Make it easy to do the right thing
Startups have it made. With a single match, they can ignite engineers’ creativity and fuel collaboration and quality naturally within their emerging cultures. Light the same match in a long-standing company, and many people flee and protest, clinging to the way things have always been.
In chapter one of “Quality Management for Dummies” by Anthony Murphy, VP and head of product management at Plex, Rockwell Automation’s smart manufacturing platform, the opening line states, “It seems silly to say that a quality management program starts with developing quality as a mindset, but it’s absolutely true.” Quality is imperative to any organization that aims to persevere and grow. Murphy urges teams to value it and leverage digital tools to develop “a living system designed to proactively support, manage, and control all aspects of an organization’s operations that impact product quality.”
But documenting controls and telling employees how to think through emails and mandatory training isn’t enough. Quality takes action, and it starts with leadership.
“Quality is all about people, and it’s all about leadership setting the tone, standard, and culture. Leadership’s job is to foster a culture of quality, think about it holistically, and define and measure it,” Murphy said during an interview. “But defining quality is not only product quality. It’s also how you engage with your people and your team, how you communicate, how you think about the community in which you operate, and being a good steward there.”
Though I went into that interview seeking insight into digital tools for modern quality management systems, I left with an understanding that developing a culture of quality is almost synonymous with workforce development strategies.
“People and culture are the hardest parts to solve for. They’re the most variable,” said Murphy. “If you don’t have a strong culture and direction from the top, and if it isn’t a fundamental priority, then it’s not going to be successful.”
Murphy’s advice is to make it easy to do the right thing by blending people, processes, and technology to maximize value from each. The job of leadership is to align workers’ goals with the company’s goals so that everyone benefits. Tough decision-making is part of the gig, and frequent communication creates trust and transparency. Overall, leadership needs to reinforce quality as a priority not just because it sounds good but because the company is actually doing something about it.
Rachael Pasini
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Filed Under: DIGITAL ISSUES • DESIGN WORLD