Auditing ISO 9001:2000 for Attitude?

Hershal

Metrologist-Auditor
Staff member
Super Moderator
#21
One thought.....

"Attitude" is highly subjective, at best.....

In the early to mid 1970s, the USAF included in their annual performance review a catagory for "Attitude".....

I actually received an Article 15 for having a "bad attitude".....

What did I discover? Auditing for attitude is nebulus.....and can very easily be misleading.....if the "attitude" is truly that bad, chances are there is some CONCRETE indicator that can be looked at and documented.....don't waste time on nebulus things.

Just my thoughts.....

Hershal
 
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Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#22
One thought.....

"Attitude" is highly subjective, at best.....

In the early to mid 1970s, the USAF included in their annual performance review a catagory for "Attitude".....

I actually received an Article 15 for having a "bad attitude".....

What did I discover? Auditing for attitude is nebulus.....and can very easily be misleading.....if the "attitude" is truly that bad, chances are there is some CONCRETE indicator that can be looked at and documented.....don't waste time on nebulus things.

Just my thoughts.....

Hershal
Sounds to me like you have a poor attitude. :biglaugh:
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#23
Thanks for all responses.

Top Management had outside consultants administer an anonymous survey which touched on some morale issues and the results were grouped into categories (sorry, don't have them available right now) and I was thinking I could present general audit findings to Top Management (possibly during management review?) in terms of those categories generated from the surveys.
If the fact finding is to be tied to this group's survey, then I would try to find and quantify actionable contributors to the survey's findings by subject.

In doing so it's possible to quantify and weigh those counts by shifts or management groups, but I urge caution because a culture that allowed such disease to fester might well be prone to shooting the messenger bringing truthful sources of the disease, such as particular managers or pet policies by one influential person or another.
 

Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#24
FWIW:
Over my career, I have noted organizations with generally good morale and those with terrible morale.

In my unscientific recollection, the organizations with the best morale were those where top management practiced "management by walking around" and who were "approachable" by any employee during those walkarounds.

The employees felt they could make a comment or suggestion and it would receive serious consideration to the point the boss would get back to the individual (personally, by memo, or passed along by middle managers) regarding the action or inaction on the suggestion. It wasn't necessary for there to be a bonus or reward involved, just the idea of two-way communication.

My understanding is that when they were alive, both James Cash Penney (Penney's) and Sam Walton (Walmart) often walked their stores, talking to the workers ("associates") and morale was very high. I'm not sure if it added to the aura, but both men wore clothes off the rack from their own stores. Today, despite "spin ads" to the contrary, both store chains are experiencing morale problems, exacerbated by skeleton staffing, lack of benefits, limited promotion routes, distant management (I've heard some of the Walton heirs haven't been inside a Walmart for years.)

When morale is really bad, there is an atmosphere of FEAR and employees are very guarded in how they talk to outsiders or "company men," making it very difficult to conduct an honest survey. I'd be very interested in learning questioning techniques for auditors that would sidestep the aversion for sticking one's head in the lion's jaws. (It's not really paranoia if the bosses really are looking to squelch dissent.)

Obviously, if there is good morale, the data collection is easy.
 
Last edited:

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#25
When morale is really bad, there is an atmosphere of FEAR and employees are very guarded in how they talk to outsiders or "company men," making it very difficult to conduct an honest survey. I'd be very interested in learning questioning techniques for auditors that would sidestep the aversion for sticking one's head in the lion's jaws. (It's not really paranoia if the bosses really are looking to squelch dissent.)

Obviously, if there is good morale, the data collection is easy.
Quite right. On the flip side of the coin, those who will talk may inflate or skew the information.

So it's hard to turn around an organization motivated by fear, or even apathy. A good auditor can probably still pick up on things, but generally if people shake the idea the auditor is a lap dog.
 
L

little__cee

#26
I realize that I mentioned our survey categories but never posted them. To provide closure, I'll do that now.

Our employee survey answers were placed into the following seven categories (no particular order):

Overall attitude & morale
Supervisory effectiveness
Extension of Mgt. & Co. philosophy into organization
Confidence in leadership/owners
Mgt's tendencies to listen, respond, & communicate
Enforcement/application of policy/favortism
Teamwork & trust issues


Looking at this list, I'd guess that most places have complaints that would fall into these broad categories. My temporary decision is to continue doing audits as is, not necessarily probing for morale related input but IF I receive anything unsolicited that falls into these categories, I'll note it. Right now if it is not directly related to the process I'm auditing then I don't include it in the report.

Thanks for all of your thoughts on this subject.
 
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