Page 258 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

ffective improvement requires changing the fundamentals of the
process or product. Experts agree: change is difficult, disruptive,
Eexpensive, and a major cause of error. Yet, there are some common
reasons organizations choose to face the difficulties involved with change:

• Leadership. Some organizations choose to maintain product or ser-
vice leadership as a matter of policy. Change is a routine.
• Competition. When competitors improve their products or services
such that their offering provides greater value than yours, you are
forced to change. Refusal to do so will result in the loss of custom-
ers and revenues and can even lead to complete failure.
• Technological advances. Effectively and quickly integrating new
technology into an organization can improve quality and efficiency
and provide a competitive advantage. Of course, doing so involves
changing management systems.
• Training requirements. Many companies adopt training programs
without realiz ing that many such programs implicitly involve
change. For example, a company that provides employees with
SPC training should be prepared to implement a process control
system. Failure to do so leads to morale problems and wastes train-
ing dollars.
• Rules and regulations. Change can be forced on an organization
from internal regulators via policy changes and changes in operat-
ing proce dures. Government and other external regulators and
rule-makers (e.g., ISO for manufacturing, JCAHO for hospitals)
can also mandate change.
• Customer demands. Customers, large and small, are not bound by
your policies. While some may request, or even demand that you
change your policy and pro cedures, others will say nothing at all,
and simply take their business elsewhere.

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