D
Don Winton
Hostile Assumptions
Found this the other day and, although it may be old news to some, I found it interesting still.
Quality Hostile Assumptions
Management consultant David Nadler and other writers have noted that as many as seven out of ten organizations in the private sector that have espoused Total Quality Management have failed to incorporate it into their operations. They have, in other words, only given lip service to quality without altering their cultural values, dooming themselves ultimately to failure. Nadler cites the following 'quality-hostile' assumptions he finds in such organizations (adapted by D4 to government settings):
<OL>
[*]We're smarter than our customers, we know what they really need.</LI>
[*]Quality is not a major factor in customer decisions, they usually can't tell the difference.</LI>
[*]Our primary and overriding purpose is to log near term achievements that this administration can point to at election time.</LI>
[*]Our market is our bosses and the Congress, not the American public.</LI>
[*]The primary way to influence agency and department performance is through skillful budgeting and creative accounting.</LI>
[*]It costs more to provide a high quality product or service, and we won't recover the added costs.</LI>
[*]We will never be able to compete with the private sector in anything; we're not good enough.</LI>
[*]Managers are paid to make decisions; workers are paid to do, not to think.</LI>
[*]Strategic success comes from large one-time innovative leaps, rather than from continuous improvement.</LI>
[*]The job of senior management is strategy, not operations or implementation.</LI>
[*]The key skills for senior managers are political know how, knowing how to compete and win, and budget manipulation.</LI>
[*]To err is human, perfection is not an attainable or realistic goal.</LI>
[*]Quality improvement can be delegated, it is something that the top can tell the middle to do to the bottom.</LI>
[*]Never spend time looking at failures; there isn't much to be learned from them, and it's demoralizing.</LI>
[*]If it ain't broke, don't fix it.</LI>[/list=a]
Provided by Tom Glenn, TQM BBS, 301-585-1164
Regards,
Don
Found this the other day and, although it may be old news to some, I found it interesting still.
Quality Hostile Assumptions
Management consultant David Nadler and other writers have noted that as many as seven out of ten organizations in the private sector that have espoused Total Quality Management have failed to incorporate it into their operations. They have, in other words, only given lip service to quality without altering their cultural values, dooming themselves ultimately to failure. Nadler cites the following 'quality-hostile' assumptions he finds in such organizations (adapted by D4 to government settings):
<OL>
[*]We're smarter than our customers, we know what they really need.</LI>
[*]Quality is not a major factor in customer decisions, they usually can't tell the difference.</LI>
[*]Our primary and overriding purpose is to log near term achievements that this administration can point to at election time.</LI>
[*]Our market is our bosses and the Congress, not the American public.</LI>
[*]The primary way to influence agency and department performance is through skillful budgeting and creative accounting.</LI>
[*]It costs more to provide a high quality product or service, and we won't recover the added costs.</LI>
[*]We will never be able to compete with the private sector in anything; we're not good enough.</LI>
[*]Managers are paid to make decisions; workers are paid to do, not to think.</LI>
[*]Strategic success comes from large one-time innovative leaps, rather than from continuous improvement.</LI>
[*]The job of senior management is strategy, not operations or implementation.</LI>
[*]The key skills for senior managers are political know how, knowing how to compete and win, and budget manipulation.</LI>
[*]To err is human, perfection is not an attainable or realistic goal.</LI>
[*]Quality improvement can be delegated, it is something that the top can tell the middle to do to the bottom.</LI>
[*]Never spend time looking at failures; there isn't much to be learned from them, and it's demoralizing.</LI>
[*]If it ain't broke, don't fix it.</LI>[/list=a]
Provided by Tom Glenn, TQM BBS, 301-585-1164
Regards,
Don