Process management and quality-improvement programs show signs of old-age
A recent article from the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) indicates that quality improvement programs such as TQM, ISO 9000, Six Sigma, etc. are beginning to fall out of favor with executives and corporations.
While these programs were once perceived to be universally good, questions are beginning to bubble to the surface as to their effectiveness. Many consultants have stopped talking about them altogether as the general consensus starts to build that these programs can hamper a company's ability to respond to technological change. And with as quickly as technology is changing, both inherently and in its impact on the world, this is not a good thing.
Many companies have now begun turning to the servant-leadership model of corporate structure and evaluation and have found it much more adaptable for hard-to-measure things such as leadership skills. While there certainly is a place for TQM and others in an organization, it can be destructive if applied across the board. It is merely a tool; servant-leadership is the culture that makes the tool effective.
While these programs were once perceived to be universally good, questions are beginning to bubble to the surface as to their effectiveness. Many consultants have stopped talking about them altogether as the general consensus starts to build that these programs can hamper a company's ability to respond to technological change. And with as quickly as technology is changing, both inherently and in its impact on the world, this is not a good thing.
Many companies have now begun turning to the servant-leadership model of corporate structure and evaluation and have found it much more adaptable for hard-to-measure things such as leadership skills. While there certainly is a place for TQM and others in an organization, it can be destructive if applied across the board. It is merely a tool; servant-leadership is the culture that makes the tool effective.
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