Tag Archives: ASQ Influential Voices

Improving Management Globally

Posted on February 19, 2015 by John Hunter

In the most recent ASQ Influential Voices post, Bill Troy, ASQ CEO, asks: Why Should Quality Go Global? ASQ’s mission statement talks about increasing the use and impact of quality in response to the diverse needs of the world. Are we doing enough, throughout the world, to accomplish that mission? I have discussed a serious shortfall in this effort numerous times including in a reply to the ASQ blog before I was an ASQ Influential Voice – ASQ has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Management | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Is Quality Ambitious Enough?

Posted on December 26, 2014 by John Hunter

This month Bill Troy, ASQ CEO, asked ASQ Influential Voices bloggers to explore the question – Is Quality Ambitious Enough? Bill Troy suggests a vision for ASQ of To improve the function and value of goods and services worldwide, and to facilitate the development of new products and services that improve the quality of life. He also discusses the ideas of W. Edwards Deming and the value he found in attending 6 4-day Deming seminars. I find the aim Deming … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Management, Respect | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Importance of Leadership by Those Working to Improve Management

Posted on November 25, 2014 by John Hunter

This month Bill Troy, ASQ CEO, asked ASQ Influential Voices bloggers to explore the importance of leadership for every quality management professional. Leadership is important but also something that often is difficult to understand what exactly is meant by the person using the term. In Bill’s case he provides some guidance with: “Leadership encompasses… business savvy, people skills, and decisive action all are required to get results in the world.” The ability to find solutions and move forward efforts in … Continue reading →

Posted in Management | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Attracting Members and Volunteers to Professional Organizations

Posted on November 4, 2014 by John Hunter

This month Bill Troy, ASQ CEO, asked ASQ Influential Voices bloggers to explore recruiting members and volunteers amid a changing landscape. In most ways the answer is the same as any large question on directing an organization. We must figure out the value we wish to offer that is in demand and provide it in a package people desire. As part of that we need to continually focus on the customer and adjust to their changing desires and the changing … Continue reading →

Posted in Career | Tagged , , ,

Strategy Based on Capability and Integrated with Execution

Posted on September 23, 2014 by John Hunter

This month Bill Troy, ASQ CEO, asked ASQ Influential Voices bloggers to explore the topic of strategy. If you read about management and organizational strategy you will read a lot about planning and alignment and the process of creating a strategy. I believe too little focus is given to building the capability of the organization to execute on the strategy (and continual management improvement). Lofty ideas without capability are not of much use. “Strategy” without a thorough understanding of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Revolutionary Management Improvement May Be Needed But Most Management Change is Evolutionary

Posted on August 26, 2014 by John Hunter

This month the ASQ Influential Bloggers were asked to respond to the question – will the future of quality be evolutionary or revolutionary? I think it has been and will continue to be both. Revolutionary change is powerful but very difficult for entrenched people and organizations to actually pull off. It is much easy to dream about doing so. Often even revolutionary ideas are adopted in a more evolutionary way: partial adoption of some practices based on the insight provided … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Lean thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vision can be a Powerful Driver but Most Often It is Just a Few Pretty Words

Posted on July 29, 2014 by John Hunter

This month Bill Troy, the new CEO of ASQ, asked ASQ’s Influential Voices to explore the value of vision [the broken link was removed] to the success of organizations. An aim for the organization is extremely helpful when it allows everyone in the organization to be guided by the same vision. But nearly all the time, in my experience, the aim is printed in the annual report and posted on the web site an used in some speeches but has … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Benefits of Blogging

Posted on July 3, 2014 by John Hunter

ASQ interviewed me, and several other ASQ Influential Voices bloggers for an article published in the current issue of Quality Progress magazine: The Blog Boom [the broken link was removed, it is so disappointing how many organizations can’t manage a web site decently]. A couple of my quotes from the article: I have been blogging for 10 years, which is more than enough time to convince me it is right for me. Blogging fits my personality—I like short delivery cycles. … Continue reading →

Posted in Career | Tagged , , ,

The Education System

Posted on June 8, 2014 by John Hunter

The current topic for ASQ Influential Voices to address is the importance of the education system and the impact on the capability of employees. The education system is important and not very good in my opinion. As a kid I found it boring and constraining and a system designed more to extinguish my quest for knowledge than increase my desire to learn. As a kid I was told by adults that adults knew better and I shouldn’t complain. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Public Sector | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How to Sustain Long Term Enterprise Excellence

Posted on October 3, 2013 by John Hunter

This month Paul Borawski asked ASQ’s Influential Voices to explore sustaining excellence for the long term. There are several keys to pulling sustained long term excellence. Unfortunately, experience shows that it is much easier to explain what is needed than to build a management system that delivers these practices over the long term. The forces pulling an organization off target often lead organization astray. Each of these concepts have great deal more behind them than one post can explain. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Process improvement, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Your Online Presence and Social Networks for Managers

Posted on July 17, 2013 by John Hunter

This month Paul Borawski asked ASQ’s Influential Voices which

Posted in Career | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Getting Known Good Ideas Adopted

Posted on June 19, 2013 by John Hunter

This month Paul Borawski asked ASQ’s Influential Voices to explore two questions; first, what is the most important challenge the quality community faces in ensuring that the value of quality is fully realized for the benefit of society? I really think it is just getting the good ideas to improve management, that have been around for decades, adopted. This might not seem that important. But I hear almost no talk about this and tons of talk about all sorts of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Process improvement | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Executive Leadership

Posted on May 21, 2013 by John Hunter

Senior executives must lead management improvement efforts. When senior executives only give lip service to management efforts the result is normally the same: little happens. When Dr. Deming was working with companies after the 1980’s NBC white paper, If Japan Can Why Can’t We, he wouldn’t work with companies if the CEO wasn’t attending the meetings and learning how to manage the organization better. Dr. Deming had seen far too many CEOs want improvement but wanted to delegate the effort … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Quality Processes in Unexpected Places

Posted on March 25, 2013 by John Hunter

This month Paul Borawski asked ASQ’s Influential Voices to explore the use of quality tools in unexpected places. The most surprising example of this practice that I recall is the Madison, Wisconsin police department surveying those they arrested to get customer feedback. It is obvious that such “customers” are going to be biased. Still the police department was able to get actionable information by seeking the voice of the customer. Certain of the police department’s aims are not going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Customer focus, Data, Innovation, Management, Process improvement, Public Sector, Respect | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Accept Taking Risks, Don’t Blithely Accept Failure Though

Posted on February 13, 2013 by John Hunter

For discussion by ASQ’s Influential Voices this month, Paul Borawski looks at Risk, Failure & Careers in Quality. There is a bias toward avoiding the possibility of failure by avoiding actions which may lead to failure or even any action at all. This is a problem. The need in so many organizations to avoid failure means wise actions are avoided because there is a risk of failure. Many times the criticism of such cultures however gets a bit sloppy, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

How to Accelerate Quality Management Practices

Posted on November 21, 2012 by John Hunter

For world quality month, Paul Borawski selected the topic of accelerating quality for discussion by ASQ’s Influential Voices. He specifically asks: what can we do to accelerate the rate of adoption of quality? As far as what ASQ can do I have the same thought I have had for 10 years. ASQ can make the articles and reports that members contributed available openly over the internet. ASQ currently greatly restricts the sharing and adoption of quality ideas by placing that … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles | Tagged , | 1 Comment