Any punchline for ISO 9001 - Communication plan across our company in all locations

[Aaron Lupo]

I'll go with good ol' Dr. Deming on this one. Slogans generally don't help anything. There isn't much you can do to get anyone excited about ISO registration. The best you can hope for is mildly amused. It's kind of like trying to get someone who carries bricks for a living excited about adding a few more bricks to the load, by telling him what great fun it is to carry bricks.

I have to disagree; I have been in a few places where the employees were genuinely excited about the registration process. Their upper Management did an excellent job of informing them what to expect and what type of benefits they should expect to see from implementing controlled processes. While some companies pursue ISO for marketing reasons or because they have to, there are others that actually see the benefits of implementing a quality or business management system.

 

[apestate]

Maybe I'm jaded. It's hard to job-hop without hitting lots of low class factories.

 

[Marc]

Marc: Would you share some of the slogans or posters or anything that could get people excited about their job and ISO?

Here are a few. They're old and 'translated' from a different program, so a couple are not 'accurate'. I have a bunch of them somewhere. I'll have to look for them.

 

[Craig H.]

The thing with slogans is they don't have to explain anything, there is a story behind them which needs to inspire people. Top management does a soapbox presentation in the canteen, stating the slogan, and explaining why this is our slogan, what it stands for. Then hand out the mugs etc. Everyone will remember that story, and perhaps even explain/tell customers what it it about.

Ahh, and there's the rub. Slogans do not explain, and are, IMHO, a non-value added exercise.

How about a little longer "slogan" that does explain things. Newsflash:

Its called the quality policy.

Why bother with all of this effort on a slogan that will deliver limited return, and may even end up ringing hollow? Why not instead invest our time on making the the top-level document deliver a concise, clear concept of where we want to go? Then go there. Management's actions, and commitment, will go much farther than any banner. Leave the sloganeering to the marketing types.

Just my opinion.

 

[morgand - 2006]

You got people excited about a contest, which is not the same as getting them excited about ISO.

We got people to feel like they were part of ISO and part of the org. Gave them a bit of a voice and a feeling as though they could affect the system. Staff particicipation and feeling of parnership turned a cornerstone.

This was one of the first things I did when I took over the job. The contest was announced at the end of my first training round. Previously, ISO was one little person's palace to stand on. Every one was told what to say and do. So, most auditors didn't see a problem. The system belonged to this one person and no one else "actively" participated in it, bought into it, or even thought about it much. According to surverys of the staff, this outlook changed after the contest and continued to change in the 2 years following. Sometimes you need something like this.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Focusing on the wrong aspects

I am with Jim 200%. Creating slogans, developing "ISO Manuals", "ISO procedures" , focusing on registration, etc. is the beaten path that obfuscates the goal which is an effective and efficient QMS.
This leads to the prevalent mistake that registration is the end goal. And that is why so many companies have to re-energize their "ISO program" a year after attaining certification.

I still dream of the organization that attains ISO 9001 compliance without ever mentioning the word ISO to their workforce.

 

[ddunn]

Ahh, and there's the rub. Slogans do not explain, and are, IMHO, a non-value added exercise.

How about a little longer "slogan" that does explain things. Newsflash:

Its called the quality policy.

Why bother with all of this effort on a slogan that will deliver limited return, and may even end up ringing hollow? Why not instead invest our time on making the the top-level document deliver a concise, clear concept of where we want to go? Then go there. Management's actions, and commitment, will go much farther than any banner. Leave the sloganeering to the marketing types.

Just my opinion.

I like you opinion. To take it one step farther, why not get the employees involved in recommendations for the Quality Policy rather than a slogan.

 

[Jim Wynne]

We got people to feel like they were part of ISO and part of the org. Gave them a bit of a voice and a feeling as though they could affect the system. Staff particicipation and feeling of parnership turned a cornerstone.

This was one of the first things I did when I took over the job. The contest was announced at the end of my first training round. Previously, ISO was one little person's palace to stand on. Every one was told what to say and do. So, most auditors didn't see a problem. The system belonged to this one person and no one else "actively" participated in it, bought into it, or even thought about it much. According to surverys of the staff, this outlook changed after the contest and continued to change in the 2 years following. Sometimes you need something like this.

This is another case of confusing the container (a slogan, in this case) for the thing contained (employee "buy-in"). Of course it's a good thing to make people aware of the process and the goal, but too often an empty shell with a handsome facade is used as a surrogate for actual substance. The fact that you have to use a carrot-and-stick approach in order to get peoples' attention is compelling evidence that there's a basic misunderstanding at work.

If whatever you've done has been successful for you, at least to this point, good for you. But what happens when/if you're gone? If the motivation is based on happy slogans and cheerleading, what happens when the head cheerleader isn't there anymore? Slogans beget more slogans, and contests (carrots on sticks) must be renewed when interest wanes. If there were real substance, and workers could see actual personal benefits, slogans and contests wouldn't be necessary.

 

[ehari]

Here are a few. They're old and 'translated' from a different program, so a couple are not 'accurate'. I have a bunch of them somewhere. I'll have to look for them.

Thanks Marc ! Waiting for more..

 

[C Emmons]

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