Quality management

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Dear Joan:
One of your past articles addressed employee surveys and the misuse of them in quality management [QM]. I think employee surveys [that collect performance feedback on co-workers] may be just the tip of the iceberg regarding problems. Meeting customer needs can't be neatly packaged into a system as many consultants propose. In my company the corporate management committee, who is not highly seasoned, latched on to quality management--which has not been working.

Surveys were widely used and misused. First, employees tried to get even with each other by giving adverse comments about their co-workers, as your example stated in your article. Later, everyone compromised, realizing that the surveys influenced their annual raise and introduced possibilities of retaliation. Management lost control of helping or evaluating employees' progress. Popular vote prevailed. Absolute belief in QM was more important in evaluation than doing a good job.

Management direction was weakened by allowing teams and committees to select problems and make decisions. As in the surveys, many participants were not knowledgeable enough about the subject to arrive at a sound decision. In the team decision process there was no end-result accountability. Tasks took longer to complete and many were not finished.

Valuable time was wasted...in numerous meetings, generalized education programs that took people off their jobs for hours, days and even weeks. Special reports and data were created to record progress. For the most part, this data had little relation to actual results due to lack of validity.

Money was wasted...millions were spent on consultants and equipment, most of which yielded little or no benefit or had to be corrected later. QM is said to involve continuous improvement but in this case it is continuous fixing.

The neatly packaged QM has left the firm in a leadership vacuum after management had been out of the mainstream for years. The only strong aspect of QM is the PR hype and slogans that help escape reality. For example, "Experience stifles creativity"..."It just takes time"..."More mistakes means more learning and progress"

Success stories about QM are highly publicized but some firms have problems that don't come to light. Your advice and comments on applying QM would be appreciated.

Answer:
Unfortunately, "Quality Management" or "Total Quality Management" is often approached as a packaged program. Because this is so new some companies think they can apply a quick fix to employees...a few slogans, a survey, employee training on teams and they'll automatically have "quality." They miss the point. "Total Quality Management" starts with management not the employee. That's why its not called "Total Quality Employee."

It's like trying to cure a serious terminal illness with band-aids and ointment. It won't do much good unless you can work on the inner problem. Work on the inner organization starts with the way management treats people. For instance, a peer evaluation form that is used in a culture where trust is low will only create the kind of behavior you describe. If trust is high and employees are ready to ask for feedback because they want to improve their service, you get an entirely different reaction. In fact, they initiate a survey on their own.

Another example is the way teams are used. Many organizations are now on the "team" bandwagon. As you so clearly point out, employee teams without adequate direction, information and accountability will grind to a frustrating halt. Management's job is to make sure teams have what they need to be successful. And management needs to start working as a team at the top before they can expect it at the bottom. Too often, employees are expected to perform like team players, yet the organizational structure, reward system and work flow, by their very design, discourage team behavior. Until the inner system is modified, you'll likely see employees revert to old behaviors.

Measurement is another area that is handled as a symptom instead of going for the cure. Garbage in means garbage out. If the company bases its measurements on invalid data, the whole system is a sham. Employees know if the numbers are accurate--just ask them.

I don't want to be misunderstood. Surveys, training and teams are a key part of continuous improvement. But they are only a means to the end...they are not the end. Real TQM means doing the hard work on the culture; the leadership, the communications, the systems, the procedures and all the deeply imbedded parts of the organization that determine its health. If top management is willing to go for the cure-which means starting with itself- the organization will emerge with new vitality.

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