Quality and Social Responsability: “Doing well by doing good.”

In his blog "A view from the Q", Paul Borawski, ASQ CEO gives us access to relevant information about the link and the intersection of Quality an Social Responsibility.

The first document is The Pathways to Social Responsibility, where we are able to review examples of the efforts made by many companies to implement  SR processes, and also discover that this tendency is the strategy of many organizations, in  different ways and in all parts of the world.

In the second paper mentioned,  ASQ’s 2011 Future of Quality Study, we can clearly see that the first force  has been called Global Responsibility, which represents the mixture of a greater awareness of the need to be socially responsible and the  global impact  of our local decisions.

The third document that Paul mentioned is a study of the ASQ  in partnership with IBM, "Quality and Social Responsibility, a key business strategy to improve thecompetitive position", where one of the phrases I have emphasized more is the following:

“There’s one additional evolution of quality that is evident

and powerful. If quality started in the hands of skilled trades

and artisans, it moved into factories when mass production

became the norm. Then it moved out of factories into every

imaginable kind of organization— small and large. Today

quality is being called out of the organization into the space

between organizations through global supply chains, and

through networks of companies that understand their greatest

challenges lie outside their organizational walls. From there,

quality moves even further up the feeding chain to be used

as concepts, techniques, and tools in the solution of social

problems. While the number of examples is small, they are

nonetheless evidence that quality is exerting itself in new

ways—in hopeful ways.”

Companies now realize that Social Responsibility is a new frontier for producing innovation,. The  new paradigm is to produce more with fewer resources and less impact on the planet.

From Jimena Calfa blogger, part of Influential Voices of Quality, I take the concept of  ISR (Individual Social Responsibility), which would be an ideal state in which everybody is living under SR ideas, the results will be RSC organizations.  

The ASQ has also developed a movement for social responsibility and explain the role of quality to achieve results: The SRO.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recognized the importance of the issue of global social responsibility, ISO has developed an international standard on the subject: ISO 26000, which includes the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which sets out principles for companies to achieve comprehensive protection levels (consumers, workers, community including human rights) regardless of where it operates. This rule takes into account the social, environmental, legal, economic and organizational and is not planned or intended for certification purposes. The final version was approved in October 2010.

Paul Borawski asked us about  the efforts we are doing to promote and / or support to implement Quality linked to Social Responsibility. I believe  quality professionals can:

• Support to reduce costs by improving productivity and use of materials, generating less waste, along the production chain.
• Support companies  to provide goods and services of quality and defining strategies to demand the same throughout the production chain.
• Train in the use of tools and metrics that allow for better control of processes to find opportunities for improvement.
• Train and support to use risk management  at all levels.

In Ecuador the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)  is in a transition from philanthropic activities towards the establishment of CSR plans that can be nurtured.

Much of the companies that apply CSR plans are multinationals that already have several years of experience, but highlighting local efforts such as PRONACA, an Ecuadorian company in the food sector, with presence in Latin America.

PRONACA has simplified its corporate philosophy in three values:

 Integrity, Solidarity, Responsibility

As promoters of CSR initiatives in Ecuador we can mention:

Ecuadorian Institute of Social Responsibility, IRSE

CERES, Ecuadorian Consortium for Social Responsibility(CERES),

 As a final thought to remember that if everyone is committed to serving others with the best of us, caring for our planet and environment, we will reach the ideal state of CSR.

César Díaz

LA CALIDAD MAS ALLA DEL PRODUCTO, SIRVIENDO PERSONAS

En su blog  “ A view from the Q”,  Paul Borawski, CEO de la ASQ nos hace reflexionar sobre las conclusiones de un artículo sobre los Desafíos 2012 para los Directivos de Empresas, en el cual se afirma:

  

"Para algunas organizaciones, la calidad sigue siendo simplemente un conjunto de herramientas y técnicas asociadas con el control de calidad. Para otros, la calidad se ha convertido en un socio estratégico, alineado con el modelo de negocio y la ejecución de la estrategia de negocio. "

Dentro de ese contexto, Paul nos pregunta: Qué resultados hemos logrado en llevar  la Calidad más allá del producto?

Miremos esta pregunta bajo dos perspectivas:

-                     En primer lugar un producto es el resultado de un proceso, y los procesos son gestionados por personas, es decir que si queremos lograr calidad en los productos debemos en primer lugar trabajar en la calidad de las personas. Peter Drucker lo decía claramente: “Las empresas son construidas o derrumbadas por la calidad de su gente”.

-                     Todo producto tiene un componente muy importante, que es el servicio, y este solo puede ser entregado por personas, por ello cuando ponemos énfasis en este componente podemos obtener una ventaja estratégica. Ya sea que estemos vendiendo herramientas, o vendiendo una habitación de un hotel siempre hay un componente intangible que es el servicio.

La verdadera calidad por lo tanto se alcanza cuando tenemos gente motivada para servir a otras personas con lo mejor de sus conocimientos y experiencia.

Con lo anterior en mente, y pensando en la pregunta de Paul Borawski, mi principal rol como consultor y el más difícil ha sido el llevar los conceptos de calidad a los actores que generan la calidad.

El manejar técnicas y conceptos estadísticos es muy importante, pero si no se logra el compromiso de la gente los resultados son muy pobres o de corto plazo.

Cuando analizamos los principios de gestión que se encuentran en la norma ISO 9000, vemos que ellos se enfocan a lograr el compromiso de la gente, si no se entienden y adoptan principios en primer lugar es muy difícil implementar cualquier metodología, así:

a) Enfoque al cliente: Las organizaciones dependen de sus clientes y por lo tanto todos en la organización deberían esforzarse en exceder sus expectativas.

b) Liderazgo:  Que implica un compromiso hacia las personas que hacen la calidad y a las que reciben la calidad. 

c) Participación del personal: El personal, a todos los niveles, es la esencia de una organización y su total compromiso posibilita que sus habilidades sean usadas para el beneficio de la organización.

d) Enfoque basado en procesos: Los procesos son resultados de la gente que gestiona de la mejor manera los recursos cuando esta comprometida para ello.

e) Enfoque de sistema para la gestión: Todo esta enlazado de principio a fin, y con las personas formando un sistema, que contribuye a la eficacia y eficiencia.

f) Mejora continua: La mejora continua del desempeño global de la organización solo se logra con el compromiso de la gente.

g) Enfoque basado en hechos para la toma de decisión: Las decisiones eficaces se basan en el análisis delos datos y la información. Esta información es gestionada por personas.

h) Relaciones mutuamente beneficiosas con el proveedor: Una organización y sus proveedores son interdependientes, y debemos llevar la calidad a las personas que forman las organizaciones de nuestros proveedores.

 

Cuando tenemos un enfoque de esta manera y centramos nuestra estrategia en las personas, podemos garantizar el crecimiento de las organizaciones e innovación permanente, la empresa generará una marca y reputación en un mercado global.

Por ello el producto de Calidad (la cual es medida por el cliente) solo se puede dar como resultado de centrarnos en desarrollar seres humanos de calidad en nuestras organizaciones.

César Díaz Guevara

QUALITY BEYOND PRODUCTS, SERVING PEOPLE

In his blog "A view from the Q", Paul Borawski, ASQ CEO makes us reflect on the findings from the article  “Answering The Conference Board CEO Challenge 2012”, which states:

"For some organizations, the quality is still simply a set of tools and techniques associated with quality control. For others, the quality has become a strategic partner, aligned with the business model and execution of business strategy . "

Within that context, Paul asks: What success have you had in moving quality beyond product?

Let's look at this question from two perspectives:

First product is the result of a process, and processes are managed by people, then  if we are going to achieve quality products, we must first work on the quality of the people. Peter Drucker said it clearly: "Companies are built or destroyed by the quality of its people"

Every product has a very important component, which is service, and this can only be delivered by people, so when we put emphasis on this component, the organization  can gain a strategic advantage. Whether we are selling tools, or selling a hotel room there is always an intangible component that is service.

The real quality is therefore reached when we have people motivated to serve others with the best of their knowledge and experience.

With this in mind, and thinking about the question of Paul Borawski, my main role as a consultant and the more difficult one, has been to bring the concepts of quality to the players that generate quality. Driving techniques and statistical concepts is very important, but if there is no commitment to the people the results are very poor or short term.

When analyzing management principles found in ISO 9000, we see that they are focused on achieving the commitment of the people, if not understood and adopted first principles is very difficult to implement any methodology, as follows:

a) Customer focus: Organizations depend on their customers and therefore everyone in the organization should strive to exceed your expectations.

b) Leadership: That implies a commitment to the people who make the quality and receiving quality.

c) Involvement of people: People at all levels are the essence of an organization and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for the benefit of the organization.

d) Process approach: The processes are the result of the people who run the best resources when it is committed to do it.

e) System approach: Everything is linked from beginning to end, and the people is the core of the system, which contributes to the effectiveness and efficiency.

f) Continuous improvement: Continuous improvement of overall organizational performance is only achieved with the commitment of the people.

g) Factual approach to decision making: Effective decisions are based on analysis of data and information. This information is managed by people.

h) Mutually beneficial supplier relationships: An organization and its suppliers are interdependent and we must take quality to the  people that manage the organizations of our suppliers.

 

When we have an approach like this and focus our strategy on people, we can ensure the growth of organizations and constant innovation, the company will create a brand and reputation in a global market.

Therefore, the product quality (which is measured by the customer) can only result of focusing on developing quality human beings in our organizations.

César Díaz