A Quality Culture is a system of shared values, beliefs and norms that
focuses on delighting customers and continuously improving the quality of
products and services. In an organization with a quality culture, quality is
deeply embedded in virtually every aspect of organizational life, including
hiring and promotion, employee orientation and ongoing training, compensation,
management style, decision making, organizational structure, work processes and
office layout. Simply put, in a quality culture, “quality†is a way of life;
quality principles are mirrored in organizational practices and behaviors’. Quality culture is a
specific aspect of organizational culture, which is defined as 'the social glue
that helps to hold an organization together'. It is an attitude and set of values employed by a
company to improve the levels of quality in its service. This may be to improve
the quality of – relationships with customers, – improve communication between
employees – to improve the attitude of employees. It is a set of group values
that guide how improvements are made to everyday working practices and
consequent outputs. Everyone should be
treated equally- this also applies to the management team. This follows the
idea that all members of the company have the same goal and ideals- to do the
very best they possibly can for the good of the company. The understanding that
we are all in this together.This may refer to the management team, employees,
suppliers and customers. Without each of these groups working together in harmony,
the company will be unable to operate to its full potential. Communication is
vital to improve quality. Management teams should keep colleagues up-to-date
with important corporate changes as this will make the company function more
effectively. It will also improve morale. There is no such thing as failure. Negative
outcomes can only help employees learn from their mistakes and do better next
time. “Quality is not
evangelism, suggestion boxes, or slogans. It is a way of lifeâ€.Based upon
successful cultural transformation efforts and literature review, there are numerous
strategies for making quality a way of life in an organization. First, top
management must demonstrate visible commitment and explicit involvement in
efforts aimed at embedding quality into the basic fabric of everyday organizational
life. Senior managers must personally lead cultural transformation efforts and
reinforce the new organizational culture through word and deed. Only top
management has the power and organizational influence to bring about major
cultural change.†Towards this end,
quality should be integrated into the organization’s mission statement and
corporate philosophy.
User questions & answers