Looking into the eyes of your company's president, CEO, or boss

[Pancho]

Funny. The look appears on our Q guy whenever resources that he thinks should be assigned to Q end up assigned to F or M.

[JaneB]

Originally Posted by somerqc

I have found that using the ISO acronym is a really quick way to lose them. BUT, show them how you can save them money by "fixing" a process. Now, you have their ear. Do this for about 6-9 months - you are likely 80% of the way to a QMS (an ISO compliant one anyway) without ever referring to ISO or a Quality System.

Exactly so.

Originally Posted by Jennifer Kirley

A few weeks back I pondered on the idea of a table correlating the standard's relation to form, fit and function. Cost could have been another column, as a natural extrapolation of how form, fit or function was affected.

Our job is to consult and help do this dot connecting for managers who don't know better on their own, however much we think they should. Here's the deal: financial statements, and entities that pay attention to them such as boards of directors or Wall Street may not ever draw a connection between the outcomes they focus on - profitability - and quality problems in design, production and service. After all, over these past some years we have seen there are many ways to turn a profit and the Ford Pinto is a dim memory for most who can even recall the debacle.

So your nimble database brain needs to be able to ingeniously some up with the necessary information so as to tease your top managers out of their stupor.

Excellent advice from both of you.

It is one of the functions of someone with quality responsibilities to do this translation for them and help them understand. Using ISO-speak or expecting they 'should just know' it doesn't work as effectively. And ultimately, I hope we're about what's effective, not just what we think people should or oughta know or do. If we don't walk the talk ourselves, and be shining examples of why quality matters, how can we expect others to 'get' quality?

[Mike S.]

It is a hard row to hoe for quality practitioners, the highest level of which is often not above a “Manager” level in a company, to get the President to embrace quality seriously. Possible, but tough.

In my experience, the easiest and fastest way to get a company’s leadership to take a serious interest in quality is for their top customer(s) to take a serious interest in quality. What is demanded by the top customer(s) gets done. Similarly, when the company’s leader(s) take a serious interest in quality, so will the subordinates.

In my experience, a company’s most demanding customer(s) is usually the main driving force behind quality.

[Randy]

Originally Posted by Mike S.

It is a hard row to hoe for quality practitioners, the highest level of which is often not above a “Manager” level in a company, to get the President to embrace quality seriously. Possible, but tough.

In my experience, the easiest and fastest way to get a company’s leadership to take a serious interest in quality is for their top customer(s) to take a serious interest in quality. What is demanded by the top customer(s) gets done. Similarly, when the company’s leader(s) take a serious interest in quality, so will the subordinates.

In my experience, a company’s most demanding customer(s) is usually the main driving force behind quality.

Learn the language the boss will listen to and then speak the language he will listen to and be heard....A fact many fail to recognize and therefore they relegate themselves to the lower Tiers of the organization

Reminds me of some dialogue from the movie "The Wind and the Lion"

Eden: Why would anyone want to cut out a man's tongue?
Raisuli: Perhaps the previous owner had nothing pleasant to say.

Quality managers need to have something pleasant to say.

[Mike S.]

Originally Posted by Randy

Learn the language the boss will listen to and then speak the language he will listen to and be heard....A fact many fail to recognize and therefore they relegate themselves to the lower Tiers of the organization

Reminds me of some dialogue from the movie "The Wind and the Lion"

Eden: Why would anyone want to cut out a man's tongue?
Raisuli: Perhaps the previous owner had nothing pleasant to say.

Quality managers need to have something pleasant to say.

Sure. If you're going into an organization that has typically not embraced quality very deeply in the past, though, you have to learn his language, earn his respect, prove your ideas will work, etc. You can do what you say and often "get there".

But I guarantee you you will "get there" faster and with less personal frustration if your top customer(s) come in and say "this is what you will do if you want our business".

[somerqc]

Mike,

I have to respectfully disagree. In my current situation, we had our biggest customer tell us we needed to be registered. It took the longest time to implement of any of the 3 systems I have implemented and registered.

The total difference is top management. If they believe in it, it gets done quick! (under 6 months at a facility that was ~200,000 sq. ft, >400 employees plus the "headquarters" office area with another 50 employees).

John

[Mike S.]

Originally Posted by somerqc

Mike,

I have to respectfully disagree. In my current situation, we had our biggest customer tell us we needed to be registered. It took the longest time to implement of any of the 3 systems I have implemented and registered.

The total difference is top management. If they believe in it, it gets done quick! (under 6 months at a facility that was ~200,000 sq. ft, >400 employees plus the "headquarters" office area with another 50 employees).

John

Apples and oranges. If your top management already believes in the benefit of quality, then no one has to get their ear and convince them of anything.

My point is, if the top management needs to be convinced to embrace quality beyond superficial levels, customers usually have more influence to make this happen than a Quality Manager.

[cywork]

Actually the president of the company is all about quality, the CEO doesn't really care much for it since the president runs everything. It is the production manager that I had worked with that had the glazed over look...took me 2 years to finally make him understand lol.