How the practices of TecSmart support Deming’s 14 Points
There are various practices identified by TecSmart which support Deming’s 14 points in different ways. One of the methods which support Deming’s 14 points is the ongoing improvement of organizational practices through imparting knowledge to employees and managers alike. The course is accompanied by a focus on quality instead of inspection. That is the reason why the organization has identified the practice of testing quality through internal audits, getting customer feedback, involving the suppliers at all stages of product development, and getting feedback from employees regarding the quality of products. The practice is aimed at redirecting the energy used for supervision to quality improvement, which is a sharp contrast to classical management approaches in which supervisors are supposed to monitor employees to ensure that they follow the laid down procedures without making any mistake (Deming, 2000).
There is also the practice of creating an organizational culture in which managers and employees are friends, not enemies. The course is in line with Deming’s 14 points, which call for driving out fear so as to create a suitable environment for employee productivity. The organization also identified the practice of embracing self-managing teams, which are also referred to as self-directed teams. A self-managing team is a group of people who coordinate, oversee, and manage the work they do on a day-to-day basis.
They collectively handle assignments; make decisions related to the productivity of the organization and their work, and how to approach problems or challenges which face them in their work (Deming, 2000).
The other practice which supports Deming’s 14 points is organizational learning and development, which is attained through ongoing training of the workforce. Organizational learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge and ideas regarding a particular subject. The practice enables organizations to prepare employees for any change, which may come as a result of organizational restructuring, mergers, or adoption of a particular technology. It also enables organizations to have in place very competent and reliable employees who are flexible, open-minded, and able to handle any situation which may come along their way in their lines of duty. Organizational learning keeps organizations in a strategic position to increase their competitiveness as well as come up with best practices that improve not only their productivity but also their image (Deming, 2000).
How the practices support the Baldrige criteria
The practices of the organization also support the Baldrige criteria, which comprises seven categories of performance excellence in organizations. The types from which the questions are derived include leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement, workforce focus, operation focus, and results. The practice of having all senior leaders and departmental heads develop company objectives and ensure that all employees support the goals addresses the question of whether an organization has in place a systematic approach for designing processes which help in attaining specific productivity measures and improvement of the existing organizational internal processes (Brown, 2000).
The practice of collecting data from all departments for evaluation purposes addresses the question of whether an organization has in place a feedback mechanism regarding its products and services, while the practice of ensuring that all employees are trained on-the-job addresses the question of whether an organization has in place tools for nurturing employees’ talents, skills, and leadership capabilities. There is also the practice of investing in processes such as market research, customer feedback, and benchmarking information from suppliers, customers, and industry leaders. This practice addresses the question of whether an organization has mechanisms for ensuring that its strategy addresses long-term sustainability, significant shifts in the market, the organization’s weaknesses, strengths, and opportunities, as well as the regulatory environment (Brown, 2000).
The practice of ensuring that all employees are trained on customer relationship addresses the question of what an organization does in order to retain its customers and reach out to others so as to increase its customer base. The practice is also aimed at ensuring that an organization remains competitive through differentiation and positioning. The method of having employees have self-managed teams and make their day-to-day decisions pertaining to their work addresses the question of whether an organization has in place mechanisms for ensuring that there is continuity of operations in case of a vacuum in leadership; the idea being that self-managed teams take the role of leadership in their work as senior leaders and managers to play the roles of coaching, inspiring and motivating the employees to stay focused on quality and remain loyal to the organizations. The end result is a cohesive organizational culture, which is characterized by high degrees of employees’ loyalty, commitment, and devotion to corporate mission, vision, and core values (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010).
The practice of involving all stakeholders in the development of a new product addresses the question of whether an organization has in place mechanisms for ensuring that its products are of high quality than those of its competitors. If the stakeholders are involved in the initial stages, then the end result is a product that is readily acceptable by the customers because of their involvement in its development. The practice of having the vice president of sales handle and resolve all complaints related to operations addresses the question of how an organization anticipates and resolves function related issues raised by the public, with the idea of giving the organization a right image (Brown, 2000).
Opportunities for improvement related to the Baldrige criteria
Even though TecSmart’s leadership, under the guidance of the current administration, has embraced the Baldrige criteria to some extent, there is still room for improvement based on the criteria guidelines. The organization’s leadership, therefore, needs to engage further with the criteria and see what else they can do in order to maximize the benefits which come as a result of using the standards (Brown, 2000).
One of the obvious opportunities for improvement based on the criteria is the need to have in place a mechanism of ensuring that the organization promotes ethical behavior by employees and management. The moral climate in organizations touches on things like the working environment, the safety of employees, care, and conservation of the environment and practices which promote the interests of consumers. The ethical conduct of corporations is intertwined with corporate social responsibility, which is generally used to refer to the relationship between businesses and their environment (Dixon, 1994).
Many companies have clear guidelines on the amount of money they should spend on socially responsible projects. In order to enhance its ethical climate, TecSmart may consider having policies for ensuring that it maintains an honest relationship with stakeholders. For example, it may set aside 1% of its profits before taxation for socially responsible projects in each financial year (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010).
Although the organization has embraced the concept of teamwork, there is a need to have a code of conduct, which in many cases exists in the form of a document which clearly stipulates the behavior of employees while at work. The paper also outlines what constitutes ethical and unethical behavior, organizational values, and the repercussions of going against them (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010).
In order to make the code of conduct effective, TecSmart should organize seminars to discuss the document and explain to the employees what is expected of them, and make clarifications on issues which may not be exact. During such workshops, the employees should be helped to clearly understand how they should behave towards each other, their managers, customers, and other stakeholders. The code of conduct should be reviewed on a regular basis. The review process should be all-inclusive so that all employees are able to give their comments on the areas which they think need more attention in shaping the ethical climate of the organization. The employees should also be trained on a regular basis to fully understand and internalize the code of conduct (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010).
Another area where the organization has not utilized the Baldrige criteria effectively is the area of creativity and innovation. Innovation is the ability to invent, design, and develop new products. As per the requirements, organizations must have in place a mechanism for prioritizing areas of innovation. For this to happen, there is a need for an organization to spearhead a culture of innovation (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010).
Innovation is mainly driven by creativity in the sense that for a new product or process to be developed, there must be some degree of creativity involved. Creativity is not something that is in everybody’s mind, but it is a talent that needs to be identified, nurtured, and developed. What this means is that many people have different skills, but if they are not helped to discover them, those talents remain dormant for a long time. It is therefore essential for organizations to put in place mechanisms to ensure that employees are encouraged and assisted in discovering their talents and potentials and using them positively for the benefit of their organizations (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010).
References
Ahlstrom, D., & Bruton, G.D. (2010). International management: strategy and culture in the emerging world. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Brown, M.G., (2000). Baldrige award-winning quality: how to interpret the Baldrige criteria for performance excellence. Portland, Or. : Productivity Inc.
Deming, W.E. (2000). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Dixon, N. (1994). The Organisational learning cycle. How we can learn collectively. London: McGraw-Hill.