Tag Archives: Quality
Krayer Accepts ASQ Conference Invitation to Speak
For the third consecutive year, and fifth in the last seven years, Karl J. Krayer, President of Creative Communication Network, has accepted the invitation to speak at the Cowtown Conference of the American Society for Quality, to be held in Fort Worth on April 21, 2017.
The site for the conference is the Radisson Hotel Fort Worth, on Fossil Creek on Meacham. For registration information, contact Chris Hayden at .
At the bottom of this post are two pictures from Krayer’s presentations last year at the conference.
The two presentations will both be in the Leadership track for programs at the conference. The first one is a repeat of a presentation Krayer has given twice before at the conference. He was asked to deliver an encore presentation due to the extraordinary high marks given by participants on their program evaluations last year. Here is a description:
Organizing Change for Productivity and Results
Quality initiatives in most organizations typically involve changes in methods, processes, priorities, and other factors. People don’t resist change. They resist initiatives in which they are uninvolved and uninformed, which produce chaos and uncertainty, and which are imposed upon them. This type of change results in lost productivity for an organization. In this dynamic, interactive, and fast-paced session, learn how to maintain productivity during change with a three-component system that is systematic, systemic, and inclusive. Explore: (1) seven phases that provide change agents direction, (2) methods to gather and diffuse information to keep everyone involved and informed, (3) roles and responsibilities for each group in the organization that is impacted by the change throughout each phase of the process, and (4) mistakes that cause change initiatives to fail. Learn how this system allows organizations to “get it right the first time.” Become proactive by embracing change as positive, rather than focusing on how to survive, cope, avoid, manage, or adjust. This session is based upon the book that Karl co-authored with Bill Lee, Organizing Change: An Inclusive, Systemic Approach to Maintain Productivity and Achieve Results from Jossey Bass/Pfeiffer/Wiley (2003).
The second is new to the conference this year. Here is a description of the program:
Partnering for Quality: It’s Better Together!
Attention to teamwork and quality began in earnest in American business in the mid-80’s. Yet, today, many individuals and organizations do not practice teaming on the job. In this highly interactive and fast-faced presentation, you will learn the documented advantages of working in teams, four major processes to build partnering (goals, roles, processes and procedures, relationships), and links to effectiveness and efficiency on tasks and projects. Throughout the session, you will hear real-life examples of the presenter’s experience with teamwork and improved quality in the construction and utilities industries, among others.
Quality – The Strength of the Product; This is Ground Zero for Business Success (Insight from Gladwell’s latest)
Malcolm Gladwell has a new article. That sentence alone sends me to read the article immediately. He is the most curious of writers, and such a good and thorough storyteller.
His latest, Overdrive: Who really rescued General Motors? is based on the book Overhaul by Steven Rattner, and tells the story of the overhaul of General Motors. It is filled with insight. But this section jumped out at me:
Kristin Dziczek, of the Center for Automotive Research, estimates that the “new” G.M. is roughly eighty-five per cent the product of the work that Wagoner, in concert with the U.A.W., did in his eight years at the company and fifteen per cent the product of Team Auto’s efforts. That seems about right: car companies stand or fall, ultimately, on the strength of their product, and teaching a giant company how to build a quality car again is something that can’t be done on the private-equity timetable.
This is business success in a nutshell. After all is said and done, the quality of the product makes all the difference.
A few years ago, I was driving out in Lewisville (near Dallas), and noticed a new large store. I don’t remember the name, but walked in to check it out. It was clearly some kind of Container Store knock-off. They were trying to out Container Store The Container Store. What an impossibility! The Container Store oozes quality, along with its superior and legendary customer service. This store looked similar – but a walk though the aisles told me quickly that the quality was simply not a match. This was a counterfeit, a pale imitation… And, predictably, the store is long gone.
Whatever your business is, here’s your real test: how’s your quality? If it’s not the best, the top…if you don’t ooze quality, then your work is cut out for you. Get to work on quality. Only after the quality is there can you do all that other stuff that is needed for success.
