Motivation for Quality (Q)

Posted by Heather on January 11, 2012
Managing for the Long Term  

“I chose to believe that I was a person, that I had the potential to become more than a collection of circuits and subprocessors.” – Data, 2369

Machines are designed, constructed and driven whereas people act in accordance with their qualifications, experience and motivation. It takes commitment, perseverance and a strong desire to achieve excellence. As an inspector (quality control staff and self-inspectors), your ability not only to detect defects and failures but to help others in your supply chain prevent reoccurrence requires positive personality traits and reinforcing motivation.
It is everyone’s responsibility to be a visible example for cooperation and meeting performance standards. Commitment and harmony within and between departments, teams, and cells wields an immense impact for quality improvement.
The need for a good recruitment and training program is a cry often heard but unanswered. Many companies fall short of the investment in human resource training relying solely on verbal, on-the-job guidance.
If you ever took the theories of motivation specifically McGregor and his X-type and Y-type theories or Taylor’s scientific approach to the X-type attitude you must agree that today workers expect a more positive management attitude. People have an opportunity to acquire more education and skills. An economic recession has workers trying harder and, as a rule they want more responsibility and challenge in their jobs.
Satisfaction comes from doing things that are challenging and provide opportunities for creativity and recognition; daily value-added. I think it was Peter Drucker who pointed out that in any organization and its people there are dormant talents and special abilities that experienced and wise management can tap to benefit all. This important asset can best be unlocked in your problem solving teams and subsequent root cause, permanent corrective and preventive actions efforts.
It is not a coincidence that participative management has resulted in a superior work force with not only increased responsibility but accountability and authority. I am reminded of William Ouchi’s Type Z that described and critically compared successful American companies which he found similar to their Japanese equivalents. Type Z organizations are those that are able to develop trust among employees, tend to develop specific images, have management concerned with long-term growth rather than short-term profits, and involve a participative style of management with extensive use of problem solving and cost of quality (enhance QA, productivity and effectiveness).
The quality department alone will not be able to achieve quality goals. Senior management has to provide leadership and acknowledgement, along with full support for QA procedures and programs. In response to our economic challenges and continued competition, management must forcefully pursue quality assurance and quality goals. Honest and supportive leadership with aligned planning and control, proper recognition for a job well done, and jobs that are challenging and enriched are a starting point on the path of improved Q performance.
Until we have more Star Trek Data’s in our workforce we will rely on participative management, good hiring programs, continued education, in-house training programs and motivated people. “It has been calculated that a computer comparable to the Human brain performs 38 thousand trillion operations per second.” – Lieutenant Commander Data