What's in it for me - Training session about for "all the rank and file"

T

TownDawg

#1
All right, here's the deal. I need to create a training session for "all the rank and file", and my manager has asked that I create a non-technical presentation on the subject, "Quality? What's In It For Me?"

Her thoughts were that I need to bring it down to earth, and show some real life examples as to why they should care. (Not that they don't -- actually it's a really really good company -- but this is the subject she'd like for me to present.)

Does anyone have a good link or something they have done in the past that might be helpful?
 
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Coury Ferguson

Moderator here to help
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#2
Re: What's in it for me.

All right, here's the deal. I need to create a training session for "all the rank and file", and my manager has asked that I create a non-technical presentation on the subject, "Quality? What's In It For Me?"

Her thoughts were that I need to bring it down to earth, and show some real life examples as to why they should care. (Not that they don't -- actually it's a really really good company -- but this is the subject she's like for me to present.)

Does anyone have a good link or something they have done in the past that might be helpful?
What is the objective of the training? What are the topics? What specifically needs to get across to the employee(s)?
 
L

lego55

#3
Re: What's in it for me.

TownDawg,

What I've done in the past is:

1) Present them with the "benefits" of ISO, AS9100, etc. (see list below)


Benefits of ISO, IF fully implemented, completetly accepted, and consistently followed:
  • It improves service and satisfaction for our customers (can help keep our jobs)
  • It reduces customer turnover (less time taken from mgrs and employees to train newbies)
  • It validates what you do (documented process helps boss realize what and how much you do)
  • It reduces costs (can increase salaries or bonuses)
  • It promotes employee development (can improve skills so you can move around within company)
  • It holds people accountable (can finally deal with that coworker who keeps messing up)
  • It identifies areas for improvement (can get some of those areas fixed that you've been noticing)
  • It clarifies our processes (can help others know what to do)
  • It fosters open communication (prevents departmental silos)
  • It catches problems before they arise (less time putting out fires)
  • It improves morale (everyone can use this)
  • It keeps us competitive in our business (can help us make more $, and, in turn, can help you make more $)
2) Inform them of other ISO standards that they can relate to, may not be aware of, and get benefits from every day: sport equipment; wine tasting glasses; automobiles; writing paper; ergonomics; car seat safety; and more.

Good challenge; tough sell sometimes.

:2cents:
 
T

TownDawg

#4
Re: What's in it for me.

That may work lego55.. we are not automotive.. so all of the ISO/AS9100 benefits don't have the same framework.. but yes.. that might work..

My original powerpoint started with "True or False: Quality is an important factor for the survival of any business."

.. and then I started talking about several of the quality definitions used over the years -- "Quality directly supports other factors; e.g., cost, on-time delivery, and overall market share, but just what is “Quality?” The word “quality” has taken on a variety of different definitions over the years:"

but it wasn't what she was looking for.. -- "find examples that they can identify with.. all this academic stuff is good, but remember your audience.. get it down to their level."

Coury -- My original title was "Quality 101" and the raw content read as follows:

Joseph Juran & Frank Gryna
 "Quality is fitness for use."

Is "Quality" just "Fitness for Use"? A while back I went to Lowe's to get a small toolbox to keep in the kitchen--something to hold a few basic tools like a hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. that would keep me from having to go to the outbuilding every time I needed something. The one I bought is pictured below, and the logo plate being skewed raised some interesting questions:

1. Is the logo being off-center evidence of something that one should be concerned about? Does it mean that there's something deficient in the manufacturer's processes? The toolbox is perfectly functional, and does what I wanted it to do. Juran defined quality as "fitness for use"--is that a good general definition?
2. If you were looking at toolboxes in the store and notices this "defect," would it cause you to buy a different product, all else being equal? If so, why?
3. Assuming that you bought this toolbox would the "defect" have any influence on future purchases?
4. Bonus question: Can you guess where the toolbox was manufactured?

Robert Peach, The ISO 9000 Handbook
 "...the totality of characteristics of an entity that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs."

Peach, Crosby and others define quality as “meeting customer expectations, both stated and unstated.” This definition goes beyond just fitness for use. Using that broader definition, I would say that that toolbox would not meet my "quality", because the reality is that quality is judged by customers, and not by organizations.

This distinction is critical because it forces us to examine quality from the customers’ viewpoint. For example, a bank may view quality as “having friendly and knowledgeable employees.” However, the customers of this bank may be more concerned with waiting time, ATM access and security, as well as statement accuracy. Thus it is important for us to determine what customers expect and then develop products that meet or exceed those expectations.


Armand Feigenbaum
 "Quality is a customer determination based upon a customer's actual experience with a product or service, measured against his or her requirements -stated or unstated, conscious or merely sensed, technically operational or entirely subjective -and always representing a moving target in a competitive market."

Customers usually have two levels of expectations, which could be said to be: 1) desired and 2) acceptable.
1. The desired level of expectations is what the customer really wants. If this level of expectations is provided, the customer would be very satisfied.
2. The acceptable level is viewed as a reasonable level of performance that the customer considers as being adequate.

The difference between these two levels of expectations is called the customer’s zone of tolerance. The problem for a lot of companies is a failure to recognize that quality is a moving target, and an unswerving commitment to innovation is the only way to move with it. To help illustrate this point, I'd like to tell a short story.

It's about some large animals that were playing football against the small animals and insects. Not surprisingly, the score at the end of the first half was 120 to 0. The small animals and insects hadn't made a single tackle.

When the second half started, a bear took the kickoff on the 45-yard line and was stopped with no gain. On the next play, a giraffe tried an end run, but was tackled for a one-yard loss. The giraffe looked down at the bottom of the pile and saw a centipede. He looked at the centipede and said: "Did you tackle me? This is the first time I've been tackled all day."

The hundred-legger replied, "Yep, I tackled you and the bear." The giraffe looked down at the centipede and said: "Where were you in the first half? Your team didn't make a single tackle." The centipede replied, "I was getting my ankles taped."

There are a lot of companies out there in the global marketplace getting their ankles taped, and our playing field is the fiercely competitive world of today's international markets. The barriers that once protected inefficient firms, and sheltered them within national boundaries are falling. This trend is accelerating, and the marketplace and the competition have become global.

American Society for Quality (ASQ)
 "Quality denotes an excellence in goods and services, especially to the degree they conform to requirements and satisfy customers."

I think by now you are starting to realize that quality means a lot of things to different people, but one of the common threads is that quality is defined by our customer -- not by you, your boss, or even the president of the company. In the words of Peter Drucker: "Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for."

If you think about it, a company's primary responsibility is to serve its customers. Serving our customers is how we generate sales, and through word-of-mouth create our future sales, and increase our market-share. Profit is not the primary goal, but rather an essential condition for the company's continued existence. The old mindset when it came to profit was to charge less in order to bring in more sales because people want a discount. That's true, but people want a lot of other things as well, e.g., high quality, and good service.

Drucker believed that employees are assets and not liabilities, and central to this philosophy is the view that people are an organization's most valuable resource and that a manager's job is to prepare and free people to perform. It's up to us to mold customer perception about what kind of manufacturer we are. Keep our customers coming back by treating them right.

There's no question that customer service pays off in higher profits. Our current and future income is dependent on how well we treat our customers, which keeps them loyal to us and our business. Customer satisfaction. Strive to be a quality dealer, not a discount manufacturer.


Peter Senge et al, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
 "Quality is a transformation in the way we think and work together, in what we value and reward, and in the way we measure success. All of us collaborate to design and operate a seamless value-adding system that incorporates quality control, customer service, process improvement, supplier relationships, and good relations with the communities we serve and in which we operate - all optimizing for a common purpose."

Even though there is a quality organization in the company, the responsibility for quality is everyone’s. So, if we don’t sense the urgency of such a strategy, what caused this to happen? Are there those among us who sleep? And if so, how was this allowed to happen? I offer you the "parable of the boiled frog" which has been circulated for some years, but it does a wonderful job of describing the phenomenon. Here it is:

They say that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out right away to escape the danger.

But, if you put a frog in a kettle that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant, and then you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling, the frog will not become aware of the threat until it is too late. The frog's survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes, and will boil to death or can only be saved if only someone pulls him out.

Dave's Definition of Quality
 "Quality is a really, really boring definition that has no real meaning to most humans on this planet unless you are a millionaire consultant writing a new book or a quality coordinator applying for some quality award or certification so you can quit and become a millionaire consultant who writes books and produces infomercials from his private island in the Caribbean."

With that said, quality is not necessarily a tight tolerance, a shiny surface, or a perfect fit. Quite simply, “quality is what the customer wants, needs, and is willing to pay for.”

In the broad sense, the following are steps to achieve quality:
1. Determine the customer’s wants and needs.
2. Communicate those needs effectively to all concerned.
3. Assess our ability to meet those needs.
4. Have an attitude that reflects your desire.
 

Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#5
Re: What's in it for me.

Without writing your presentation for you, I can tell you that when I've touched on the theme of "why should Quality matter to me?" for various groups ranging from Executive suite to janitors to stockholders,
I usually start by asking some questions of the audience:

  • What is the highest quality thing you own?
  • Why do you give it this superb rating?
  • Did you pay for it or was it a gift or inheritance?
  • Would you buy another one if this one were stolen or destroyed in a fire or flood?
(usually everyone will have a different product in mind - in over twenty years of asking, I can count on one hand the number of times I've had more than two people select the same "best quality" thing in any audience session, regardless of number of folks in the audience.)

Depending on the size of the audience, you can take answers verbally and translate them to a board or have them write them down on a 3X5 card you give each participant.

The next phase is:

  • What do you think about the company or person who made this thing you consider the BEST quality thing in your possession?
  • Do you think you might purchase other products or "things" they make?
  • If it's made by a company, how do you think the company treats its employees?
  • Do you think the company made a fair profit selling the thing you consider the highest quality item in your possession?

Next, you ask:

  • Without further input from me, do YOU make anything or provide some service someone else might describe as "the highest quality item [or service received]" in his possession?
  • How do you know?
  • How does that make you feel?
Then, and only then, can you launch into your spiel, referring back to the questions you asked, without putting any individual on the spot. One phraseology I use a lot is:
"It may interest you to know almost every time I ask the question about whether folks think the maker of the high quality item made a fair profit, the overwhelming response is always yes. If your answer wasn't yes, what do you think were the obstacles overcoming the fair profit? How or what would you suggest to help the person or company make a fair profit?"

One of the answers I always look for, of course, in answer to "Why do you give it this superb rating?" is "it exceeded my expectations for the price I paid."

Using a Socratic method, I try to lead the audience to the whole idea customer-centric products and service (a main factor in quality is the customer's perception) will mean

  • the workers will keep their jobs,
  • investors will have profits,
  • bosses will get bonuses and keep their jobs,
  • employees and bosses will have opportunity for advancement because of market growth,
  • all bosses and employees will be rewarded with salary and benefits because a company and its investors want to retain workers who help increase market share and profitability
 
T

TownDawg

#6
Re: What's in it for me.

wow.. you are amazing, wes.. let me let all this post of yours soak in..
 

Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#7
Re: What's in it for me.

The actual presentation is delivered like a conversation with the audience. Even if they don't answer out loud, especially with rhetorical questions, the presenter has to pause after posing the question [to let it sink in], then pause some more [while each audience member thinks of his reply], finally either accepting some answers from the audience or giving his own response to the rhetorical question, phrased something like,
"Well, when we surveyed a thousand people at a company in the Midwest, the most frequent answer to that question was _____________. [pause] The second most frequent answer was ______________. The answer with the lowest number of respondents was ___________________. Regardless of where the answer you were thinking of falls on that spectrum, you should also think about whether you are content with that or you want to change something."

The point is to ENGAGE the audience so each member feels like HE had input during the session, even if the presenter did ALL the talking.
 
J

Joe Cruse

#8
I did our first one with the employees this year, using the same approach I use for the new employee orientation I started a couple of years ago. I try to make the focus about our customers, how they use our products, why they need what they order from us, and why it is so important that the customer receive a good, quality product from us. Our product goes into steel, cast iron, and other metals, and that makes it easy for me to show them how their every day work is contained in nearly everything in their entire lives, and that this should be one of the main reasons they should want to care about the work they do and the customers we serve. We generally also look at the 3 or 4 main things that we've had the most problems with in product quality, as well as some success stories.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#9
Deming warned us to Eliminate Exhortations (Point #10) for good reason.

Since management controls the "What's in it for me" I support having Management start by clarifying their expectations and communicating the expected rewards of getting things done right.

By rewards I mean: are the employees expected to just feel good about their work done well on a craftsmanship level? Or is the benefit of lowing costs by doing stuff well something that everyone shares? Will the reward be profit sharing, power sharing or something else?

What is the reward, and how does it differ from what management thinks it is? If the employees are expected to toil like an ant carrying a giant crumb which management then devours, I wouldn't waste my time putting together a patriotic looking presentation lest I make myself look like a patsy or fool because the people on the line know what's in it for them. Or at least they suspect what's in it for them, ranging from nothing on up. If they are wrong, Management needs to come out and make it clear with actions.

Cynicism aside, I liked Joe Cruse's input. :applause: It actually is a very well articulated point the Dalai Llama made in his book The Art of Happiness at Work.
 
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