Quality Culture Dr. Syed M. Ahmed, Ph.D. Course Instructor: College of Engineering & Computing Florida International University, Miami, Florida

Major Topics Understanding What a Quality Culture Is Quality Culture vs. Traditional Cultures Activating Cultural Change Changing Leaders to activate Cultural Change Laying the Groundwork for a Quality Culture Learning What a Quality Culture looks like Countering Resistance to Culture Change Establishing a Quality Culture Maintaining a Quality Culture

Understanding What a Quality Culture Is To understand a Quality Culture, one must first understand a Organizational Culture. An organizational culture has the following elements: Business Improvement Organizational Values Cultural Role Models Organizational Rites, Rituals and Customs Cultural Transmitters A quality culture is: An organizational value system that results in an environment that is conducive to the establishment and continual improvement of Quality.

Quality Culture vs. Traditional Cultures Organizations that develop and maintain a quality culture will differ significantly from those with a traditional culture in the following areas: Operating Philosophy Objectives Management Approach Attitude towards Customers Problem-Solving Approach Supplier Relationship Performance-Improvement Approach

Activating Cultural Change To attempt the implementation of total quality without creating a quality culture is to invite failure. Several primary reasons cultural change must either precede or at least parallel the implementation of total quality are: Change can not occur in a hostile environment Total Quality approach might be radically different from what the management is accustomed to. Moving to Total Quality takes time In a conversion to Total Quality, positive results are rarely achieved in the short run. It can be difficult to overcome the past Employees might remember earlier fads and gimmicks and characterize total quality as being just the latest one.

Changing Leaders to Activate Cultural Change Cultural change is one of the most difficult challenges an organization will ever face. Leadership from the top is essential. Sometimes, an organization’s culture simply cannot be changed without a change in leadership. Senior Executives who fail to comprehend the need to change, who fail to create a sense of urgency when needed and who fail to follow through the changes they initiated are poor candidates to lead an organization through a major culture change. Culture change requires support, ideas, and leadership from employees at all levels.

Laying the Groundwork for a Quality Culture Establishing a Quality Culture is lot like constructing a building. According to Peter Scholtes, Management should begin by developing an understanding of “laws” of organizational change. They are: Understand the History behind the Current Culture Don’t Tamper with Systems – Improve Them Be prepared to Listen and Observe Involve Everyone Affected by Change in Making It

Learning What a Quality Culture looks like Part of laying the groundwork for a quality culture is understanding what one looks like. Any Executive team that hope to change the culture of its organization should: Know the laws of organizational change Understand the characteristics of organizations that have strong quality cultures.

Countering Resistance to Culture Change - 1 Change is Resisted in any Organization. Continuous Improvement means Continuous Change. Why Change is Difficult? Juran describes organizational change as “Clash between Cultures” Fig 1. Two separate organizational Cultures relating to change

Countering Resistance to Culture Change - 2 There are different perceptions to the same proposed change in an organization. Fig 2. Different Perceptions of Same change

Countering Resistance to Culture Change - 3 How to Facilitate Change? The responsibility to facilitate change necessarily falls to its advocates. Begin with a new advocacy Paradigm The first step is to adopt a facilitating paradigm. Understand Concerns of Potential Resisters Understand the concerns of resisters like fear, loss of control, uncertainty and more work. Implement Change Promoting Strategies Involve Potential Resisters, Avoid Surprises, Move slowly at first, Start Small and be flexible, create a positive environment, Incorporate the change, Respond Quickly and Positively, Work with Established leaders, Treat people with dignity & Respect, Be Constructive. Fig 3. Steps in Facilitating Change

Establishing a Quality Culture - 1 Establishing a quality culture involves specific planning and activities for business or department. Phases of Emotional Transition: Fig 4. Emotional Transition

Establishing a Quality Culture - 2 Steps in Conversion to Quality: Identify the Changes needed Put the Planned Changes in Writing Develop a Plan for Making the Changes Understand the Emotional Transition Process Identify Key People and Make Them Advocates Take a Hearts and Minds Approach Apply Courtship Strategies

Maintaining a Quality Culture Establishing Quality Culture is a challenging undertaking for any organization. It is even more challenging to maintain it over time. In order to maintain Quality Culture, organizations must foster the following behaviors: Maintain an awareness of Quality as a key cultural issue. Make sure that there is plenty of evidence of Management’s leadership. Empower Employees and encourage self-development and self-initiative. Recognize and reward the behaviors that tend to nurture and maintain Quality Culture.

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