Creating a Culture of Quality, TATA DNA

In an interview that Paul Borawski did to Dr. J.J. Irani, who was Managing Director of Tata Steel for almost a decade and is currently a board member, we can discover many of the vital elements to create a quality time sustainable culture.

Paul told that executives more easily listen to executives, and then the first thing I wondered is who Dr. J.J. Irani is and what it means TATA Steel to the world.

If we search in Google for Dr. J.J. Irani, we find many references, beginning with its profile in Forbes magazine.

From his resume, at the age of 75, we can discover a bright career and many contributions given to TATA Steel and in multiple organizations within and outside India. He has also received Juran Quality Medal in 2001 and other awards that will give him a world class leader status.

Reading the blog Quality, The Unfair Advantage, written by Anshuman Tiwari from India and their direct experiences with Dr. JJ Irani, we could realize the impact he had within TATA to raise the voice of quality.

In relation to TATA Steel and the whole group TATA, it is remarkable what this largest Indian corporation represents in global scale, only to look at its slogan: "Leadership with trust" gives us an idea of the organizational culture that is transmitted to the world.

TATA has global operations. In Ecuador has presence through its consulting division working in the banking sector, and perhaps other activities are also being developed. The company is driven by values, having defined five pillars: Integrity, Understanding, Excellence, Unity, and Responsibility.

In the interview, Dr. JJ. Irani shows us that quality has always been associated with a contractual relationship between suppliers and users, but if we want sustainable processes, we must pass these boundaries and have a system that is based on principles and adopt a methodology.

TATA has taken the strategic decision to adopt the Malcolm Baldrige Excellence Model criteria for management, together with the methodology of Juran and certain Japanese quality methodologies. For TATA is vital to ensure that this system be adopted and institutionalized by the various group companies and in the same way. In TATA we can find companies as diverse as hotels, hospitals, chemical, automotive, consulting, and aerospace among others.

I think it's important to transform quality in the main strategy of the organization to achieve results, and within it have a clear methodology. There are many companies in Ecuador that are jumping between different methods and systems. These do not allow systems to mature, so their efforts are lost and diluted in the day.

Dr. Irani also speaks of the small and great Quality, the smaller is the product quality that shall to be achieved, but what makes the difference is the big Q, the great quality, one that is present in EVERYTHING WE DO. Inside this large Q we must consider the quality of management which is the main factor that adds value to the system. The product and its quality over time can and should be changing, but the quality of management must be the DNA organization.

In the large Q we must include each of the suppliers and even customers, we should "pray and teach," and make them enjoy generating and living in quality. His masterful phrase is "Trust only exists between organizations that have the same values."

I think that within organizations is vital to have committed people who embrace a culture of quality from their personal life and then bring it to the companies. To do this we must define a path that allows us to know where we are going. The fact that trust exists only between organizations that have the same values, show us we must work hard in that direction where there is a great opportunity for improvement in Latin America.

In relation to Social Responsibility, Dr. Irani stated that organizations must learn to share their results with the community. It is important to find the value about not just give money and stay apart; companies have to see money as an investment over time. Unless you have the support of the community where the company operates you cannot grow. His masterful phrase about SR is "You cannot have a tree in the middle of the desert." Money should be planting and preparing the ground around the tree (companies) ... and the money will be back in many ways.

You cannot have a rich company in the middle of a poor community; it will not be sustainable in the long term. You should see investment in the community as a long-term strategy. It is vital to have trust between the parties and build companies who are seeking for profit to distribute equally among all stakeholders.

Finally, I think the lessons learned lead to the bases again, unless we work first with the people and generate culture, including inside the community, will be difficult in the long run to maintain the results.