Total Quality Leadership

Total Quality Leadership

Quality has become the major strategy for getting and keeping the competitive edge. Deming and Juran inspired Japan to adopt quality principles during the postwar era, and for years there was a very significant difference between their products and those of the rest of the world. The road to Japan became well-traveled by people who wanted to find out what to do.

The problem, though, is that things change; quality is a moving target. The early gains that came from a heavy statistical model are now giving way to the largest payoffs possible through streamlining management, listening to customers, and giving everyone in the organization more authority and responsibility. In short, the numbers are important, but behavior is more important.

Total Quality Leadership (TQL) by Dr. Richard Ruhe integrates the human side—the part people and teams contribute-with the processes necessary for the implementation of quality. Although statistical process control is important, it has been over complicated in many programs. TQL addresses statistical process control without getting stuck in the statistical swamp.

The program's underlying premise is that everyone in the organization is responsible for quality and, therefore, everyone is a quality leader.

Description

Finally, people don't need a degree in statistics to understand quality concepts. The activities in Total Quality Leadership have humor and sparkle. Participants enjoy the training because it's entertaining and motivational. It also makes people better at what they do because they want to make themselves better. The support materials tease people through the intense training, and the session literally flies by.

Total Quality Leadership focuses on the vital element of the quality process-taking action. Because of its simple, direct format, participants become strongly committed to improving their productivity and results. They develop an action list and walk away from training prepared to implement the plan. The payoffs are substantial and quick.

The program is completely and independently modularized. Each of the 10 half-day modules provides no-nonsense, practical, and specific behaviors to address selected skill areas, at a pace that fits participants' schedules.

The Quest for Quality

This module presents the basic themes of Total Quality Leadership. Participants learn that it is always cheaper to do it right the first time than to fix it later. They also learn that customers deserve to get what they want, and that the status quo "ain't what it used to be," and it never was. The ultimate quality technology is people.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Identify the need for quality in today's business environment.
• Assume their individual role in the quality effort.
• Introduce and support quality measures in their organization.
• Launch a commitment to quality in their job.

Continuous Quality Improvement

This module helps participants develop the skills to create an environment that fosters constant improvement. Participants see quality as conformance to customer requirements. The vital signs of continuous improvement are causes, pieces, and rituals.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Expand the function of continuous improvement in quality efforts.
• Target resistance to change and apply a strategy to make improvement happen.
• Develop an action plan to implement continuous quality improvement in their workplace.

The Quality Innovation Process

This module offers a four-step model for developing solutions to problems. Participants become committed to improvement because less quality costs more and more quality costs less. They learn that innovation doesn't happen unless people think it's valuable.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Refine work processes to add more value for internal and external customers.
• Apply the Quality Innovation Process model to initiate improvements.
• Develop an action plan for improving a specific work process in their organization.

Empowered Quality Leaders

In this module quality is established as an ongoing effort that requires leadership on the part of everyone in the organization. Since most organizational improvements get implemented through informal leadership, this module emphasizes that the responsibility for quality is at all levels. Leaders know that organizations don't have to be sick to get better. Quality isn't a program, it's a process, and everyone must be involved to make it work.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Implement and undertake the quality initiative.
• Differentiate between leadership and management skills, and strengthen both in the quality process.
• Reinforce the responsibility of empowerment for both the manager and the individual.
• Apply the Quality Leap model to diagnose and optimize the effectiveness of their organization.

Self-Managing Quality Teams

This module examines how empowered teams are the cornerstone to the quality-improvement process. Unfortunately, many teams simply "go along," and it's difficult to get significant contributions from people who are content to routinely agree with each other. This module challenges participants to give their best contribution, rather than leave it to others. Productivity is a team sport, and becoming a real team player is a learned behavior.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Coordinate productivity improvement as a team effort.
• Manage team conflict to solve problems more creatively.
• Build team loyalty and commitment in taking the initiative.
• Expand individual productivity through membership on self-managing teams.
• "Use a common vocabulary for leadership."

Quality Meetings

In this module the COMM5 communications model is presented as a way to understand and improve interactions. At many meetings, unfortunately, people talk about whatever they want for as long as they want, and then the meeting adjourns. This module proposes that, ultimately, it doesn't matter how or what is discussed; all that matters is what gets done as a result of the meeting.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Hold meetings that strengthen relationships and yield results.
• Upgrade interaction by using the FORM system to establish the four critical roles at meetings.
• Apply the COMM5 model to develop and maintain improved communications during meetings.

Quality Problem Solving

This module focuses on using the four-step PUSH-wheel model to aggressively and systematically attack problems. Most problems can be solved quickly and painlessly if people have the skills to do so, and reality is the ultimate quality check.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Assume the personal responsibility to identify, approach, and solve problems.
• Generate solutions by proposing practical alternatives.
• Solve existing work problems using a four-step analytical model.

Quality Tools

This module focuses on using the four-step PUSH-wheel model to aggressively and systematically attack problems. Most problems can be solved quickly and painlessly if people have the skills to do so, and reality is the ultimate quality check.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Use tools such as Brainstorming, Surveying, Histograms, Cause and Effect Fishbones, Gantt Charts, Nominal Group Process, Interviewing, Pareto Diagrams, Force Field Analysis, and PERT Charts.
• Select and apply the appropriate tool for each task in the quality-improvement process.

Statistical Process Control for Maintenance

Presented are ways to control processes to keep them the same when they are providing the outputs they should. If there is bad data, individuals can't manage anything. By using such techniques as check sheets, variables and attributes control charts, and system capability data, it's possible to minimize variation.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Use statistical process control to maintain and streamline existing processes that are stable and capable.
• Apply techniques such as run charts, control charts, and process capability data in the quality effort.

Statistical Process Control for Breakthrough

This module offers ways to achieve improvements in processes that need deliberate action. SPC has a reputation for being extremely complicated, but in most cases it doesn't have to be. Flow charts, sampling plans, and scatter diagrams are among the methods discussed.

After completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Use statistical process control to make adjustments to processes that are not stable.
• Use flow charts, scatter diagrams, and sampling in the quality-improvement process.

Each of the modules fits into the Total Quality Leadership model as follows:

• Productivity Improvement (Why is quality more valuable than ever?)
• 1. The Quest for Quality
• 2. The Quality Innovation Process
• 3. Continuous Quality Improvement

• Process Management (How does quality happen?)
• 1. Quality Problem Solving
• 2. Quality Tools
• 3. Statistical Process Control for Maintenance
• 4. Statistical Process Control for Breakthrough

Components

Facilitator Materials

• Facilitator Guide—Ten: one for each module
• Video -Ten: one for each module; each 15-minute video features skill behavior modeling with Dr. Ruhe in a consultative role in a staged quality team meeting, and numerous on-site interviews with public and private sector quality role models.
• Participant Workbook—Ten: one for each module
• Participant Workbooks must be purchased for each participant trained.

AUDIENCE

Managers, supervisors, and employees at all levels in an organization involved in a total quality process; members of work teams in any organization; trainers responsible for working with teams or individual employees on quality initiatives.

Customization

Since every organization has a unique set of challenges, The Ken Blanchard Companies can customize Total Quality Leadership by using industry-specific situations presented in the language and culture of the company. Customization can be used to add the company logo to the program materials, make the exercises specific to the organization, or provide video segments that show real-life examples of the working environment.

Please call a sales consultant for details and pricing.