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The business environment inwhich anorganization must operate isacritical determinantofitsculture.Organizations that operate inahighly competitive business environment that changes rapidlyand continually are likely to develop achange-oriented culture.Organizations that operate inastablemarketinwhich competition islimited may develop adon’t-rock-the-boat culture.Organizational values describe what the organization thinks isimportant.Adherence to these values issynonymous with success.Consequently,anorganization’s values are the heart and soul ofits culture.Cultural rolemodels are employees atany level who personify the organization’s values.Whencultural rolemodels retire or die,they typically become legends intheir organizations.While stillactive,they serve asliving examples ofwhat the organization wants its employees to be.Organizational rites,rituals,and customs express the organization’s unwritten rules about howthingsare done.Howemployees dress,interact with each other,and approach their work are all part ofthiselementofanorganization’s culture.Rites,rituals,and customs are enforced most effectively by peerpressure.Cultural transmitters are the vehicles by which anorganization’s culture ispassed down throughsuccessive generations ofemployees.The grapevine inany organization isacultural transmitter,asareanorganization’s symbols,slogans,and recognition ceremonies.

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Many factors contribute to the creation ofanorganization’s culture.The value systems ofexecutive-level decision makers are often reflected intheir organization’s culture.Howmanagers treatemployees and howemployees atall levels interact onapersonal basis also contribute to theorganizational culture.Expectations are important determinants oforganizational culture.Whatmanagement expects ofemployees and what employees,inturn,expect ofmanagement bothcontribute to anorganization’s culture.The stories passed along from employee to employee typicallyplay amajor roleinthe establishment and perpetuation ofanorganization’s culture.All ofthesefactors caneither help or hurtanorganization.

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OperatingPhilosophy:In anorganization with atraditional culture,the primary focus isreturn oninvestment and short-term profits.Often the methods used to maximize profits inthe short term haveanegative effect inthe long run.In order to improve the organization’s bottom line onthe nextquarter’s profitand- loss statement,executives might decide to “unload”adefective product oncustomers,putoff critical technology upgrades,or eliminate training programs for employees. In anorganization with aquality culture,the core ofthe operating philosophy iscustomer satisfaction.Quality organizations focus ondoing what isnecessary to exceed the reasonable expectations ofcustomers.Such anapproach canlower profits inthe short run butisthe key to long-term survival andprosperity.For example,making amajor investment inanexpensive technology upgrade cancausethe next quarter’s profit-and-loss statement to beflat.Over time,however,the benefits ofthe newtechnology will take hold and will bereflected inprofit-and-loss statements for years to come.Objectives:Organizations with traditional cultures typically adopt short-term objectives.The focus isonwhat the organization should accomplish over the next several weeks and months.Organizationsthat adopt aquality culture planstrategically.They develop both long- and short-term objectives,andthey doso within the context ofanorganizational vision.ManagementApproach: In organizations with traditional cultures,managers think and employees do.In fact,employees don’t just do;they dowhat they are told.Managers are seen as“bosses”who giveorders and enforce policies,procedures,and rules.In organizations with quality cultures,managers areseen ascoaches ofthe team.They communicate the vision,mission,and goals;provide resources;remove barriers;seek employee input and feedback;build trust;provide training;and reward andrecognize performance.Attitude toward Customers:Organizations with traditional cultures tend to look inward.They aremore concerned about their needs than those ofcustomers.Customer relations might actually be

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adversarial.Organizations with aquality culture are customer-focused.Customer satisfaction isthehighest priority and isthe primary motivation driving continual improvement efforts.Problem-Solving Approach:There isalotoffinger pointing inorganizations with atraditional culture.When problems occur,decision makers and employees tend to expend more energy ondeflecting orassigning blame than onidentifying the root cause ofthe problem,which must occur before theproblemcanbesolved. Another phenomenon that occurs intraditional cultures isthe “waitinggame.”With this strategy,decision makers hold back until someone appears to have the problemalmost solved;then they jump onboardand act asif the ideawas theirs all along.Such anapproachencourages manipulation and subterfuge rather than innovation and creative thinking.Whendifficulties occur inorganizations with aquality culture,the focus isonidentifying and isolating theroot cause so that the problem,and notjust its symptoms,canbeeliminated.Problemsolving istypically asystematic process undertaken by teams,with input solicited from all stakeholders.The goalisto create solutions,not“heroes.”Supplier Relationships:In organizations with atraditional culture,suppliers are kept atarm’s length inrelationships that are often adversarial.The maximum possible pressure isexerted onsuppliers tobring down prices and speed up delivery,even when such anapproach islikely to drive the supplierout ofbusiness.In organizations with aquality culture,suppliers are viewed aspartners.Supplier andcustomers work together cooperatively for the good ofboth.Each gets to know the other’s processes,problems,strengths,and weaknesses,and they collaborate,using this information to continuallyimprove the relationship and the performance ofboth.Performance-Improvement Approach:In organizations with atraditional culture,performanceimprovement isanerratic,reactive undertaking that istypically triggered by problems.Inorganizations with aquality culture,continual improvement ofprocesses,people,products,theworking environment,and every other factor that affects performance isatthe very core oftheoperating philosophy.

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Identify the Changes Needed:Make asystematic assessment from bottom to topto identify whichchanges are needed inorder to establish aquality culture.Putthe Planned Changes inWriting:According to the results ofthe assessment make alist ofimprovements that are needed.Develop aPlanfor Making the Changes:Adetailed planshould bedeveloped answering the followingquestions:1) Who will beaffected by the change?Who will have tobeinvolved inorder for the change to succeed?Who islikely to challenge the change?2)What tasksmust beaccomplished?What are the most likely barriers?What are the related processes andprocedures that will beaffected by the change? 3)When should the change beimplemented?Whenshould progress bemeasured?When should the various tasks associated with the change beaccomplished?When should implementation becompleted?4)Where will the change beimplemented?Where are the people and processes that will beaffected?5)Howshould the changebemade?Howwill itaffect existing people and processes?Howwill itimprove quality,productivity,and competitiveness?Understand the Emotional Transition Process:The success ofthe implementation will depend to alarge extent onhowwell advocates play their roles.It isessential that they understand the emotionaltransition people go through when forced to deal with change,particularly unwanted change.Identify Key Peopleand Make Them Advocates: Key people are those who canfacilitate and thosewho caninhibit implementation ofthe change.These people should beidentified,brought together,and given the plan.Take aHearts-and-Minds Approach:Onanintellectual level,people may understand and even agreewith the reasons behind achange.Butunderstanding intellectually israrely enough.Peopletend toreact to change more onanemotional (hearts)level than onanintellectual (minds)level,atleast

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initially.Therefore,itisimportant to take the timeto dealwith the inevitable emotional response that occurs inthe early stages ofimplementation.Apply Courtship Strategies: Courtship isaphase inarelationship that moves slowly butdeliberatelytoward adesired end. If advocates think oftheir relationship with potential resisters asacourtship,they will bebetter able to bring them along and eventually win them over.Support,Support,Support:This finalstrategy iscritical. It means that the material,moral,andemotional support needed by people undergoing change should beprovided.

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Autocratic Leadership:Autocratic leadership isalso called directive or dictatorial leadership.Peoplewho take this approach make decisions without consulting the employees who will have to implementthem or who will beaffected by them.They tell others what to doand expect them to complyobediently.Critics ofthis approach saythat although itcanwork inthe short run or inisolatedinstances,inthe long run itisnoteffective.Autocratic leadership isnotappropriate inatotalqualitysetting.Democratic Leadership:Democratic leadership isalso called consultive or consensus leadership.Peoplewho take this approach involve the employees who will have to implement decisions inmakingthem.The leader actually makes the finaldecision butonly after receiving the input andrecommendations ofteam members.Critics ofthis approach saythat the most populardecision isnotalways the best decision and that democratic leadership,by its nature,canresult inthe making ofpopulardecisions,asopposed to right decisions.This style canalso lead to compromises thatultimately failto produce the desired result.Participative Leadership:Participative leadership isalso known asopen ,free-rein ,or nondirectiveleadership.Peoplewho take this approach exert little control over the decision-making process.Rather,they provide information about the problemand allow teammembers to develop strategiesand solutions.The leader’s job isto move the team toward consensus.The underlying assumption ofthis style isthat workers will more readily accept responsibility for solutions,goals,and strategies thatthey are empowered to help develop.Critics ofthis approach sayconsensus building istimeconsuming and works only if all people involved are committed to the best interests oftheorganization.Goal-Oriented Leadership:Goal-oriented leadership isalso called results-based or objective-basedleadership.Peoplewho take this approach askteam members to focus solely onthe goals athand.

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Only strategies that make adefinite and measurable contribution to accomplishing organizationalgoals are discussed.The influence ofpersonalities and other factors unrelated to the specific goals ofthe organization isminimized.Critics ofthis approach sayitcanbreakdown when teammembersfocus so intently onspecific goals that they overlook opportunities or potential problems that falloutside oftheir narrow focus.Advocates oftotalquality saythat results-oriented leadership istoonarrowly focused and often centered onthe wrong concerns.Situational Leadership: Situational leadership isalso called fluid or contingency leadership.Peoplewho take this approach select the style that seems to beappropriate based onthe circumstances thatexist atagiven time.In identifying these circumstances,leaders consider the following factors:.Relationship ofthe manager and team members.Howprecisely actions taken must comply with specific guidelines.Amount ofauthority the leader actually haswith team members

Depending onwhat islearned when these factors are considered,the manager decides whether totake the autocratic,democratic,participative,or goal-oriented approach.Underdifferentcircumstances,the same manager would apply adifferent leadership style.Advocates oftotalqualityreject situational leadership asanattempt to apply anapproach based onshort-term concerns insteadoffocusing onthe solution oflong-term problems.

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The appropriate leadership style inatotalquality setting might becalled participative leadership takento ahigher level.Whereas participative leadership inthe traditional senseinvolves soliciting employeeinput,inatotalquality setting itinvolves soliciting input from empowered employees,listening to thatinput,and acting onit.The key difference between traditional participative leadership andparticipative leadership from atotalquality perspective isthat,with the latter,employees providinginput are empowered. Collecting employee input isnotnew.However,collecting input,logging it,tracking it,acting onitinanappropriate manner,working with employees to improve weaksuggestions rather than simply rejecting them,and rewarding employees for improvements that resultfrom their input—all ofwhich are normalinatotalquality setting— extend beyond the traditionalapproach to participative leadership.

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Develop aCompelling Change Picture:One ofthe mainreasons why people inorganizations resistchange isfear ofthe unknown.Once people become comfortable with the familiar,they tend to resistanything that threatens that comfort.To counteract fear ofthe unknown,organizational leaders candevelop acompelling change picture.Achange picture isabrief butcompelling written explanation ofthe five Ws and one Hofchange:what,where, when,who,and why plus how.The change pictureshould beputinwriting to ensure that all organizational leaders convey the same message.Mixedmessages during atimeofsignificant change canquickly undermine the success ofthe changeinitiative.The change picture explains what the change isgoing to be,where itisbeing made,when itisbeing made,who will beaffected by it,why itisbeing made,and howstakeholders will beaffectedby it.Communicate the Change Pictureto Stakeholders:Once the change picture hasbeen developed,itmust becommunicated to all stakeholders.Atwo-stepapproach canbeused:(1)give the changepicture to stakeholders inwriting and (2)explain the change picture verbally atthe team ordepartment level.Giving the change picture to stakeholders inwriting will ensure that everyone getsthe same message,thereby neutralizing the rumor mill.Explaining the change picture inface-to-facemeetings will allow stakeholders to askquestions,seek clarification,state their concerns,and venttheir feelings.Conduct aComprehensive Roadblock Analysis:The purpose ofthe roadblock analysis isto identify allpotential roadblocks that might impede implementation ofthe change initiative. This stepisaccomplished by conducting face-toface meetings with employees who are going to have to carry outthe practical,day-to-day work ofthe implementation.It isimportant that the personnel involved inthis stepbesupportive ofthe change initiative.Experience shows that objectors will use the roadblockto create roadblocks rather than eliminate them.The philosophy underlying the roadblock analysis is

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that the employees who are closest to the day-to-day work ofthe implementation are more likely thananyone elseto see problems,glitches,or circumstances that could sidetrack the implementation.Remove or Mitigate All Roadblocks Identified:Sometimes the roadblock analysis will reveal that theproposed change initiative isabad idea.However,more often itsimply identifies roadblocks that mustberemoved or mitigated before they canimpede implementation ofthe change initiative.Implement the Change: Once all roadblocks have been identified and either eliminated or mitigated,itistimeto implement the change initiative.The implementation— even after roadblocks have beenremoved—isnotlikely to go forward without problems.Consequently,itisimportant to have animplementation planthat turns the implementationinto asystematic process.Monitor and Adjust: Even after developing acomprehensive and detailed implementation plan,organizational leaders should never assume that the process will simply take careofitself.Rather,they should monitor closely and quickly take any action necessary to removeimpediments so that the momentumisnotlost.The implementation isneither overnor isitsuccessful until the change initiative represents the normalway ofdoing things.

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