In about 2015 I was helping out a senior lead auditor in conducting a certification audit of a company that produced electronic devices. Over the few days of the audit, I was privileged to hear the story of the company from the CEO, Ted.
Ted shared that in the previous few years the company had been facing several quality issues, resulting in customer complaints, increased product returns, and a decline in their market reputation. The company's profits were plummeting, and they were at risk of losing their competitive edge in the industry.
Ted decided to take personal accountability as he had recognized that the company's quality management system was not effectively addressing these issues. He started by actually studying and understanding the existing quality management system. I know! You would think that he should have already done this, however, let's not dwell in the past as he did recognise this and moved forward. Ted was able to identify gaps in documentation, training, and communication. He also understood that true accountability required a holistic approach, involving every employee in the organization.
To initiate change, Ted organized a company-wide meeting where he openly acknowledged the quality issues and took full responsibility for them. He let everyone know that accountability starts at the top, and he would now lead by example. He engaged his workers by building a team of department representatives who reviewed the quality system with him. Internal audits were also a productive tool for the team and Ted.
As a result of Ted's accountability and the collective effort of the department team and their workers, the company saw significant changes. The number of customer complaints reduced dramatically, and product returns decreased substantially.
A surprising change that Ted wasn't expecting was that the workers became more engaged and proactive in quality management. They felt more empowered to identify and resolve any issues that came up which of course resulted in improved product quality and customer satisfaction.
Ted enjoys sharing this story as he had his doubts in the beginning, however after the initial momentum he was pleasantly surprised to see the shift and the benefits just started 'snowballing' from there he said.
This 'snowball' was created by Ted. What Leaders say and do makes up to a 70% difference as to whether an Individual reports feeling Included. And this really matters because the more people feel Included, the more they speak up, go the extra mile, and collaborate - all of which ultimately lifts organizational performance. Read more in The Key to Inclusive Leadership.
“Accountability breeds response-ability.”
-Stephen Covey
I don't know why; however, Accountability reminds me of being a parent of small children. I remember when my boys were little and I'd ask them to do something and stubborn as they are, they wouldn't. So, in came the countdown! I knew that if I said "right, I'm counting to 10 and if you don't do what I've asked you there will be consequences". And if I said this and even if I explicitly said what the consequence was, then I'd better be strong enough to do it. Long story short, while I have fortitude in business I cannot get past my boy’s sad little faces, so I quickly stopped the countdown. See, I admitted I wasn't carrying through, so I came up with another solution - I handed it to my husband.
Awareness – you are aware that the quality management system is not performing to it’s potential and that action needs to be taken.
Understanding – because you are aware that the quality management system needs attention, you are curious to understand the system and identify improvement opportunities.
Engagement – you are aware that to elevate and improve the quality management system you need to engage your workers. When they are engaged and involved in the improvements they take ownership.
Path Forward – when you combine your awareness and your developing understanding the output is a plan or a path forward. You can see where you have to go and what needs to be done to get there.
Benefits – with your understanding of what needs to be done and the engagement of your workers the benefits of improvement can start to be noticed. This is where improvements will start to elevate the quality management system.
Ownership – with the engagement of the workforce and growing awareness, all workers at all levels will take on ownership of their own part of the quality management system. There is no more blaming or pointing fingers. Everyone is responsible.
1. Become familiar with the quality management system and Identify Improvement opportunities
2. Develop a plan to move forward.
3. Engage the workforce.
4. Be supported by an expert.
This article is just the beginning. Join us for the extended discussion on the podcast, available on Spotify and YouTube.