Quality, Wherefore Art Thou?
by Peter Block
 The
interest in quality improvement is quiet compared
to a few years ago. We are living the myth that the
quality movement has become so ingrained in our way of doing business
that we no longer need to give it a special name.
There are smaller numbers of quality professionals
working for organizations, there is reduced attendance at quality
conferences, and the office walls where quality measures used to be
displayed, are now empty. I am told that what has changed is that every
manager now takes quality improvement as an integral part of their job.
I am not so sure.
It seems
that there has been a shift in values from quality improvement to
transaction time and economics. The quality movement was born of our
concern for competitiveness and brought widespread focus to customers,
the elimination of errors and the involvement of employees. There was a
spirit and hope in these efforts that has faded. Now we seem to care
more about cost cutting and speed than we do about customers and people.
In the Name of Speed, Relationships and Service Have Become Electronic.
The majority of conversations have a machine at one end. Telephone tag
is now the norm. A friend of mine, Dick Axelrod, left me a message that
symbolizes modern conversation. His message was "Hi, this is Dick.
You're it!"
When you do
answer the phone, people are often disappointed. When we call for
customer service, we get a taped recording, which then transfers us to
another recording. You have to ask for an exception to reach a human
voice.
There are smaller numbers of quality professionals working for
organizations, there is reduced attendance at quality conferences, and
the office walls where quality measures used to be displayed, are now
empty. I am told that what has changed is that every manager now takes
quality improvement as an integral part of their job. I am not so sure.
|
