Re: What is quality?

[TQNELSON@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/1/1999 10:21:46 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
towboy@lineone.net writes:

<<  In this sense could not  quality circles be a refined form of peer 
review? >>


I'm afraid not. I started the QC movement in the US Air Force in 1980, before 
meeting WED. Despite apparent opportunities for improvement many of the QCs, 
despite extensive training, did not reach anywhere near their anticipated 
potential. It was only after meeting Dr. D and having him open my mind to the 
disastrous consequences of our fear based system (grades, ratings, 
appraisals, reviews, rankings, honors, etc.) that I initiated the test of the 
Civil Service system without any appraisals, ratings, reviews, etc. (Yes, the 
documentation says it was a success, but the history revealed such a system 
[also being the only labor-management collaborative reform done in the 
Federal  sector] was simply not "politically correct"/acceptable to the 
existing hierarchical power structure). 

What we found is that any "review" is threatening and engenders fear. That in 
turn destroys trust, which destroys the SoPK as focus shifts from system to 
parts (us to me).

A QC needs to be formed based on the SoPK and 14 points and aligned with the 
overall system aim (Mairani's excellent message talked about that aim). Then 
the QC can actually bond, without fear, to help each other (as Dr. Yoshida 
has so well pointed out), not just in "job" stuff, bus to become better, 
happier people. Feedback, NOT REVIEW, on a real time basis, from customers is 
essential to this. And not just the external customer, but understanding that 
every member of the QC is a customer of every other member.

That concept can then serve as the basis for a SoPK QC/team development 
process. But "peer" review? Nope! (Even without addressing the disturbing 
label of "peers" to stratify and divide people....every person is the peer of 
every other person, some may recall that that was(?) one of the founding 
principles of that led to our foundation as an independent country...guess 
that's till difficult for some to accept).

Del Nelson
American River College

When "We, the People..." are replaced
by dollars, profits, and greed,
It is time to start over
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