This is a press release (March 15, 2004) from ASQ.
I'm interested in comments from both ASQ members and non-members.
I've put this in the Coffee Break arena to allow more "emotion" regarding the topic than we normally exhibit in our "educational" threads.
I would expect comments regarding the basic topic (excutive perception of Quality) and the role ASQ plays, including the advisability of hiring a market research firm from Milwaukee to perform this study. Is there any relationship between ASQ elected officials or staff and this company? How was it chosen? etc. etc. (The "full report" mentioned is a series of PowerPoint slides - my pet peeve!)
I'm interested in comments from both ASQ members and non-members.
I've put this in the Coffee Break arena to allow more "emotion" regarding the topic than we normally exhibit in our "educational" threads.
I would expect comments regarding the basic topic (excutive perception of Quality) and the role ASQ plays, including the advisability of hiring a market research firm from Milwaukee to perform this study. Is there any relationship between ASQ elected officials or staff and this company? How was it chosen? etc. etc. (The "full report" mentioned is a series of PowerPoint slides - my pet peeve!)
EXECUTIVES BELIEVE QUALITY CONTRIBUTES TO BOTTOM LINE, BUT DEFINITIONS OF QUALITY VARY
MILWAUKEE – A survey sponsored by The American Society for Quality (ASQ) and conducted by Market Probe reveals that a vast majority of American executives believe quality contributes to the bottom line of their businesses/organizations, but the way they define quality varies.
More than 600 American executives from four industry segments—manufacturing, services (including government), healthcare, and education—provided their perspectives on the value that quality brings to their businesses/organizations. Ninety-nine percent of respondents said they believed quality contributes to the bottom line, and 92% believe that an organization-wide, coordinated effort to use quality techniques provides a positive return.
Defining quality did not elicit such uniform agreement. Sixty-four percent of respondents believe that quality is a management tool, while the remaining 36% view quality as being built into a product and service, but not necessarily a management tool. When asked to define quality, a majority of respondents equated quality to “customer satisfaction.”
“It's encouraging to know that most executives, no matter what industry, believe in the practice of quality and the value that it can bring to their businesses, not just in terms of economic return, but also in the form of customer satisfaction,” said Ken Case, ASQ president. “However, it is a bit disconcerting that many executives do not view quality as a business management tool when many of the continuous improvement efforts practiced in business today grew out of the quality discipline and the work of quality professionals.”
The survey also shows that there is a gap between executives' awareness of quality improvement processes and implementation. When asked about their awareness and usage of benchmarking, total quality management, quality circles, ISO 9000, Six Sigma, and Baldrige, respondents from all four industry segments reported high awareness and usage of total quality management and benchmarking. And, given quality's roots in the manufacturing industry, it came as no surprise that manufacturing executives report greater awareness of ISO 9000, quality circles, Six Sigma, and Baldrige than leaders in the services healthcare, and education sectors. Actual use of the six techniques across all industries as indicated by survey respondents, however, was considerably lower than reported awareness.
“The sizeable gap between usage and awareness leads me to believe that businesses and organizations either do not use quality methodologies to improve their operations or they just don't realize that the processes they have in place are attributable directly to the quality discipline,” said Case.
A full report of the findings, including industry-specific breakdown of responses and demographics, can be found on ASQ's Web site at www.asq.org/survey/.
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) is the world's leading authority on quality. The 104,000-member professional association advances learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools, and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners, and everyday consumers. Headquartered in Milwaukee , the 58-year-old organization also administers the U.S. Commerce Department's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator.
Press Contact:
Chris Lochemes
[email protected]
800-248-1946
March 15, 2004
MILWAUKEE – A survey sponsored by The American Society for Quality (ASQ) and conducted by Market Probe reveals that a vast majority of American executives believe quality contributes to the bottom line of their businesses/organizations, but the way they define quality varies.
More than 600 American executives from four industry segments—manufacturing, services (including government), healthcare, and education—provided their perspectives on the value that quality brings to their businesses/organizations. Ninety-nine percent of respondents said they believed quality contributes to the bottom line, and 92% believe that an organization-wide, coordinated effort to use quality techniques provides a positive return.
Defining quality did not elicit such uniform agreement. Sixty-four percent of respondents believe that quality is a management tool, while the remaining 36% view quality as being built into a product and service, but not necessarily a management tool. When asked to define quality, a majority of respondents equated quality to “customer satisfaction.”
“It's encouraging to know that most executives, no matter what industry, believe in the practice of quality and the value that it can bring to their businesses, not just in terms of economic return, but also in the form of customer satisfaction,” said Ken Case, ASQ president. “However, it is a bit disconcerting that many executives do not view quality as a business management tool when many of the continuous improvement efforts practiced in business today grew out of the quality discipline and the work of quality professionals.”
The survey also shows that there is a gap between executives' awareness of quality improvement processes and implementation. When asked about their awareness and usage of benchmarking, total quality management, quality circles, ISO 9000, Six Sigma, and Baldrige, respondents from all four industry segments reported high awareness and usage of total quality management and benchmarking. And, given quality's roots in the manufacturing industry, it came as no surprise that manufacturing executives report greater awareness of ISO 9000, quality circles, Six Sigma, and Baldrige than leaders in the services healthcare, and education sectors. Actual use of the six techniques across all industries as indicated by survey respondents, however, was considerably lower than reported awareness.
“The sizeable gap between usage and awareness leads me to believe that businesses and organizations either do not use quality methodologies to improve their operations or they just don't realize that the processes they have in place are attributable directly to the quality discipline,” said Case.
A full report of the findings, including industry-specific breakdown of responses and demographics, can be found on ASQ's Web site at www.asq.org/survey/.
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) is the world's leading authority on quality. The 104,000-member professional association advances learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools, and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners, and everyday consumers. Headquartered in Milwaukee , the 58-year-old organization also administers the U.S. Commerce Department's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator.
Press Contact:
Chris Lochemes
[email protected]
800-248-1946
March 15, 2004
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