Quality Culture and Feelings

Paul Borawski ASQ CEO touches upon the concepts of Quality Culture and its relation to Feeling in this months A View from the Q.

 For a long time know I've heard many organizations discuss transitions to a Safety Culture, a Quality Culture and Customer-centric Culture, etc.  Every discussion seems to be the same.  We want to change the way we act, perform, think to _______ (fill in the blank).  In my opinion, these cultural changes are only required because we've developed inherent weakness in the way we conduct business.  A company, any company is in business for one purpose - to make money for it's stakeholders / shareholder.  To do this we must provide a service or product that meets our customer's needs and expectations.  To do this we must produce that product or develop and deliver that service.  I be successful, the level of quality must satisfy the customer.  We must also operate in a safe manner to protect our personnel.

So by definition and extention, to be in business we must deliver quality products or service and do what we do safely.  So why do we need to 'develop a _____ (again, fill in the blank) culture when that should be inherent in what we do.  Okay, to answer my own question, we need a culture transition because we've strayed from the original path and we must right ourselves.

So why does the transition to the right path have to be painful (make us feel uncomfortable).  I believe it is because we reach a level of comfort that does not allow for achieving the overall goal...making money by satisfying our customers.

That said, let me now address one of Paul's questions:

              "If you’re working on a culture of quality, or sustaining one, what do you look for in the people you

               hire into the organization?"

When I am hiring into my team I look for people that meet the job criteria, with personalities that fit the personality (culture) of the organization, that I believe will stick around for an extended period of time and for people with whom I can work comfortably and succesfully.  This applies regardless of the perceived culture of the organization.  I most instances I am also considering succession planning when hiring.  Is this person capable of moving up through the organization and, if hired into the right position, eventually becoming my replacement.  I guess all of this means, does the person fit the culture of the organization now.

Business Speak

When blogging as a member of the ASQ Influential Voices team I begin by saying ASQ CEO Paul Borawski in his blog A View from the Q asked the question...so staying true to form...Paul asks: Do you speak the “language of business”? How important is it, in your experience?

Let's start with the language of business...
I've been hearing this discussion about the language of business since I started as a quality professional back in the days of enlightenment...the 1980's.  I'm sure the discussion was not new then.  So why are we still trying to encourage our quality professionals to speak this languauge...shouldn't this be motherhood and apple pie by now?  The reason we need to keep selling the business speak is that our Engineering schools are still failing us.  As an Engineering student I was required to take a course called Engineering Economics.  It was a senior year requirement and basically taught about break-even points.  No other required course in my Engineering program discussed Business, Money, Costs, Expenses, Income, Revenue, or any other language of business.  I did take Accounting as an elective so I was a bit ahead of the curve.  Still neither course mentioned touched on Business speak...Failure STEM!

How important is it in my experience?
Try to solicit funding in your organization for simple quality tools like QMS software, new test equipment, SPC software, or even new furniture without a cost justification, an ROI or details of all the expenses associated with training and installation and see how far you get.  Even preparing a simple expense report for business travel requires a simple understanding of business speak.  Again, without basic training in the language of business, we as Quality professionals will fail...yet another failure of STEM, in my opinion.

Sure, Engineering students have among the heaviest course loads in any college or university yet we fail to teach them what they really need to know for success...change the requirements for Engineering programs to include Business 101, Business Law and basic Accounting 101.  Once this is done there will be no need for this discussion of speaking the language of business.

ASQ WCQI Anaheim, CA May 2012

Hello my friends,
I am in Anaheim, CA for ASQ (#ASQ) World Conference on Quality and Improvement (#WCQI12).

Before the conferece begins there are meetings, ceremonies and gatherings for both Member Leaders and Members.

On Sat, May 19 I attended 4 activities for Member Leaders:

• Ideas to Action Gathering (#ITAG)
• Community Leadership Institute (CLI)
• Quality Management Process (QMP) Awards ceremony
• Member Leader (ML) Dinner / Reception

Overall it was a great day of learning, guidance, meeting new MLs, and catching up with friends - the ASQ family.  However, there were a few minor disappointments.

My major take-aways from the day include:

• Speakers on Panel Discussions must listen to the questions being asked and answer those question.  In other words, get off your own agenda and address the concern of the moment.
• ASQ is not broken as one ML may think...he needs a time machine to go back to the first ML Summit (grand-dad to the ITAG) and feel the pains then see the growth and improvement we've had as a result.
• There is a preception of drive to improve ML satisfaction.
• Creating an email to communicate with Members is a lot more complex then the typical section may know.
• QMP is going through a major overhaul.
• Stuff that is motherhood and applepie to me as a long time ML is virtually unknown to many both new and long time MLs due to limited communications.
• Perception of MLs is ASQ still sends too many emails.
• The ability to opt-out of different types of emails is improving through personal preference updates.

I was a bit disappointed by the participation in QMP awards this year.  The number of TQ Sections was down, especially in Region 3 (my region) and attendance at the ceremony was also down.  Maybe the aforementioned change is needed!

Stay tuned...more to come!

Does Happiness = Job Satisfaction

When blogging as a member of the ASQ Influential Voices team I begin by saying ASQ CEO Paul Borawski in his blog A View from the Q asked the question...so why should this month be any different...this month Paul talks about Happiness and Job Satisfaction.

 

I will start with a few definitions from Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary

     hap·pi·ness noun \ˈha-pē-nəs\
1: British : that is for hire for a given service or period British

          1 obsolete : good fortune : prosperity

          2 a : a state of well-being and contentment : joy
             b : a pleasurable or satisfying experience

    work noun \wərk\

          activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something:

          a : sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result

          b : the labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood 

          c : a specific task, duty, function, or assignment often being a part or phase of some larger activity

    job adj

         
         2: used in, engaged in, or done as job work individual is with his or her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Logic would dictate that the most satisfied (“happy”) workers should be the best performers and vice versa.

         3: of or relating to a job or to employment

    sat·is·fac·tion noun \ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-shən\
         a : fulfillment of a need or want
         b : the quality or state of being satisfied : contentment
         c : a source or means of enjoyment : gratification

 

I digress - Webster does not have a definition for Job Satisfaction but they do have a definition for another type of 'Job'...something you might do to create a glass bottle.

From Wikipedia - Job satisfaction describes how content an


Now the question is, what do I think?!?!
Let me begin by stating something that I have always said about my career as a Quality Professional, "I love what I do but I don't always like where I am doing it".  Does this make me a happy worker.  Not always.  Happiness and Job Satisfaction and closely linked and have multiple variables such as:

• Is the work itself satisfying?
• Do I enjoy the environment in which I am performing my work?
• Do I enjoy the company of the people I am working with?
• What is the culture of the organization and do I fit into that culture?
• It the organization progressive?
• Am I making a difference in the organization?

And there are some soft variables that have effected my satisfaction including:

• the commute (is it too long?)
• the external environment to the facility (can I find a decent place or places for lunch or do I have to bring it with me?)
• the benefits (enough vacation time, flexible schedules, is it financially satisfying?)
• is there room for personal and professional growth

Currently, I am happy with my job. 

• The job itself presents many challenges. 
• I enjoy the team with which I am working.
• I feel I am adding value while improving my own skills.
• There are many frustrations that I face daily, however, these frustrations are the ingredients for making the job a challenge and providing me with satisfaction.

If it were easy they'd get someone else to do it!