to be adopted.
The following nine broad steps comprise the 'strategic planning process'.
1. Listen to the customer's needs.
2. Plan how you will meet the customers' needs.
3. Be aware of your values and align your organisation to serve the customers.
4. Be aware of the forces that will influence you.
5. Develop specific quality objectives.
6. Consider various scenarios.
7. Plan to close the gaps.
8. Take action to achieve the objectives.
9. Revaluate and renew efforts.
1. Listen to the customer's needs.
The basis of strategic planning is the identification of customers and their wants and needs. An organisation must seek its customers' requirements, expectations and assess future trends before developing a strategic plan. Customer requirements include prices customers are likely to pay in addition to reliability and performance. Frequent listening to the voice of the customer shall provide the organisation much useful customer feedback. Viewpoint is to treat customers as stakeholders in the organisation. The quality policy should be relevant to the expectations and needs of its customers.
2. Plan how you will meet the customers' needs.
Next, the organisation must determine its positioning with regards to its customers. Various alternatives such as whether the organisation should give up, maintain or expand market position in some or the other product categories which should be considered. An organisation in order to become successful should concentrate and consolidate its position in the areas of excellence to be able to provide high quality products/services to its customers in the most profitable manner. This can be achieved by formulating the mission statement of the organisation which will guide it in delighting the customers and clients. The mission statement with emphasis on quality provides legitimacy to the quality in the organisation. Employees are encouraged to believe that quality improvement is core part of their jobs. The focus on quality in its mission statement will help an organisation to come closer to meeting and exceeding the customer expectations.
3. Be Aware of Your Values and Align Your Orgnisation to Serne the Customers
The next step is to develop the internal vision of the organisation after the organisation's positioning with its customers have been clarified by developing a mission statement with strong emphasis on quality. Sometimes the organisational restructuring has to be attempted to achieve the desired outcome. Once the mission statement is prepated/developed the organisation need to invest some more time in reflecting on their vision and values before developing a strategic plan. The strategic plan provides the path for achieving the vision and mission of the organisation. The value statement provides guidelines for work ethic and the behaviour of employees. The values define what people in the organisaition believe. For a successful strategic plan the following core values are essential: 1. Drive out fear. 2 Participative leadership.
3 Use of data and management science techniques.
4 Continuous improvement
5 Commitment to learning.
The vision statement (or a set of value statements) describes where the organisation wants to be in terms of "overall performance and competitive leadership". This is the core of the quality-centered strategic planning. 4. Be Aware of the Forces that will Influence You
Strategic planners must devise an appropriate mechanism through which they can scan both the present and future trends of external environment that will exert an influence on the organisation. A review of an organisation's history helps in discerning future trends. The success of strategic planning process depends on the ability to think of the future as an environment that is shaped and formed by plans and actions undertaken by organisations in proactive manner. 'The Force Field Analysis', a technique developed by Kurt Lewin,a social scientist is useful in the scanning process.This technique visually displays the various positive and negative forces that impact a situation.
All these three are vital to achieving the mission and vision The key strategic objectives are also called the actionable key business drivers which are shown in figure.
6. Consider Various Scenarios
In this step various scenarios are considered which can be envisioned on the basis of three
possibilties:
(i) Events going well for the organisation
(ii) Events going very badly
(iii) Events going in a manner that is most likely to happen.
Using multiple scenarios offers many advantages. Based on the mindsets of the strategic planners and thinkers either the optimistic, pessimistice or middle-of-the-road scenarios can be developed. It enables an organisation to prepare itself to be flexible in adapting to any of the above scenarios. It will also help in identifying gaps that exist between where the organisation presently stands and where it needs to be.
7. Plan to Close the Gaps
The strategic planning team identifies and establishes goals which will assure high quality in their endeavours. They should perform gap analysis to find the difference between current situation and the goals. Quality improvement is not possible without a specific plan to close the gaps. Assessing the relative importance and relative difficulty or each gap enables strategic planners to direct their energy in closing the gaps. This may also be termed as process improvement. Organisation should embrace quality as an essential ingredient in their vision, mission and objectives. They should also increasingly use specific statistical quality tools to achieve their quality objectives. Figure highlights some such tools.
It is necessary to use the right tools to help the organisation close the quality gaps. The strategic planners must take some steps to close the gap between the vision and current reality.
8. Take Actions to Achieve the Objectives
At this stage the time is ripe to get down to the implementation of action plans and also to develop a suitable mechanism for tracking the performance results. Two issues are o paramount importance:
• Should the organisation focus on measuring the implementation of the action plan?
• Should it focus on the objective in the strategic plan?
The use of an external standard for benchmarking performance can be a useful technique. Such standards can help in deciding about the imlementation of a strategic plan in any organisation.
One of the criteria that can be used is customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the biggest proof that the customer's inputs are well integrated with various organisational processes and activites. If customers are not satisfied then it is clear that the organisation is not on the right path in its pursuit of strategic quality objectives. This consciousness leads management to take corrective actions to improve the situation. The management should develop an action plan for every gap identified in the strategic plans. It defines what actions will be taken by whom and when. These action plans should be developed with a commitment for implementation by line managers.
9. Reevaluate and Renew Efforts
The external environment is continuously changing, causing an impact on the organisation. A strategic plan once developed is not static as it has to come up to the expectations of the dynamic realities. The
Strategic planers should reassess and reenergize the system, before the energy and enthusiasm wanes in the earlier established strategic plan. Otherwise the strategic plans will become obsolete
and forgotten.
In order to keep the organisation focused on the path of quality improvement, it is very important to think of renewing strategic plans in the light of prevailing environmental conditions.
There may be some resistance to the change by line managers as they have to reframe their action plans. The need and importance of the process of continuous quality improvement
should be explained to them in order to manage resistance to this change. Juran
observed,"talking about quality does not provide results. Results occur when people get
organised to improve their work processes." The strategic planning process connects all of the
components of the quality programme to achieve high levels of quality and to satisfy their
customers which will enable them to survive and prosper in future.
Friday, June 5, 2009
'Quality has taken a central place in determining the organizational objectives and competitive position'
'Quality has taken a central place in determining the organizational objectives and competitive position'. Discuss taking into view the present trends..
The key success factors for TQM are listed below and then discussed briefly:
• Clear Aims and Objective of TQM
• Support and Commitment of Top Management
• Sufficient Time to be Devoted to TQM
• Resources for TQM
• Personal Qualities.
• Careful Analysis and Planning
• A Steering Group to Manage Change
• Adoption of an Ethical Approach
Clear Aims and Objectives of TQM
You should know your goal. Why do you need to change? Do you want to empower staff,
reduce defects or improve customer loyalty?
If you know what you are seeking, you can organize the TQM programme to achieve you aim.
Without a goal, your programme will lack direction.
Support and Commitment of Top Management
This is an essential condition for TQM success. TQM is a major strategic process that must
come from the top of the organisation. Before people in the middle or at the bottom can be
convinced of change, they have to be certain that this is a serious transformation. It is not the
kind of programme that the CEO can be launch with a single speech and them delegate to a
junior, while concentrating on the rest of the organisation's business. Senior managers who
have risen in the organisation because of their particular style of management are not likely to
abandon that style unless the top person makes it absolutely clear that TQM is to be the
defining guideline. Where this support from the top is lacking or perceived to be only token, the
effort is likely to fail.Sufficient Time to be devoted to TQM
Implementing TQM would take up a lot of managers' time. The time factor has to be considered
carefully.
When a TQM programme fails, it is often because the management fails to give it enough time.
If managers are told to carry out a TQM project in their spare time, it is unlikely to be successful.
Not only will senior managers need to spend many hours a week on the programme, but also
they will have to wait several years to see any results. There is a danger is losing interest in
TQM, if immediate results are not coming. Senior managers -should not get disappointed if
things are not fast improving.
Resources for TQM
If you develop your programme in-house, you will have to pay the salary of a full-time TQM
coordinator. You may have to pay for training courses. In addition, there is the time of seni74or
managers and other staff. Employees will be spending time in meeting or visiting other
companies. You may also print certificates, pens or mugs as give-aways. If you decide to use a
consultancy, you will have to pay its fees. So before you rush into a TQM programme, you
should set aside a budget.
Personal Qualities
When you have committed the company to TQM, and accepted that it will take energy, time and
money, you still need personal qualities to succeed.
Careful Analysis and Planning
A careful job of assessing the organisation's readiness to accept and embrace TQM is necessary. The top management should ask itself several questions before launching the TQM venture. They should begin with very basic question: What are our values? What is you mission? Who are our customers? Who are the stakeholders in our organisation, i.e., the people who are affected by what we do and who have an impact upon us? What are our strengths and weaknesses? Who are our competitors? What kind of organisation do we want to become? Careful, thoughtful preparation will significantly increase the chances of building a Total Quality Organisation.
Steering Group to Manage Change
Successful TQM change efforts involve a team of top executives in planning and guidance. The existence of such a steering group will reassure people throughout the organisation that this is not just another programme, but a serious permanent change of direction. It will also be the best vehicle for assessing the pace of the change effort and deciding what resources can be devoted to it. With this kind to steady guidance, the chances for successful organisational change are siqnificantlv increased.
You will need a structure like the one shown in figure. This has a number of elements, with the quality facilitator being one of the most important. The person will have day-to-day responsibility of TQM. He will not 'manage' it, because each individual must make his own contribution. Above all, the departmental managers must create an atmosphere of total quality in their own areas. So the facilitator (sometimes known as the coordinator) will simply remind, advise and encourage staff about TQM. He will also guide the project teams. The facilitator needs to have sufficient seniority to persuade others to adopt TQM. A formal job description should be written, outlining his authority.
In a small organisation the facilitator will report to the chief executive. In larger organisations, he might report to another member of the board. Whoever has responsibility must be committed to the success of the project, and must be at the company's top level of management. Otherwise, the TQM programme will not receive the resources and authority it needs.
Adopt an Ethical Approach
TQM is based on fairness. It requires the firm to satisfy its customers, and to be honest and
open with its employees. That means the firm has to be ethical. Every firm, like human, has
moral failings. Before a TQM programme starts, the company should carry out an ethics audit,
and draw up an ethics policy.
The ethics audit should cover relationships with the government, customers, suppliers, staff,
and the environment. It may relate to tax evasion, bribes, and forming cartels. Policies on
offensive advertising and environmental management might need to be formulated.
In this section, the eight determinants of success of TQM in an organisation are considered. Top
management should have clear objectives. They should give full support with time and
resources and have personal qualities. A steering group has to be formed to plan the activities.
Above all, TQM is not a tool, but a philosophy of worklife, requiring an ethical approach.
The key success factors for TQM are listed below and then discussed briefly:
• Clear Aims and Objective of TQM
• Support and Commitment of Top Management
• Sufficient Time to be Devoted to TQM
• Resources for TQM
• Personal Qualities.
• Careful Analysis and Planning
• A Steering Group to Manage Change
• Adoption of an Ethical Approach
Clear Aims and Objectives of TQM
You should know your goal. Why do you need to change? Do you want to empower staff,
reduce defects or improve customer loyalty?
If you know what you are seeking, you can organize the TQM programme to achieve you aim.
Without a goal, your programme will lack direction.
Support and Commitment of Top Management
This is an essential condition for TQM success. TQM is a major strategic process that must
come from the top of the organisation. Before people in the middle or at the bottom can be
convinced of change, they have to be certain that this is a serious transformation. It is not the
kind of programme that the CEO can be launch with a single speech and them delegate to a
junior, while concentrating on the rest of the organisation's business. Senior managers who
have risen in the organisation because of their particular style of management are not likely to
abandon that style unless the top person makes it absolutely clear that TQM is to be the
defining guideline. Where this support from the top is lacking or perceived to be only token, the
effort is likely to fail.Sufficient Time to be devoted to TQM
Implementing TQM would take up a lot of managers' time. The time factor has to be considered
carefully.
When a TQM programme fails, it is often because the management fails to give it enough time.
If managers are told to carry out a TQM project in their spare time, it is unlikely to be successful.
Not only will senior managers need to spend many hours a week on the programme, but also
they will have to wait several years to see any results. There is a danger is losing interest in
TQM, if immediate results are not coming. Senior managers -should not get disappointed if
things are not fast improving.
Resources for TQM
If you develop your programme in-house, you will have to pay the salary of a full-time TQM
coordinator. You may have to pay for training courses. In addition, there is the time of seni74or
managers and other staff. Employees will be spending time in meeting or visiting other
companies. You may also print certificates, pens or mugs as give-aways. If you decide to use a
consultancy, you will have to pay its fees. So before you rush into a TQM programme, you
should set aside a budget.
Personal Qualities
When you have committed the company to TQM, and accepted that it will take energy, time and
money, you still need personal qualities to succeed.
Careful Analysis and Planning
A careful job of assessing the organisation's readiness to accept and embrace TQM is necessary. The top management should ask itself several questions before launching the TQM venture. They should begin with very basic question: What are our values? What is you mission? Who are our customers? Who are the stakeholders in our organisation, i.e., the people who are affected by what we do and who have an impact upon us? What are our strengths and weaknesses? Who are our competitors? What kind of organisation do we want to become? Careful, thoughtful preparation will significantly increase the chances of building a Total Quality Organisation.
Steering Group to Manage Change
Successful TQM change efforts involve a team of top executives in planning and guidance. The existence of such a steering group will reassure people throughout the organisation that this is not just another programme, but a serious permanent change of direction. It will also be the best vehicle for assessing the pace of the change effort and deciding what resources can be devoted to it. With this kind to steady guidance, the chances for successful organisational change are siqnificantlv increased.
You will need a structure like the one shown in figure. This has a number of elements, with the quality facilitator being one of the most important. The person will have day-to-day responsibility of TQM. He will not 'manage' it, because each individual must make his own contribution. Above all, the departmental managers must create an atmosphere of total quality in their own areas. So the facilitator (sometimes known as the coordinator) will simply remind, advise and encourage staff about TQM. He will also guide the project teams. The facilitator needs to have sufficient seniority to persuade others to adopt TQM. A formal job description should be written, outlining his authority.
In a small organisation the facilitator will report to the chief executive. In larger organisations, he might report to another member of the board. Whoever has responsibility must be committed to the success of the project, and must be at the company's top level of management. Otherwise, the TQM programme will not receive the resources and authority it needs.
Adopt an Ethical Approach
TQM is based on fairness. It requires the firm to satisfy its customers, and to be honest and
open with its employees. That means the firm has to be ethical. Every firm, like human, has
moral failings. Before a TQM programme starts, the company should carry out an ethics audit,
and draw up an ethics policy.
The ethics audit should cover relationships with the government, customers, suppliers, staff,
and the environment. It may relate to tax evasion, bribes, and forming cartels. Policies on
offensive advertising and environmental management might need to be formulated.
In this section, the eight determinants of success of TQM in an organisation are considered. Top
management should have clear objectives. They should give full support with time and
resources and have personal qualities. A steering group has to be formed to plan the activities.
Above all, TQM is not a tool, but a philosophy of worklife, requiring an ethical approach.
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