In order to determine if a flat organization is more effective than a hierarchical organization, the definitions of both structures must be known. Also, every company which is deciding upon which structure to accept must be researched and have clear and precise goals. Each and every company has different needs, wants, and goals to achieve. [...]
My Tips On Time Management
Is your hectic schedule affecting your job, home or personal life? Do you find it hard to get organized? A Zen approach to time management can help you deal with your hectic schedule and may even give you time to finally relax and smell the flowers for once. Zen Buddhists describe life like being in [...]
How Can Business People Travel Less and Save More Time?
One of the major problem concerns of modern day business people is time management. Because of the fast pace of today’s work climate the average businessman spends hours upon hours of time commuting, driving or in airports. The purpose of this article is to explore possibilities for traveling less and saving time. This article will [...]
Managing Quality in Today’s Customer-Driven Economy
Most business executives today believe that quality management is just a re-packaging of good management practices that you have been doing all these years. But with deeper analysis, quality management requires a profound change in the business processes or practices. It also needs organizational management using radically different methods. Managing quality in today’s consumer-driven economy [...]
Calculating the Cost of Quality to Become the Low-Cost Producer of Quality Products or Services
It may seem that a 99% rate of no defects attributed to a given process is good enough. But even a 99.9% quality level is disastrous because it may mean 20,000 wrong drug prescriptions per year, or 15,000 new-born babies accidentally dropped from hospitals each year, or 500 incorrect surgical operations every week, or the [...]
Implementing The P-D-C-A Cycle of Continuous Quality Improvement
When a business organization conducts a massive quality transformation among its employees, the basic requirement is continuous leadership and a firm commitment at all levels of management. Quality improvement does not come from slogans, banners, exhortations or from publications. What you needed is a mechanism to foster change and drive continuous quality improvement – now [...]
What is Six Sigma?
You have probably heard of the term ‘Six Sigma’ being used in your workplace. But do you know what ‘Six Sigma’ is? Six Sigma is a method used in manufacturing; many of the methods that are used today derive from manufacturing companies and are then adapted by businesses to use in their own management. Six [...]
Achieving Quality Requires Employees to Act Together
Achieving the best quality involves never ending perseverance by everyone involved. Doing things right the first time requires that all employees of the organization must do their best in everything that they do. But despite the conscious effort to produce quality products or services, the quality of work output may remains inconsistent and difficult to [...]
The Significance of Employee Participation in Total Quality
Over the years, the role of those running an organization has undergone a major change – from dependence to independence and now interdependence. In the past, people were dependent on their boss for directions and instructions on how to carry out their respective jobs. Because of the one-way management system, the organization was deprived of [...]
Commitment: A Critical Factor for Quality Improvement
The fundamental message in any quality effort is basically the same: “Commitment”. Commitment to quality should be the guiding principle of every employee in the organization. Quality improvement is an inherent part of everybody’s job most specifically those who are tasked to lead the organization. If quality problems arise, it is customary that the system [...]
Non-Stop Quality Improvement Is the Key to Quality Excellence
Everybody has a job to do and by doing that job right the first time and every time, your company can reach the halfway point in your quality journey. Doing things right the first time requires tremendous self-discipline as we do not give ourselves a second chance to redo whatever has been done. The cost [...]
Quality People Make Quality Happen
Each and every business organization today is faced with the challenge to continue to do better in order to provide increasing value that will heighten customer satisfaction. If you ever have the opportunity to be in a thriving manufacturing facility, the key to business success is obvious. It is the workers – the people – [...]
Handling Quality Malaise – If It Exists In Your Organization
Nothing lasts forever. Company programs come and go and management has to move on. So, how should quality professionals react when quality seems to be no longer a priority? How will you continue quality improvements during times of organizational malaise? Let us face it. There are many crucial pressures at the top. Management must meet [...]
How to Improve the Quality Culture of an Organization
A major cause of failure in Total Quality implementation is often top management’s refusal to drop and dismantle anti-quality corporate, policies, procedures and practices. Usually, time-honored and taken for granted, these anti-quality policies hinder managers and employees in improving quality throughout the organization. The most subtle company policy that affects quality is gauging corporate performance [...]
The Importance of Benchmarking
Nowadays, we often hear the term ‘benchmarking’ when talking about performance improvements. But, do we really understand what it means and why do companies perform benchmarking activities from time to time? Benchmarking is a proven method of discovering the best performance – whether in a particular company, by a competitor, or in an entirely different [...]