Everyone is responsible for quality. This saying is increasingly popular as comp

Question

Everyone is responsible for quality. This saying is increasingly popular as companies compete on quality. Sustainability issues have equally become important as the world community seeks for solutions to climate changes. Are companies able to achieve quality and sustainability at the same time? Are there some common grounds? Develop a plan to help companies to achieve both noble goals. What do companies really mean when they say that quality is the responsibility of everyone? And how do they go about achieving this.

Explanation / Answer

Ans:

The quality and sustainability are two different issues and one factor does not need to be sacrificed to achieve the other.In other words, an organization can produce extremely high quality products or services and do sustainable business, keeping its promise for being eco friendly at the same time. For example, a handicraft and handloom manufatcuring organization can produce very high quality textiles and artifacts by utilizing the skills of master craftsmen, and be environmentally sustainable by sourcing ethically, utilizing lesser energy, water and other resources and treat or recycle its waste responsibly.

Companies know that individual efforts are not good enough to achieve and maintain high quality. It calls for a team effort to achieve it. In fact, the quality originates from the very culture of the organization, that is built by the founders and top managers of the organization over the years. The quality is the outcome of culture that promotes, nurtures and rewards excellence in whatever one does. The individual contributions to excellence, when taken together, form the basis of quality and its sustainability. Therefore, every individual needs to do his /her work with utmost dedication and sincerity to achieve high quality. Companies should take following steps to achieve quality goals.

(a) Build quality in the culture of organization.

(b) Empower employees to do their best to achieve high quality.

(c) Reward excellence.

(d) Develop well planned quality policy.

(e) Train and develop people.

(f) Upgrade the skills of workforce.

(g) Adopt best practices.

(h) Encourage teamwork.

(i) Retain, nurture and attract best talent.

Plan to help companies achieve the goals of quality and sustainability.

(a) Develop a quality policy, Make quality a part of vision and mission of the company, identify people for the defined roles, get accreditions for quality management systems, develop standard operating procedures for all processes.

(b) Train and develop people for roles, manage the change process, Include HR functions also in the quality management.

(c) Adopt the best practices of industry as benchmarking norms and employ continuous improvement techniques. Use technology to reduce flaws and achive high precision with lower rejection rates.

(d) Promote and reward individaul and team efforts.

(e) Analyze the carbon footprints and develop a plan to reduce it. Recycle, reduce and re- use the resources judiciously to make the organization more sustainable. Shift to the processes that consume less energy and resources.

(f) Manage all stakeholders effectively. Involve them in decision making. Involve communities where the company works. Develop a CSR policy. Invest in betterment of communities.

(g) Source ethically. Make sure that the entire value chain is free from any unethical or environment unfriendly practices.

(h) Use eco frinedly products and processes whereever possible. Replenish the resources through planting of trees, water harvesting etc.

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