This document discusses establishing a quality culture within an organization. It begins by explaining that cultural barriers are one of the greatest obstacles to implementing total quality. It then defines what a quality culture is as an organizational value system that promotes quality. Several key aspects of activating cultural change are discussed, including changing leaders, laying groundwork, countering resistance, and establishing specific practices. The importance of understanding cultural elements and facilitating continuous change are emphasized.

1. Chapter 3:
Quality Culture

2. “On changing the culture, ”Don’t ever
take a fence down until you know the
reason why it was put up.”.
- G.K. Chesterton
Quality Culture

3. Objectives:
• Understanding What a Quality Culture Is
• How to Activate Cultural Change
• How to Change Leaders to Activate
Cultural Change
• Learn the Groundwork for A Quality
Culture
• Learn how to Counter Resistance to
Cultural Change
• How to Establish a Quality Culture

4. Introduction
One of the greatest obstacles faced by organizations
attempting to implement total quality is the Cultural
barrier.
Many organizations do an excellent job of
committing to total quality, involving employees in
all aspects of planning and implementation, and
providing the training needed to ensure that
employees have the necessary skills, only to have
their efforts fall flat……
The Culprit, no effort has been made to change the
organization’s culture.

5. Understanding What a Quality Culture Is
• Understand the concept of Organizational Culture*
*It is the everyday manifestation of its underlying
values and traditions. It shows up in how employees
behave on job, their expectations of the organization
and each other, and what is considered normal in
terms of how employees approach their jobs.
(Ex. In a Store or Restaurant)

6. An Organization’s Culture has the Following Elements:
• Business Environment
• Organizational Values
• Cultural Role Models
• Organizational Rites, Rituals, and Customs
• Cultural Transmitters

7. If an Organization’s Culture is its Value
System as manifested in organizational
behavior, what is a Quality Culture?
A Quality Culture is an organizational value system
that results in an environment that is conducive to
the establishment and continual improvement of
quality. It consists of values, traditions,
procedures, and expectations that promote
Quality.

8. How Are Organizational Culture Created?
• The Value Systems of executive level decisions makers are
often reflected in their organizational culture.
• How managers treat employees and how employees at all
levels interact on a personal basis
• Expectations
• The stories passed along from employee to employee
Factors:
Commitment to Quality cannot be faked. Employees know
when management is just going through the motions.
Changing an organization’s culture requires total
commitment and a sustained effort at all levels of the
organization.

9. Activating Cultural Change
Reasons why cultural change must be parallel to the
implementation of Total Quality:
• Change Cannot Occur in a Hostile Environment ( managers not
agree with employee empowerment. Employee fight for
promotions)
• Moving to Total Quality Takes Time
• It can be Difficult to Overcome the Past
To attempt the implementation of Total Quality without
creating a Quality Culture is to invite Failure.
Successful total quality requires cultural change.

10. Changing Leaders to Activate Change
Questions that can be used by senior executives for self assessment
and if there’s a need in leadership change:
1. Are the current leaders knowledgeable of the need to change?
2. Are they able to articulate a vision for the new organization?
3. Have the current leaders set the tone for change and established
an organizational-wide sense of urgency?
4. Do the current leaders willing to remove all obstacles to cultural
change?
5. Are they known of following through on change initiatives?
6. Are they willing to empower employees at all levels of the
organization to make cultural change?
In creating a Cultural Change (which is difficult to achieve),
Leadership from the Top is essential. Sometimes an
organization’s culture simply cannot be changed without a
change in leadership.

11. LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A QUALITY CULTURE
According to Peter Scholtes, quality culture should begin by
developing an understanding of what he calls the “laws” of
organizational change:
> Understanding the History Behind the Current Culture.
> Don’t Tamper with Systems-Improve Them
> Be Prepared to Listen and Observe
> Involve Everyone Affected by Change in Making It

12. LEARNING WHAT A QUALITY CULTURE LOOKS LIKE
Part of laying the groundwork for a quality culture is
understanding what one looks like.
If a picture of a company with a strong Quality Culture could be taped
to an organization’s wall for all employees to see, it would have the
following characteristics:
• Widely shared philosophy of management
• Emphasis on the importance of human resources to the organization
• Ceremonies to celebrate organizational events
• Recognition and rewards for successful employees
• Informal rules of behavior
• Strong value system
• High standard performance
• Definite organizational character

13. COUNTERING RESISTANCE TO CULTURAL CHANGE
Change is resisted in any organization and resistance to
change is normal organizational behavior. (just like a biological
organism).
Continuous Improvement means Continuous
Change.
To ensure Continuous Improvement, one
must be able to facilitate Continuous
Change.

14. WHY CHANGE IS DIFFICULT?
Joseph Juran describes organization change as a “
Clash Between Cultures”.
Advocates of Change
• Desired Change
• Benefits of Change
Resisters of Change
• Desired Status Quo
• Consequences of Change

15. WHY CHANGE IS DIFFICULT?
Same Change, Different Perceptions:
Proposed Change Perception of Advocates Perception of Resisters
Automate production processes Improve productivity Threat to job security
Initiate Employee
involvement/empowerment
Focus more mental resources on continuous
improvement
Loss of authority
Establish a supplier partnership Mutually beneficial business alliances
Disruption of established purchasing
networks.
Establish an employee education and
training program
More knowledgaeable, more highly skilled
workforce
Cost too much
Join a manufacturing network
Enhanced competitiveness, shared costs, and
shared resources
Competitors will take advantage of
what they learned from us.

16. HOW TO FACILITATE CHANGE?
Begin with a
new advocacy
paradigm
Step 1
Understand the
concerns of
potential
resisters
Step 2
Implement
change-
monitoring
strategies
Step 3

17. ESTABLISHING A QUALITY CULTURE
Establishing a quality culture involves specific planning
and activities for every business or department.
1. shock
2. denial
3. realization
4. acceptance
5. rebuilding
6. understanding
7. recovery
State
of
Mind
Time

18. STEPS IN THE CONVERSION TO QUALITY
1. Identify the change needed.
- is there an open communication
- is there an internal partnership
- is there a continual improvement
- is there employee involvement
- is there a desire to satisfy the customers
2. Put the plan changes in writing
3. Develop a plan for making changes ( 4W-H)
4. Understanding the Emotional Transition Process

19. STEPS IN THE CONVERSION TO QUALITY
5. Identify key people and make them advocates
6. Take a Heart and Minds Approach
7. Apply courtship strategy
8. Support, Support, Support