Jimmy L. Smith

Quality professionals should recognize the chaotic climate as an opportunity to demonstrate the impact quality can have.

Quality giants like Joseph M. Juran, W. Edwards Deming and Armand V. Feigenbaum ushered in the era of total quality management (TQM) movement about seven decades ago.

I felt it might be of interest to continue the discussion from my previous column on organizational culture. It is not easy for some organizations to convert to a culture that is truly focused on establishing a robust culture of quality.

What is culture? Culture is the shared beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavior patterns that characterize the members of a family, a community or an organization. 

While consulting with a hydraulic pump manufacturer, the executive officer related their company’s revolutionary journey. 

During my management career at a Fortune 50 company, we were taught to treat quality and safety as top priority. They were considered essential and everything else was secondary. 

Continual improvement is a challenging journey, often hindered by a misunderstanding of processes. With decades of experience, I’ve seen how reframing questions can unlock meaningful change. Remember, improvement is a marathon, not a sprint.

Have you thought much about failure?