Continuous Improvement of Individuals
In the past, the major focus for quality improvement was the individual. The cause of a problem was usually traced to a person, and pressure was applied for improvement. Sometimes this included disciplinary action. Now, it is widely recognized that most individuals try to do high quality work, but are blocked from doing so by the organization or the process they work within. For example, only a small portion of the problems pointed out by SPC can be solved solely by the operator. The bulk of the problems require a change in the process or organization.
To a large extent,individuals mirror the organization or process they work in. A human receives input,produces the understood output and changes actions based upon any feed back. To help an individual get high-quality performance, a standard of what is expected for output is needed. The standard should be custom-driven,and supported by the process. To develop the standard, it is necessary to understand what is needed by the customer,how this need can be satisfied and measured,and the limits acceptable to the customer. This must be clearly conveyed in some type of documentation. Also desirable in the standard is what the customer can expect if acceptable limits are not maintained. Conveying this to the individual is particularly challenging; feedback to the individual is vital to the improvement of quality. It can be internal feedback, with individuals checking their output against the standard, or external feedback from others, particularly customers. often, what is shown in the standard may need additional clarification. Modifications in the resources available to the individual may have to be made. The way feedback is given is critical. For example, if workers are struggling with quality problems and management complains that they are falling behind, the wrong signal is given,it ,may be seen as a strong statement that getting the product out is more important than quality.
To obtain the best quality,individual strengths should be matched to the needs of the job. Training should be done before placing a person on the job. The training objectives should include a clear understanding of the quality standards and how to measure them. The person also should understand what must be done if acceptable limits are not obtained. More companies are insisting that the operation be shut down until quality issues are resolved. Other important considerations are whether a person is mentally,physically and emotionally fit to do the job. Additional training may be in order. many companies are providing basic math and reading classes to those who need help. Physical impairments often can be handled by modifying work stations. In a few situations, it may be that the employee should be assigned elsewhere. When improvements are required from individuals during production, the same type of training mentioned above should be repeated. talking to the individuals to find out heir ideas could be an immense help. Most often the fix requires changing the process, not the individual.
