Shortly after World War II, an American engineer named William Edwards Deming was recruited by the Allied military command to assist the Japanese in rebuilding their country.

What Deming taught the Japanese was what we refer to today as “Total Quality.” A few years ago, it was referred to as “the Japanese management method.” It should have been called “the Deming management method.” Summarizing Deming’s philosophy, Total Quality is “the act of doing the right thing, for the right reason, the first time.”

Three Big Ideas

Total Quality is a big, robust strategy that has something to offer every person in the organization. There are three especially big new ideas emerging from the Total Quality concept that deserve special attention because they apply to us all.

1) Continuous Improvement

The first of these big ideas deal with the proposition that continuous improvement of quality creates a powerful new force for breaking through traditional performance barriers.

Ask a manufacturing supervisor how many widgets can be produced in a shift, and he will give a number that is considered the “impenetrable” upper limit. He learned about this limit from the man that trained him, and they had confirmed time and time again that there were certain levels of achievement that simply could not be surpassed.

Like the “unassailable” four-minute mile, companies that employ the Total Quality concept of continual improvement are achieving breakthrough performance.

2) Focus on Quality

The second big idea has to do with the fundamental assertion that improved quality is not in conflict with other desirable results, but rather supports them. Contrast this with the conventional wisdom that suggests that you must sacrifice something you’ve already got if you want more of something else, like more expense to deliver fewer defects.

Total Quality teaches us that if we focus first on the quality of our activity, then attention to getting things right, and getting them right the first time, will drive the entire system to be more efficient. You get better television commercials with fewer retakes, better package design at lower costs, and better memos with fewer rewrites.

3) Build Partnerships

The third big new idea is that there is a tremendous competitive advantage to be gained through the establishment of new more productive relationships with one another; those inside the company, as well as those outside, the suppliers, and customers.

In the past, we frequently established “arm’s length” relationships with suppliers and customers. In so doing, we denied ourselves all the benefits of partnership.

One Final Thought

In a very real sense, Total Quality is serving as the catalyst by which many teams and task forces are beginning to realize their full potential by building a better understanding of what people and organizations require and are capable of delivering to one another.

Net, Total Quality has found receptive audiences at many companies. Where it has been embraced, Total Quality is helping companies achieve their visions. While this progress is noteworthy, we are unfortunately years behind the Japanese in our awakening. We will have to run to catch up.

Every day you work you have an opportunity to participate actively in the Total Quality concept, even if those around you do not. Here is a simple guide to help you keep Total Quality in your work:

Do the right thing. Like setting priorities – don’t be doing ‘C’ priority work when an ‘A’ job is at hand.

For the right reason. Set your priorities for the right reason – they need to match the corporate vision.

The first time. Set priorities that match corporate goals and execute correctly the first time.

Creating a Total Quality work style will not come easily. You will have to fight every day to train yourself to do the right thing, for the right reason, the first time.

As you work towards your Total Quality goal, keep the Biblical law of sowing and reaping so insightful conveyed by Stephen Covey in mind, “Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap your character.”

Bonus Whitepaper on Total Quality

This week’s post is excerpted from a 6-page whitepaper entitled, “Total Quality. Do the Right Thing, For the Right Reason, the First Time.”

This whitepaper includes a broader discussion of Total Quality, including:

• 14 Keys to achieving Total Quality in any organization,
• 9 Obstacles to establishing Total Quality in any organization.

You can download the whitepaper here: “Total Quality. Do the Right Thing, For the Right Reason, the First Time.”

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you ever been a member of a high-performance team? If so, how did it impact your organization?

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Skills | Discipline