This won't be a long column. Some points shouldn't be belabored. The grief-stricken response of the American people
to the horrific attacks of Sept. 11 underscores the central reason for the success of the quality movement in America: It is an integral part of our national psyche to care about individuals, to
truly value the life of each human being. It's a national trait rooted in our Judeo-Christian (and, yes, in recent decades, Islamic) traditions and, most remarkably and most importantly,
it's a national trait that pervades our government and our businesses. Without an obvious belief in the simple–and central–idea that each human being has value, any attempt at
implementing a quality process will fall far short of its potential. This is, of course, why there have been no innovations in quality thought or practice to emerge from societies dominated by
some form of centralized dictatorship, no matter how benign. If, after all, the governing belief system defines all individuals as subservient to "the people" (one common characteristic of such
governments is an adherence to the Alice in Wonderland convention of defining words to mean whatever they want them to mean; thus the inhabitants of various "peoples' republics" serve only the
desires of the dictators of those people), why bother listening to them—individually or collectively? In particular, a vibrant quality process in the service sector requires a willingness
to trust—and listen to—other people. "Listening down" becomes a requirement, not just an odd-sounding phrase. It's fair to say that at international conferences on quality, the speakers from
nondemocratic countries invariably address top-down-driven measurement systems or theoretical approaches that, when questioned, they admit they haven't been able to implement. American speakers,
with their insistence on searching out the input of their workers, sometimes seem almost quaint or naïve to many in the audience. It's fair to say that the depth of a country's commitment
to democracy can be quickly and accurately assessed by the progress of its business leaders in making quality efforts a natural part of how business is done within its borders. Very few
things happen in isolation. Quality efforts don't just spring up without any regard to their environment. If you are a resident of these United States, appreciate what we have. If you are a
resident of another country, be aware of your government-driven national environment as you set about establishing an island of quality/democracy—and best wishes. Perhaps the seeds you help to
plant will one day enrich your national policy. America is hardly perfect. Our businesses and their attempts at coming to grips with "this quality thing" are also imperfect. But we will
keep getting better. Just as the American business giant was awoken by the Japanese-led manufacturing-quality challenge and then grew to not only contest the manufacturing output but also include
service-sector quality, our nation will meet this new, evil challenge. And we will prevail because we value people.
About the authors Pat Townsend and Joan Gebhardt have written more than 200 articles and six books, including Commit to Quality (John Wiley & Sons, 1986); Quality in
Action: 93 Lessons in Leadership, Participation, and Measurement (John Wiley & Sons, 1992); Five-Star Leadership: The Art and Strategy of Creating Leaders at Every Level (John Wiley &
Sons, 1997); Recognition, Gratitude & Celebration (Crisp Publications, 1997); How Organizations Learn: Investigate, Identify, Institutionalize (Crisp Publications, 1999); and Quality Is
Everybody's Business (CRC Press, 1999). Pat Townsend has recently re-entered the corporate world and is now dealing with "leadership.com" issues as a practitioner as well as an observer,
writer and speaker. He is now chief quality officer for UICI, a diverse financial services corporation headquartered in the Dallas area. E-mail the authors at ptownsend@qualitydigest.com . |
