Juran proposes new Q research effort

[Mike S.]

Here's some news I just saw on the "Quality Magazine" web site (www.qualitymag.com):

"Noted quality expert Dr. Joseph M. Juran is proposing a new, multimillion dollar research effort that could serve as the basis for a "manifesto" on quality leadership. "

You can go to the site and read the whole story.

I'm curious what Cove members think of this idea.

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Interesting...

In the end of the article it says that Juran sees the quality movement currently at an "impasse." despite knowledge about both success factors and the potential gains from quality leadership. He believes that the study he proposes, if initiated, would open the way for breaking the impasse.

Trying to achieve that can't be bad, can it? At least the aim is good.

/Claes

[Mike S.]

Years ago I read the book "In Search of Excellence" by Tom Peters. To me, it was the best business book ever written because it was well written with obvious passion and it contained tons and tons of actual real-world examples of how the world's most successful real-world companies achieved that success. The focus was not on just one company, or one leader, or one ideology, or one discipline (Sales or Quality or R&D) or one market segment but rather covered many examples of each. Despite it being a few decades old, I think much of the advice given is sound, but it is not "new" anymore so it gets little attention.

Now, Dr. Juran is obviously one of the brightest and most respected guys ever in the world of "quality". He proposes a multi-million dollar research project to produce what, to my understanding, would result in a sort-of "In Search of Quality Excellence" report -- showing what has worked in real-world companies.

No doubt this report would get quite a bit of press and discussion after it comes out. Maybe, if sold, it would become a best-seller. But I wonder how much it would really effect the way things are done after the dust settles. Would companies and their leaders, who have already ignored reems of advice on world-class ways of doing things, finally change their ways? Would this report be the straw that breaks the stubborn camel's back and starts a real revolution in the quality world? In the end I think it would have some positive impact on some companies -- a small positive step forward for the "quality" and business world just as "In Search of Excellence" was, but I think anyone who thinks it would be a panacea is being too naive. Still, I'll take a small step forward over status quo anytime. I'd like to see it. And, I'd really like to see what it has to say about ISO 9000!!!! JMO.

[Mike S.]

Jim,

Don't have a copy handy but I think Dana, HP, McDonalds, 3M, a sausage making company (Johnsonville?), a railroad (forget which one), and Apple are a few of maybe 30 companies he used as examples. I also had borrowed a audiocassette of one of his seminars and listened to it, so I may be mixing them up a bit. I might not agree with ALL of Peters' business ideas and politics but he darn sure is passionate and not afraid to say what he thinks, regardless of who it is he's talking about. And he backs up his ideas with examples of real-world success. The book just made sense to me and validated alot of what I had seen in my short foray into the business world. If you haven't read it or other Peters' books you should -- if nothiong else it is very thought-provoking and not nearly as dry as most biz books.

[Bruce Wade]

Mike,

If you read Peters' follow up tome, A Passion for Excellence, he starts out by suggesting you throw out the list of companies cited in the first book, as many of them had fallen...

In subsequent efforts, Peters continues this thought, and focuses on more dynamic and adaptive processes than those which he identified as leading to excellence in In Search of Excellence.

BTW, I believe if you examine the original list, many that drifted have rebounded. I'll have to dust off my copy and check out the list...

[Mike S.]

Bruce,

Indeed some of those original companies may have fallen, but that doesn't mean all of the information in ISOE is wrong. Certain behaviors got them to the top of the heap and allowed them to significantly outperform their competitors at one time. I'll bet at least some of them failed because they strayed too far from their own winning formula -- started to not practice what they preach.

People often do this to themselves -- find a winning formula or set of behaviours that made them super-successful, then strayed from that for whatever reasons and fell down, some then later straightened-out and others did not.

I'm not suggesting ISOE has all the answers as it does not, nor would I say that since some of those companies later failed it is all rubbish. But if you follow the basic tenents of those successful companies when they were flying high I'd say you have a much greater chance of being successful than if you failed to follow any of them.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see if Dr. Juran's vision becomes a reality. It, like ISOE, might not have all the answers for every company, but it will be thought provoking and I'll bet implementing most of the recommendations would up your odds over failing to implement them. JMO.

[Bruce Wade]

Mike S.,

I agree with your points. However, please note it was Tom Peters who cautioned against the wisdom imparted in In Search of Excellence, not me.

Peters has left an interesting trail through the popular management literature. Some of his later volumes merit attention, also. And, in several instances, he suggests rapid adaptation and movement away from the philosophies that "got them to the top of the heap" is the important trait that allows further excellence. Kind of rapid fire PDCA cycles, with heavy emphasis on the "A"...

Again, I am going to look for my copy sometime tonight, for further review. Thanks for getting me to think about a book full of good advice unfortunately gathering dust somewhere on a shelf!