Is this approach of creating a prevention oriented culture new? I've never heard of it before.
The approach is not new. It has a rich history that has been around for over 30 years. The original concepts were written about in a book called "Quality is Free" by Philip Crosby in which he elaborated on the counter intuitive title by saying that it's not quality that costs organizations money, it's the lack of quality that is expensive, as much as 35% of an operating budget. These costs are typically higher in service organizations than manufacturing companies. To that end, this process has been used successfully by the auto industry, both domestic and foreign, textiles, pharmaceutical, for profits, non-profits, government, almost any type organization you can think of, large or small.
Today it seems most quality initiatives are based on gaining some certification or using statistical methods to control quality. Is this similar?
While having a prevention oriented culture is likely to help you achieve a certification or minimize the variation that exists in any organization, which is often what a statistical method is trying to do, you'll find this process much easier. Too often certification and statistical methods are managed by "specialists" in the organization (i.e., black belts, quality management systems managers, etc.). Our approach is to engage everyone in the company to make it better. Problems exist everywhere in an organization and when people are given permission to challenge and change things within appropriate parameters, and when management commits to process improvement, the results are amazing. Our clients typically see a reduction in costs and errors of 25% in the first 12 - 18 months.
What is a "culture"?
Culture is comprised of three things - common thoughts, common language and a common way of working better together. Our clients typically agree that they all want to deliver products and services that meet their customers requirements, right the first time. We provide a common language of quality, answering the questions:
- what is quality?
- how do we make it happen?
- what is our performance standard?
- how do we measure quality?
When everyone understands the answers to these questions in the same way they can communicate clearly about quality. When an organization uses our 9 step implementation process to drive quality through the organization, they have a common way of working better together. Problems are identified, prioritized and converted to results. Requirements are clear and processes are capable of meeting them. The work process is blamed when something goes wrong, not the persons involved. Culture becomes ingrained in the organization. When that happens, quality isn't an option or something that is done when there is time, or that exists as the responsibility of a few. Instead, it's part of how all work is done by everyone.
How quickly are results realized?
We've produced results for our clients on our first visit that have more than covered our total costs of working with them. Opportunities like this aren't really as rare as you might think. However, for all our clients, we guarantee a 5-1 return on investment in the first 18 months. If you could just get a guarantee like this from your personal financial advisor, you'd jump at the chance. You can get these returns without any new employees or new products. It is likely the single greatest impact you can have on your organization.
