| Memo: Quality at Work
Edition: Final
The last two decades have seen organizations
of all types wrestle with the dynamics of deregulation
and its impact on quality and customers. Most
companies will agree that they are approaching
an era in which survival is less certain than
in the past.
Quality has taken on new meanings. Companies
must now introduce new products and services quickly
and with attributes that make the individual customer
feel special. The old "one shoe fits all"
approach will not suffice. Customization of products
and services is becoming a must in order to attract
and retain customers.
The difference won't make a difference if the
difference is the same. That is, companies must
be able to clearly differentiate their service
and product features in a way that will excite
the consumer. A "me too" attitude will
not be sufficient, given the choices that customers
have when it comes to selecting products and services.
It is important to understand that, in most cases,
we have moved from a providers (supplier) dominated
market to one controlled by the customer or the
consumer. Sure, we still have pockets of producers
that operate in close to a monopoly. But, the
numbers of companies that are protected by monopolistic
characteristics are fast decreasing.
Companies in the utility industry, governmental
and educational organizations are now facing some
form of de-regulations. As consumers become well
educated, the hype of advertisement will have
a diminishing influence in the purchase of products
and services.
Both situations, de-regulation and consumer awareness,
will require an organizational culture change.
New concepts in leadership and employee involvement
will become necessary in order to accommodate
the high performance work environments that deliver
expected quality levels.
The work environment of the future breaks with
the traditional Tayloristic system that has been
used by most organizations. No longer will a small
minority be able to direct the many business functions
that must operate with ever increasing precision
to bring about effectiveness and efficiency.
All employees, especially those on the front
line, will be required to exercise their judgment
and make on the spot decisions to deliver the
level of services that will be needed to ensure
customer satisfaction and delight. Well-trained
employees at all levels in the organization will
perform many of the tasks that have been traditionally
reserved for supervisors and managers.
The new roles of the front-line people, those
closest to the customer, will require training
and retraining. The individuals who are in direct
contact with the customer will become comfortable
with their new levels of responsibility. The "I
just work here" mentality will now be replaced
with "the buck stops here." This new
thinking by empowered and well-trained employees
will almost certainly ensure world-class competitiveness.
The reduced layers of management and an empowered
workforce will translate into unprecedented levels
of service to the customer. People who once issued
directives will become comfortable with their
roles as facilitators, coaches and team players.
Their primary responsibility will be to make sure
that the front-line people have what they need
for a quick response to customers.
Employee morale will increase as the corporate
culture positions only the customer before them
in the hierarchy. Every employee in these world-class
organizations will have "KASH." That
is, they will have the Knowledge, Attitude, Skills
and Habits that are needed in a high performance
work environment. The essence of the transformation
will be a true flip of the organization's pyramid.
In short, drastic changes will take place in
the way organizations of the future work. High
performance teams will emerge as an imperative
for survival. As companies reorganize and downsize,
and, as all people in the company are trained
to work in the new environment; unprecedented
levels of quality and customer service will be
the results.
As our nation improves its quality and productivity,
we will find that there are more than enough opportunities
out there for all of us. Prosperity will be more
likely than unlikely if Nigeria can transform
itself to allow all individuals the opportunity
to be educated and trained to make contributions.
Submitted by Afolabi
Imoukhuede, Managing Consultant, MCS
Consulting Limited Ikoyi, Lagos
aimoukhuede@mcsworldgrp.com
New Culture Can
Translate Into Better Service For All
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