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Note from the
Newsletter editor
: This is the
third of a three part article submitted by ASQ
Montreal
Section 0401 member Hélène Giroux who is an
Associate Professor in Operations and Logistics Management at HEC
Montréal.
By
Hélène Giroux, Associate Professor, Operations
and Logistics Management
HEC Montréal,
Senior member
Persistence
The quality profession is not for the faint-hearted or the
hot-tempered. Patience and tenacity are the qualities that were the
most often mentioned by the professionals that I interviewed.
“You need to have a thick skin,” said a few,
because people still tend to shoot the messenger. No one likes to hear
that they have made mistakes or that the methods that they have been
using for years may not be the best ones. They might argue that the
tests you performed are inaccurate, that your analyses are flawed, or
that the specifications you set are impossible to meet.
They’ll accuse you of slowing production, increasing costs or
delaying shipment. You need a level head to face that kind of criticism
without firing back or backing down. As one interviewee put it,
“you got to be tough. If you want an easy job or if you
don’t want to fight for what you believe in, then
don’t go into quality.”
Tenacity and patience are also essential when you have to contend with
management’s wavering support. “You’re
constantly fighting the uphill battle in the organization,”
said one interviewee, while another observed, “you know that
they’re driving the thing into the gutter and all you have to
do is hang on long enough until they’ll come and ask you to
help them get out of the gutter.” Management ostensibly
expects you to stop poor quality from going out the door, but they will
sometimes overturn your decision when you try to do so. A good dose of
humor, coupled with unfaltering optimism helps you cope with these
difficult moments: “quality is about seeing the good in the
bad… you have to deal with the negative, but from a positive
perspective.” Stay humble and realistic. Quality
professionals usually are in a staff position: you work hard to build
your case, you do your best to be persuasive, but ultimately others
will make the decisions. You have to be able to let go, like the
physician who has to accept that she will not be able to save all her
patients.
If you are the sole quality professional in your organization, all
these challenges can take their toll and make you feel isolated and
estranged. Attending conferences and meeting fellow practitioners may
then be a blessing. You will find that most quality professionals face
the same difficulties. Sharing war stories and being able to laugh at
them in a friendly atmosphere will reenergize you for a few months
– and perhaps you’ll learn a few tricks at the same
time. In the meantime, try to find the good in the people you work
with. Even if they still tend to see quality as a hindrance, most of
them are dedicated, hard working people who want to do things right but
are faced with conflicting goals and the need to achieve short-term
financial results.
A passion for quality
Almost all of the professionals that I met during this study share a
deep passion for quality. They genuinely enjoy spending hours solving
complicated problems or discussing with customers to better understand
their needs. They take pride in being able to help others make all
sorts of improvements. Most of them derive great pleasure from teaching
and mentoring others. Simply ask, and they’ll tell you
everything you need to know about how to calculate the costs of
quality, when best to use design of experiment, or how to outsmart
people who are reluctant to change and perpetuate poor quality.
They’ll share horror stories and success stories. One of them
even dressed up like Juran for a Halloween party, bowtie and fake
eyebrows included!
Fighting the good fight for quality can be
frustrating and exhausting, but for those who are up to it, there seems
to be nothing better: “You have to put your mind, body and
spirit into quality (…) You have to be Don Quixote. You
really need to be a champion. You really need to be out there
(…) And I accept that role. So, fine! Bring it on!
I’m up to the challenge. I will be the spokesman. I will
talk. I will be out there. I will do the hard work.”
Is anyone interested in joining him?
Hélène
Giroux can be reached at: helene.2.giroux@hec.ca
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