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Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Mr Quality Manager, Are you listening?
Ten years back, the Quality manager seemed to be a person with an agenda and obviously the most wanted person in the board room. ISO and TS standards had got the attention of the management and tools and techniques like the six sigma were getting more and more popular. He was the most sought after person by the reporters as well as young trainees. He dispensed his views on new products and on new plans at the drop of a hat. Now, the dream run , it appears , is over. The tide has probably turned against the Quality Manager now. Suddenly he seems to be a wanderer in the lobbies of the corporate offices and is looking like a person without purpose. For many of us who are practitioners of Quality, a feeling of discomfort and sadness has crept in. Has Quality lost its sheen? Has the "Quality manager" become a position without a future? Will the role remain in another five years or be delisted?
In a company where I consult, The Quality Manager has become a kind of "event manager". Whether it is the launch of the special issue of the house magazine, or the function for recognising a supplier team, he is there, to do what the management wants. He says he is happy though I am sure he has almost forgotten the PDCA cycle. He says that he has accepted this bigger role in the organisation. It is true that he is in the lime light and in photos published in the house journals but where has the "torch bearer of Quality” in him gone?
Some "Quality managers" have become coordinators of consultant driven initiatives. They have put on the caps of procurement managers with a vengeance. They consider the Quality consultants as suppliers and lord over them for organising training sessions, haggle over prices and expenses, negotiate the scope of work and administer the programmes. But they are no more the zealous champions of the Quality movement. Some consultants in fact are secretly happy with this development as the organisations need to lean on them even more now.
The third group has become "in house" revenue generating resources. Now, they do not serve the company but opt for assessments , coaching and training sessions for other group companies or academic institutions and bring in valuable money for the company. They are respected as they bring in some revenue but as far as their contribution to Quality within their organisation is concerned, it has come to a naught.
If this is the situation, is it not relevant to ask today where the profession is going. Coordinating with certification bodies and arranging various special programmes can be done by many others and one does not need to study Deming or Juran for it.
Have the Quality Mangers tried to be jacks of all trades and eroded some of the values of the profession? Do we have some inseparable aspects of our profession which could be inscribed on a rock and followed by us? . I will try and list some. If these reflect what your inner voice is saying , you may adopt them.
The tenets of the new "Quality Manager"
1. Serve the Customer : I will never hide behind the QMS certificates when the customer comes charging. I understand that even ISO system cannot be our shield. I will stand up for the customer and argue for him within the company.
2. Be a diagnostic expert: Enough of compliance audits and my memos on NCRs. I will play our role as an expert in Business Process Management and help other managers in diagnosing the problems. I would rather be a Doctor than be a Policeman.
3. Be among the workers: The important constituency which will serve me is the worker. I will be among them. I will improve their outputs and serve to educate them in statistical skills.
4. Shun event management and decorative functions: I will refuse the assignments of managing events and newsletters. I would not opt to have dinner with every one who visits our company. (because I realise I will end up doing only that till the time company fires me for a kid from the nearby event management school. )
5. Complement consultants' work: I will not treat consultants as suppliers. They have some knowledge and experience and I have the advantage of being inside the company. We will not work at loggerheads and lose the game in front of everyone.
6. Read and Write: I will take up a book for reading today and if I can, write one. I understand that this profession needs some intellectuals badly.
You may add a few like we will network with every one who matters to improve our present status like every other professional does. I hope it is not too late and not too near the day of extinction!!
In a company where I consult, The Quality Manager has become a kind of "event manager". Whether it is the launch of the special issue of the house magazine, or the function for recognising a supplier team, he is there, to do what the management wants. He says he is happy though I am sure he has almost forgotten the PDCA cycle. He says that he has accepted this bigger role in the organisation. It is true that he is in the lime light and in photos published in the house journals but where has the "torch bearer of Quality” in him gone?
Some "Quality managers" have become coordinators of consultant driven initiatives. They have put on the caps of procurement managers with a vengeance. They consider the Quality consultants as suppliers and lord over them for organising training sessions, haggle over prices and expenses, negotiate the scope of work and administer the programmes. But they are no more the zealous champions of the Quality movement. Some consultants in fact are secretly happy with this development as the organisations need to lean on them even more now.
The third group has become "in house" revenue generating resources. Now, they do not serve the company but opt for assessments , coaching and training sessions for other group companies or academic institutions and bring in valuable money for the company. They are respected as they bring in some revenue but as far as their contribution to Quality within their organisation is concerned, it has come to a naught.
If this is the situation, is it not relevant to ask today where the profession is going. Coordinating with certification bodies and arranging various special programmes can be done by many others and one does not need to study Deming or Juran for it.
Have the Quality Mangers tried to be jacks of all trades and eroded some of the values of the profession? Do we have some inseparable aspects of our profession which could be inscribed on a rock and followed by us? . I will try and list some. If these reflect what your inner voice is saying , you may adopt them.
The tenets of the new "Quality Manager"
1. Serve the Customer : I will never hide behind the QMS certificates when the customer comes charging. I understand that even ISO system cannot be our shield. I will stand up for the customer and argue for him within the company.
2. Be a diagnostic expert: Enough of compliance audits and my memos on NCRs. I will play our role as an expert in Business Process Management and help other managers in diagnosing the problems. I would rather be a Doctor than be a Policeman.
3. Be among the workers: The important constituency which will serve me is the worker. I will be among them. I will improve their outputs and serve to educate them in statistical skills.
4. Shun event management and decorative functions: I will refuse the assignments of managing events and newsletters. I would not opt to have dinner with every one who visits our company. (because I realise I will end up doing only that till the time company fires me for a kid from the nearby event management school. )
5. Complement consultants' work: I will not treat consultants as suppliers. They have some knowledge and experience and I have the advantage of being inside the company. We will not work at loggerheads and lose the game in front of everyone.
6. Read and Write: I will take up a book for reading today and if I can, write one. I understand that this profession needs some intellectuals badly.
You may add a few like we will network with every one who matters to improve our present status like every other professional does. I hope it is not too late and not too near the day of extinction!!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
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