Diamonds to You

Happy Horrible Halloween:

As much as I love Halloween (except for trick or treat) this month has been like a Halloween nightmare.  I live in a townhouse complex and they are re-roofing,.  For one solid month now there has been hammering and banging.  They started my unit some weeks ago, and I was asked to remove anything breakable from the walls, high places, etc.  I did.  I had stuff all over my house and it looked like I was moving.  Then the rains came and there was a two week delay until they returned – with me continuing to live in the mess.  Now for the last week and a half more hammering and banging – this time right on my head.

So, that’s my excuse for why this newsletter is late.  I’ve gone crazy from the noise, the mess, and all the rest.

Harassment – Discrimination  Charges

Last month I mentioned the problems of people being charged and losing their jobs because of claims of harassment and/or discrimination that allegedly happened.  The investigations appeared to identify very minor inappropriate behaviors that caused these decisions.

Since then, I’ve been offering consortiums to small businesses and professional practices people sexual – cultural harassment and discrimination training workshops even though they are not legally mandated to have this training.

Think of it as risk management – an insurance program – and a pound of prevention.

I am repeating part of what I said last month:

Managers and well respected leaders are being fired because they occasionally lose their cool and say things they probably shouldn’t have – or don’t respond strongly enough to stupid comments made by others.

Yes, we should respond to harassment, discrimination, and environments that are so hostile as to make working there uncomfortable for reasonable people.  BUT, please, please, let’s not over-react.  If we over-react we are making a mockery of the very things we are trying to change.  One example:

I once heard a so-called expert in the field state publicly that all forms of sexual harassment are akin to rape and the trauma to the woman on the receiving end was as severe as if she had been raped. Do you mean to tell me that a rude comments about someone’s body is as horrible as grabbing them, throwing them down, and having un-welcomed sex with them?

I really thrive on your referrals to me.  Keep them coming!

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Policy, Procedures, Parameters

No matter how large or small your organization, you should have a comprehensive policy manual that includes all the legal things you are required to include.  Even more important though, is that this document should contain your vision, mission, goals and values.  You need to articulate the parameters into which your employees can be successful.  The more you are able to state and remind them of your values and behavioral expectations, the more likely you are to get what you want and need.

If you want my help with these, please contact me.

Controlling the Process to Improve the Outcome

Quality is not about finding mistakes at the end of the line.  It is not about ISO and bunch of numbers.  It is not about statistics (although statistical controls sometimes help you know how successful you have been.)  The key to quality is the attitude of the people and the systems they develop to make their tasks work better.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, known as the father of the quality movement, believed in people.  He believed that people basically want to do a good job.  His view of man (as is mine) is that man (and woman) is benevolent (unlike Hobbes who viewed man as a brutish lout unwilling to do anything unless the whip master were visibly present.)  Deming believed that people are motivated by the opportunity to have pride in their workmanship.

Thus, if they were involved in the development, modifications, and control of the process and methods used to produce a product (or service) for which they were responsible, they would be motivated to increase the quality of the work.

Dr. Deming believed that paying attention to work processes and methods at the beginning of the cycle reduced the rejects at the end of the process.  Thus, product costs would be lowered and productivity increased.

His “Statistical Process Control” emphasized the ability to determine the level and consistency of quality by a statistical analysis (this works well in manufacturing processes.)  Unfortunately, in many Silicon Valley companies, the utilization of statistics has taken place of the more important concept, which is the proper and respectful utilization of people. 

I’ve also known of consulting firms that send young men and women to teach quality, ISO, and now Six Sigma, from a formula – which emphasizes teaching people statistical analysis, rather than how to get the best out of themselves and others.  Yes, statistics may be needed, but statisticians are easy to find and use for the hour or two needed.  Much more important are the “soft skills” issues.

What Dr. Deming actually said was that you need to empower people to have the authority to make the decisions commensurate with their responsibility for product production.

He believed that if you improved quality you decrease costs, improve productivity, and decrease prices.  These increase your market share, help you stay in business, thus providing more jobs for the economy and a greater return on your investment.  According to Torres & Spiegel, 1991, Dr. Deming believed that management was responsible to:

• Create consistency of purpose in order to improve product and service quality.
• Adopt the philosophy of “leadership for change.”
• Cease dependence on end-of-the-line quality inspections; improve the production process instead.
• End the practice of awarding one’s business solely on the basis of cost; rather reduce costs by working with a single supplier.
• Strive always to improve every process for planning, production, and service.  Remember that quality must be built in at the design stage.
• Institute on-the-job training.  A manager’s primary role is that of trainer.
• Adopt and institute leadership.  The manager’s job is not to supervise; it is to lead.
• Drive out fear.
• Break down barriers between staff areas; teamwork is critical.
• Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce.  The primary responsibility for improving the system belongs to management.
• Eliminate numerical quotas for the work force and numerical goals for management.
• Remove the barriers that rob people of their pride in workmanship, including the annual rating or merit system.  [I disagree with eliminating the merit system – more about this later – ArLyne]
• Institute a vigorous program of education and self- improvement for everyone in the organization.
• Put everybody in the company to work on accomplishing the desired transformation.

 

Dr. Deming regarded quality not as an outcome, but as an activity; a never-ending cycle of improvement and innovation.  He encouraged change – change to improve customer satisfaction and change to create the balance between the market and the developing technology.

Like  every great man, the ideas he espoused were sound – the way in which his disciples followed through was to lose the guiding principles and create a bunch of narrowly defined rules.  The rules become more important than the principles they were intended to describe.

The Importance of a Meritocracy

The communists believed:  “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.”  Thus if a janitor had six children to feed, he might be earning more money than the bachelor Chief Engineer of a High Tech firm.

In organizations that don’t reward merit, incentive to excel seems to disappear over time.  If all we have to do to earn our salary is come to work, perform in a ho-hum mediocre manner, and not displease anyone, how lazy we become.

We see this tendency in organizations that give raises based on seniority and guarantee people their jobs for life.  Look at the California K – 12 education system for an example of how this creates mediocrity and failure.  Oh yes, the unions help here too.

On the other hand, provide the right tools, processes, management soft skills,  and resources – and reward based on the outcomes you wish to see – and you will have highly motivated and creative employees with great results for your organization.

Managing for Creativity – Part #4

Well, I just gave you a lot about managing for creativity by writing about Dr. Deming’s ideas about quality and mine about meritocracy.

The most creative people I know are those who love coming to work, interacting with other people, and the nature of the work they are assigned.  They want to stretch and learn new things.  They want the opportunity for professional and intellectual growth.  Most of all, they want acknowledgement (merit rewards) for what they accomplish.

I hasten to add:  That doesn’t mean quantity of output.  It’s quality and success that counts.

At a recent corporate workshop I conducted for a young gaming company, the group expressed the need for their CEO to tell them his vision, mission, values, and expectations of them.  They, like almost everyone else, want to know the parameters into which they could be successful.

So, provide parameters, resources, processes, respect and encouragement, and a properly devised merit reward system –and you will encourage creativity and innovation.

Let me brag

I recently received a lovely thank you from Tom Incorvia, the Director of Product Alliances at Borland.  With Tom’s permission, I quote:

“You are a bold and skilled pro.  I have enjoyed ‘Diamonds  to You’.  It is refreshing that you speak crisply on topics of political sensitivity without giving up your integrity.  Thanks.  Tom Incorvia.”

Prior Newsletters

Several people have asked for information about my prior newsletters.  Rather than list all the articles here, let me refer you to my website, where Pete has published them.  (Pete is my great computer guru.)  To find these newsletters please visit:  http://diamondassociates.net/articles/Newsletters.shtml

Speaking Engagements

• I will be speaking at the American Dream Coalition on November 11, 2007.  I am going to be talking about developing board, committees, and volunteers.
• I will also be speaking at the California Writer’s Association’s SF/Peninsula Chapter on November 17, 2007.  My topic will be “Understanding the Psychology of your Characters, Their Families and Their Motivations.”

Recent Publications

Several more of my articles have been published in dozens of e-magazines and newsletters.  These articles are being published so frequently that I can’t list all of the references.  Instead, I suggest you Google:  ArLyne Diamond.

Here are some though:

• Cultural Differences in Group Decisions, in Outsourcing, October-November, 2007

• Change Management Strategies, in Outsourcing, August-September, 2007.

• Board Service is an Honor, Echo Journal, August 2007

• Real World Solutions: Hiding Disability Facts Leads To Misunderstandings, in Thompson’s ADA Compliance Guide, August 2007, Col. 18, #8.
• Team Buidling Strategies, in Outsourcing, WORDlabs MEDIA, Kuala Lumpur., June-July 2007.
  
  
• Building Trust in Distant Teams, in Management Issues Feb. 20, 2007.

• Workplace Conflict Resolution:  What’s Creating Workplace Conflict and 9 Easy Ways to Resolve it appeared in Impact Articles:  The Business and Coaching Network on January 26, 2007   With my permission, this article will also appear in a series of newsletters created and marketed by Haley Marketing Group to their staffing industry clients.

My two published books are available at www.ProductivePublications.com.

• Training Your Board of Directors:
  A Manual for the CEOs, Board Members, Administrators and Executives of Corporations, Associations, Non-Profit and Religious Organizations
• The “Please” and “Thank You” of Fundraising for Non-Profits:
  Fifteen Essential Ingredients for Success

So, how can I help you?

Your columns were quite interesting and I agree with just
about every thing you say….Some of your underlying philosophy
of management reminds me of Robert Townsend’s Up The Organization
… probably the best book on business and management I’ve read.
David J. Estrin, Senior Editor, Garland Publishing, Inc.

Successful process and organizational improvements require strong facilitation
and interpersonal skills.  ArLyne has the ability to listen, manage conflict
and get to the bottom line.  …resulted in positive and tangible changes to
existing processes and organization [as well as] community participation.
Connie Martinez, Vice-President Joint Venture Silicon Valley

 

Let me be your Aufin—your advisor to Kings.

 

ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D
ArLyne@DiamondAssociates.net