| Memo: Quality at Work
Edition: Final
Quality is the powerful competitive weapon African
companies need today. Increasingly, quality is
playing a dominant role in the world market and
will continue in the years to come.
Evidence has proved that there is a strong correlation
between quality and profitability: Quality greatly
affects both the revenue and cost elements of
the profit equation.
To remain competitive and to survive, every company
in Nigeria has to promote quality processes persistently
and relentlessly until quality completely permeates
their operations.
Being a leader is tough. However, only quality
leadership will enable Nigerian companies to achieve
their corporate goals, maintain a competitive
edge and become world-class quality role models.
Leadership is the backbone of Total Quality Management.
Full commitment to exceptional quality in any
organization starts in the boardroom and with
executive management. Decisions made in the boardroom
determine the character, direction and environment
of organizations.
Executive management must adopt this "new
philosophy" of doing business in order to
maintain a competitive edge. Along with this "new
philosophy" will be resistance, which is
normal. But a true leader has the vision to see
what is really important and transmit a sense
of mission to others. He or she must explain how
the company will work after quality improvement
thinking is in place and
how it will get done.
A good leader stands up for unpopular ideas,
faces confrontations, will act independently and
does the right thing in spite of personal hardship
or sacrifice. Communicating the vision, involving
employees and showing they are valued will instill
a sense of commitment to the organization's purpose.
Leaders must insist on and persist in reducing
the commonly accepted levels of delays, breakdowns,
mistakes and defects. They must be continually
obsessed with high-quality achievement and adopt
the philosophy of attacking quality problems before
they occur.
Executive managers must lead their companies
by example to what will amount to a cultural transformation.
Leadership for such a change cannot be delegated.
A top manager sets the tone for the organization.
When a leader is sufficiently committed, the
values and principles of quality improvement are
totally internalized so that his or her behavior
reflects these values.
Effective leaders have wisdom; communicate and
inspire, and, most importantly, empower others.
Submitted by Afolabi
Imoukhuede, Managing Consultant, MCS
Consulting Limited Ikoyi, Lagos
aimoukhuede@mcsworldgrp.com
‘3 Dimensional
Quality,’ Companys’ Top Leaders Must
Lead By Example
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