How Can We Boost Enthusiasm for Quality Management Amid Union Resistance?

Hi everybody,

Quality management and continuous improvement initiative

A quality management and continuous improvement initiative was introduced on the instructions of the head office, but there is little enthusiasm for it among either employees or managers. The unions have been hostile to any changes in working practices; for example, teamworking has been delayed by industrial action over union demands for a bonus to change to this new way of working.

Addressing lack of enthusiasm

Management decided that the lack of enthusiasm among employees was due to a lack of quality awareness. Therefore, a compulsory off-site training weekend was held despite resistance from workers and the unions. A minority of the workers refused to go and now face disciplinary action.

Please help improve the competitive advantage of my organization.

Thanks a lot!!

Sir, Any continuous improvement effort, such as TQM or Kaizen, is a strategically driven exercise that requires continuous top-level commitment and empathetic leadership, guided by a proper direction and destination of effort.

Any effort during the pursuit of TQM, organizations tend to go through three identifiable phases.

Phase 1: Start-Up

In this first phase, people at all levels of the organization struggle to learn about TQM and its principles. Early efforts generally involve implementing quality improvement projects by using the tools and techniques of TQM.

Phase 2: Alignment

In the second phase, the organization discovers that quality is more than the sum of isolated improvements. To truly leverage quality, organizations must align their organizational systems and practices to support quality and teamwork.

Phase 3: Integration

In the third phase, the organization strives to completely integrate TQM principles into every aspect of its operations so that its influence becomes invisible and automatic.

Given these three distinct phases in the implementation of TQM or any continuous improvement effort, analyze the causes for the failure of your effort using the analysis aid below.

Why Organizations Fail During Start-Up

1) Lack of Management Commitment
2) Poor Timing and Pacing
3) Wasted Education and Training
4) Lack of Short-Term, Bottom-Line Results

Why Organizations Fail During Alignment

1) Divergent Strategies
2) Inappropriate Measures
3) Outdated Appraisal Methods
4) Inappropriate Rewards

Why Organizations Fail During Integration

1) Failing to Transfer True Power to Employees
2) Maintaining Outmoded Management Practices
3) Poor Organization and Job Design
4) Outdated Business Systems
5) Failing to Manage Learning and Innovation Diffusion

Please bear in mind that if you have failed once, it is very difficult to secure the complete confidence of your employees again for this initiative. Ensure that next time, before you undertake any effort in this direction, you analyze the prevailing situation, identify the constraints, and take positive steps to overcome them. Create a climate of trust and participation in your organization, then proceed.

Regards

Hi! Organizational problems like this are difficult to solve by mere advice from people, whether experts or Ph.D. holders, who are far from the actual situation. Real solutions, whether along the lines suggested by our colleagues, can only be developed by people who are within the organizational environment because these countermeasures or programs must be adapted to the unique environment and situation of your company, especially considering the existing resistance from the union, as you mentioned.

I suggest you hire an OD or Labor Relations specialist/consultant to implement an Organizational Scan and Diagnosis Program that will assess your situation and recommend the most appropriate and immediate remedial actions. My company designs OD Scan and Diagnosis Tools that can help you assess your situation. We also have canned diagnostic tools available for sale.

Best wishes.

Regards, Ed Llarena, Jr.
Managing Partner
Emilla Consulting

Hi Lucky,

It's my pleasure to review your queries:

Quality management and continuous improvement initiative

A quality management and continuous improvement initiative was introduced on the instructions of the head office, but there is little enthusiasm for it among either employees or managers. The unions have been hostile to any changes in working practices, for example, teamworking has been delayed by industrial action over union demands for a bonus to change to this new way of working.

If you don't mind, I would like to share my perspective. It seems this initiative was taken at the Head Office, and we have made the typical management decision of implementing it without considering the views and opinions of the people. Naturally, people don't like things imposed on them.

As the HR Manager, you need to engage in discussions and involve people in these conversations. Identify the opinion leaders among the employees to champion the cause.

Union communication strategy

Use a combination of gentle and firm communication with the unions. Implicitly convey that if we don't innovate, our company could face closure and become unviable, which would lead to job losses. Initiate discussions with the workers by asking them why they should not adopt the new system or be innovative. Avoid interfering in the discussions, and they will see your point.

Addressing lack of enthusiasm

Management decided that the lack of enthusiasm among employees was due to a lack of quality awareness, so a compulsory off-site training weekend was held despite resistance from workers and the unions. A minority of the workers refused to attend and now face disciplinary action.

Employ the methods suggested above.

Lucky, don't give up and take charge of the situation if you truly believe in the cause.

Best of Luck!!

Rajat Joshi