BUS4101 Week 5 Project

Implementing Quality Initiatives A Scenario

Let's perform an activity to understand the critical mistakes that can be made in implementing a quality plan. In this activity, you will review the details of a scenario and make appropriate decisions, wherever required. You will also receive expert opinions on the decisions you will make. To make the best use of this activity, make every decision considering its impact relative to such things as quality, company objective, cost, effort, and time.

Bonjour Travels Private Limited is a medium-sized company. Recently, the company management has come up with a plan for extending its business. As part of this plan, the company needs to implement total quality management. Their objective is to gain a competitive advantage by providing outstanding an customer experience. Sam Marsh, the new quality assurance manager, is heading the company’s quality initiative. He has proposed implementing a quality plan involving extensive changes to the processes followed by the company. Most of these process changes are expected to happen in the customer service department of the company. Richard Dunning heads the customer service department of Bonjour. Sam has shared his quality plan with Richard. Now, Richard needs to make some critical decisions related to implementing the quality initiative. Richard: Sam is a new guy. He hardly knows the company and the business. The changes he suggested are good to hear but too ambitious to implement. How can I just go and tell my team to receive each and every customer call in less than three rings, always? How can I expect them to be aware of all the cultural nuances while handling customers from almost all parts of the world? There will be a huge uproar over these changes, and I am afraid it will be difficult to implement the changes within the stipulated time. Moreover, why do we need to change what is already good and running well? What would be the best thing for Richard to do? Option 1: Being an experienced person, Richard knows the processes and functions of his department. If he thinks the suggested changes are unrealistic, then the changes should not be implemented. Rather, they should be sent back to Sam for reconsideration. Feedback: Discarding the suggested changes will not allow the company to meet its objective of enhancing customer experience. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 2: Richard should call a meeting for all the members of the customer service department and discuss the suggested changes. Based on the team’s feedback, Richard should suggest modification ideas to Sam. Feedback: Richard’s dilemma shows that he does not understand the need for or the implications of the quality changes. Without this understanding, any discussion with the other members in the customer service department would lead to more confusion, apprehensions, and rejection. Therefore, this is not the best alternative.

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Option 3: Richard should speak to Sam and also to the management, if required, and gain a clear understanding of the quality initiative. Feedback: Correct! Richard’s dilemma symbolizes fear, the most common factor in any quality implementation initiative. Fear arises as a result of not knowing the importance, goals, objectives, methodology, and expected outcome of the quality changes. And fear leads to resistance to change. Because fear can be seen as a weakness, lack of knowledge, or lack of leadership skills, people sometimes do not want to discuss their apprehensions. However, it is best for managers to understand the quality initiative in detail and then make the appropriate decisions. Therefore, the best thing for Richard to do would be to speak to Sam and the management, if required, and gain a better understanding of the entire quality initiative. In general, fear can be avoided through training, good communication, and group meetings, where everyone discusses the quality plan before it is implemented. Using check points, quality tools, and benchmarks would also help. Managers can consider using Deming’s Fourteen Points to avoid making the mistake of fearing quality changes. Richard: Having discussed the quality plan with Sam, I now understand what he is trying to achieve. But I don’t know if my team members are capable of meeting the quality requirements. How will I make all my team members skilled in multicultural communication? Will Su Chang, the new employee from our Beijing office, understand what it means to be “getting in my hair”? What would be the best thing for Richard to do? Option 1: Richard should make sure that in the quality plan, Sam includes the roles of the employees and the skills and education needed for playing those roles. Accordingly, Richard can terminate the employees who do not have the required education or skills and plan to hire more suitable people. Feedback: Employee skills and education are critical to the success of any quality initiative, and, therefore, it is a good idea to specify the different roles of the employees, as well as the required skills and education, in the quality plan. It is also essential to recruit people who possess the required skills and education. However, terminating employees who do not have the required efficiencies is harmful to the company’s reputation and internal customer relations. It is also a cost-intensive affair. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 2: Richard should make sure the quality plan is modified in order to match the skills and education of the existing employees. Firing and hiring would not be a good way for the company to move toward quality. Feedback: Employee skills and education are critical to the success of any quality initiative. It is also essential to recruit people who possess the required skills and education. However, rejecting or modifying an otherwise robust quality plan because of issues related to employee skills and education is not conducive to fulfilling the company’s objective. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 3: Richard should make sure that in the quality plan, Sam includes the roles of the employees and the skills and education needed for playing those roles. Accordingly, the existing employees should receive the required training. In addition, the required skills and education, as specified in the quality plan, should be critical factors in any new recruitment. Feedback: Correct! Employee skills and education are critical to the success of any quality initiative, and, therefore, it is a good idea to specify the different roles of the employees, as well as the required skills and education, in the quality plan. It is also essential to recruit people who possess the required skills and education. However, terminating employees who do not have the required efficiencies is harmful to the

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Quality Management

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company’s reputation and internal customer relations. It is also a cost-intensive affair. Similarly, rejecting or modifying an otherwise robust quality initiative because of issues related to employee skills and education is not conducive to fulfilling the company’s objective. Therefore, the best thing for Richard to do would be to make sure existing employees receive the required training and that all future recruitments are made as per the quality requirements. Richard: The management has set a stringent deadline for implementing the quality changes. They are desperate to see the results by the next financial year. Now that I understand the quality plan better, I must say Sam has done a pretty good job, and the results should be positive. However, I think the plan lacks adequate details of the technology required to meet some of the quality parameters, and this might cause some challenges. If I do not know which software will be recommended for my team members, how can I plan for the software training? What would be the best thing for Richard to do? Option 1: Meeting the time schedule is a critical factor in the success of any quality initiative. Therefore, Richard should ignore the details as of now and proceed with the implementation process. The details can be sorted out as and when they are required. Feedback: Often, companies have an unrealistic time line, a lack of proper resources, or a lack of expertise—all of which lead to an incomplete quality plan or a plan inappropriate for the particular business. However, meeting the schedule at the expense of the plan is not a good idea because the company may need to revise the plan midway or even abandon the entire quality initiative. In both cases, the company will end up incurring unnecessary costs, losing time and effort, and not meeting the company’s objective. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 2: Richard should proceed with the implementation process but make sure the management reconsiders the time line. If they allow for more time, Richard should send the quality plan back to Sam for reconsideration and ask him to provide all the necessary details. Otherwise, he should let the plan be implemented within the stipulated schedule. Feedback: Proceeding without a complete plan is not a good idea because the company may need to revise the plan midway or even abandon the entire quality initiative. In both cases, the company will end up incurring unnecessary costs, losing time and effort, and not meeting the company’s objective. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 3: Richard should send the quality plan back to Sam for reconsideration and ask him to provide all the necessary details. Having a complete plan before implementation is more critical than meeting the schedule. Feedback: Correct! Often, companies have an unrealistic time line, a lack of proper resources, or a lack of expertise—all of which lead to an incomplete quality plan or a plan inappropriate for the particular business. However, having a complete plan with all the required details is absolutely essential to the success of a quality initiative. Otherwise, the company may need to revise the plan midway or even abandon the entire quality initiative. In both cases, the company will end up incurring unnecessary costs, losing time and effort, and not meeting the company’s objective. Therefore, the best thing for Richard to do would be to send the quality plan back to Sam for reconsideration and to ask him to provide all the necessary details. In addition, Richard can suggest regular meetings among all stakeholders to identify the required details, improvement areas, possible risks, and recommendations.

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Quality Management

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Richard: When all is said and done, I still have some misgivings about this plan. Why is my department headed for the maximum amount of change? Does it mean my team members are the most inefficient? Why do I and my team members need to struggle so much more than any other department? Sam and the management surely could have done better with some more focus on the sales team rather than destroying the customer service team with totally new standards, processes, and practices! What would be the best thing for Richard to do? Option 1: As an efficient manager and leader, Richard should consider what is in the best interest of his team members and renegotiate the plan with Sam. He could try to convince Sam that Bonjour should focus more on increasing sales in order to expand its business. Feedback: Bonjour mainly aims to gain a competitive advantage by providing outstanding customer experience and not so much by increasing sales. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 2: Sam is an expert in his job, and even Richard has admitted Sam has done a good job at creating the quality plan. To raise questions about the focus of the plan would be like questioning Sam’s abilities. It would also throw an unfavorable light toward Richard’s own capabilities as a manager and a leader. Therefore, Richard should accept the plan as it is. Feedback: Accepting the plan without resolving doubts (therefore, without proper understanding) might lead to inconsistent implementation efforts, unwanted results, and even a failure of the quality management initiative. Therefore, this is not the best alternative. Option 3: Richard should have a meeting with Sam and the company management in order to understand the focus of the plan. Then, he can recommend changes, if any. Feedback: Correct! Richard’s dilemma shows that he does not have a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the plan. Bonjour aims to gain a competitive advantage by providing outstanding customer experience and not so much by increasing sales. Accordingly, the quality plan focuses more on the customer service department and suggests the maximum number of changes. This strategy definitely does not imply the inefficiency of the department; rather, it reflects the company’s focus and its quality goals and objectives. Therefore, it is imperative for Richard to get into a meeting with Sam and the company management in order to understand and agree to the focus of the plan. In addition, Richard can ask Sam to involve all stakeholders in making the goals and objectives clear and concise. This activity has explained how fear, skill issues, an incomplete plan, or a lack of understanding may lead to some of the most critical mistakes while you are attempting to implement a quality management initiative. The final thing to remember in this regard is motivation. If there is a new management team, that team might get a bit overzealous and forget to follow the steps in the quality plan. On the other hand, if there is a stagnant and weathered management team, they might feel they do all right without the quality plan, and, therefore, they really do not need to follow it. However, it is essential for the management to be motivated enough to uphold, encourage, and implement the entire quality management initiative. The management team should be trained so they feel comfortable and confident with the quality plan. Team building activities and proactive participation can do wonders to motivate the management and all other employees.

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Quality Management

©2017 South University