Top Management & Improvement Processes

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#11
I suppose the reasons are many including:

  1. The narrow view of quality that is common
  2. The system and audit not seen as tools for helping people do better work
  3. Business schools not enhancing understanding of systems
  4. Metrics not causing actions to eliminate avoidable costs
  5. Quality professionals not communicating in business terms
  6. Leaders delegating responsibility instead of authority for quality
  7. Failure to link products to their processes and to the system
  8. Lack of profound knowledge (per Deming)
  9. Thinking ISO 9001 is about certification
  10. Leaders not understanding the importance of requirements
  11. Leaders not monitoring process conformity or engaging process teams
  12. Quality seen as a cost instead of an investment
  13. Departmental interests over-ruling process requirements
  14. Wanting to appear useful, shyness or fear
Too many Quality Managers act as if they think quality is their responsibility. They try and do it alone. They have earned insufficient authority to advise management on their system and have a fuzzy understanding of QA.

QA is promised and delivered as a result of PDCA* and therefore Quality Managers need to work as System Managers with some of the CEO's authority to engage all colleagues in the leadership and delivery of quality.

*thereby providing confidence that requirements will be met"

:horse:
All of this can be condensed into two words: no leadership. As far as PDCA is concerned, by itself it's nothing. A Plan can be misguided, the Doing can be incompetent, the Checking can be superficial, and the Act is only as good as the first three. Many managers have been led to water and died of thirst while standing in it. You either have leadership or you don't.
 
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John Broomfield

Staff member
Super Moderator
#12
All of this can be condensed into two words: no leadership. As far as PDCA is concerned, by itself it's nothing. A Plan can be misguided, the Doing can be incompetent, the Checking can be superficial, and the Act is only as good as the first three. Many managers have been led to water and died of thirst while standing in it. You either have leadership or you don't.
Surely PDCA is a cycle to eliminate its problems? :)

Agreed, leadership is paramount. But, are the leaders trained in these principles? I would not rely on the instincts of natural leaders. :whip:

How about running periodic Awareness Leaders Workshops so the leaders can learn about the system, how it works, it's benefits, obligations, successes and weaknesses.

They can also decide their message and hold each other accountable for actions that engage employees in the use and improvement of their system.

The new style management review? :yes:
 

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#13
Surely PDCA is a cycle to eliminate its problems? :)

Agreed, leadership is paramount. But, are the leaders trained in these principles? I would not rely on the instincts of natural leaders. :whip:

How about running periodic Awareness Leaders Workshops so the leaders can learn about the system, how it works, it's benefits, obligations, successes and weaknesses.

They can also decide their message and hold each other accountable for actions that engage employees in the use and improvement of their system.

The new style management review? :yes:
Sometimes a very broad assumption is made that because executives seem uninterested it must mean that they are ignorant. While that may be true in some cases, there's such a thing as willful ignorance. There are also knowledgeable executives who just can't bring themselves to sacrifice the joy of whip-cracking.
 

John Broomfield

Staff member
Super Moderator
#14
Sometimes a very broad assumption is made that because executives seem uninterested it must mean that they are ignorant. While that may be true in some cases, there's such a thing as willful ignorance. There are also knowledgeable executives who just can't bring themselves to sacrifice the joy of whip-cracking.
Yes, for many people training is a cover for them contemplating the need to change their ways.

Instead of going straight to 5.1 for no leadership perhaps we should use 6.2.1 to investigate the criteria for recruiting new leaders. What psychometric or other tests are used to make sure the candidates have the necessary aptitude for leadership? :caution:
 
J

JaneB

#15
Agree with Jim about the importance of leadership.

I think the list of symptoms you've given, John, is a very broad and varied one. Some are symptoms of individual problems, others are far more widespread. Others are hard to agree with - for example, I find it impossible to think of a business leader 'not understanding the importance of requirements'. Sounds like an oxymoron.

But I also think that diagnosing root cause as a single 'lack of leadership' is possibly too simplistic. It would be more useful to separate out into factors in an individual organisation (which perhaps could be addressed by better leadership) and those that are part of a domain - for example, "Business schools not enhancing understanding of systems" is more than a 'lack of leadership' I think.
 

John Broomfield

Staff member
Super Moderator
#16
Agree with Jim about the importance of leadership.

I think the list of symptoms you've given, John, is a very broad and varied one. Some are symptoms of individual problems, others are far more widespread. Others are hard to agree with - for example, I find it impossible to think of a business leader 'not understanding the importance of requirements'. Sounds like an oxymoron.

But I also think that diagnosing root cause as a single 'lack of leadership' is possibly too simplistic. It would be more useful to separate out into factors in an individual organisation (which perhaps could be addressed by better leadership) and those that are part of a domain - for example, "Business schools not enhancing understanding of systems" is more than a 'lack of leadership' I think.
Here we are discussing the lack of leaders' commitment to requirements. You contend that all business leaders understand the importance of requirements.

What is the missing link between leaders understanding the importance of requirements and them showing their commitment to requirements?
 

John Broomfield

Staff member
Super Moderator
#17
Agree with Jim about the importance of leadership.

I think the list of symptoms you've given, John, is a very broad and varied one. Some are symptoms of individual problems, others are far more widespread. Others are hard to agree with - for example, I find it impossible to think of a business leader 'not understanding the importance of requirements'. Sounds like an oxymoron.

But I also think that diagnosing root cause as a single 'lack of leadership' is possibly too simplistic. It would be more useful to separate out into factors in an individual organisation (which perhaps could be addressed by better leadership) and those that are part of a domain - for example, "Business schools not enhancing understanding of systems" is more than a 'lack of leadership' I think.
Here we are discussing the lack of leaders' commitment to requirements. You seem to contend here that all business leaders understand the importance of requirements.

What is the missing link between leaders understanding the importance of requirements and them showing their commitment to requirements?
 
P

Polly Pure Bread

#19
...and how do you ensure they do?
Top management should build a relationship with their employees.
Top management doesn’t want to intimidate employees so employees will follow them.
Top management doesn’t want to control employees into compliance.
Top management doesn’t want to terrify you into compliance.
Instead, top management spends time with employees.
Top management will win employees trust.
Top management will expose management’s heart to employees.
Management will pour their life into employees.
In other words, they’ll love the employees.

That’s the way to drive a management system.
 

John Broomfield

Staff member
Super Moderator
#20
No, that is not what I said.
Jane,

Somehow you misquoted me. This is what I posted (also see above):

"You seem to contend here that all business leaders understand the importance of requirements."

If this is not what you mean please clarify what you mean by your post: "I find it impossible to think of a business leader 'not understanding the importance of requirements'."

Thanks,

John
 
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