Page 393 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

380 M a n a g e m e n t o f H u m a n R e s o u r c e s

commitment to the vision and the development of personnel
and systems to sustain the vision.
5. Team learning. Senge describes teams as the “fundamental learning
unit” in an organization. Learning results from effective dialogue,
a word which Senge notes has its origins in the free exchange of
ideas, as well as the recognition and remedy of counter-productive
communication (e.g., defensiveness).
A critical aspect of Senge’s approach is the systems integration of the
five elements; individually, they will not suffice.
The reader should recognize the systems level approach advocated by
Senge and Joiner is woven throughout this book in a variety of contexts.
Deming strongly advocated systems thinking in problem solving and
management and specifically warned of the dangers in localized process
optimization at the expense of system-wide improvements. Womack and
Jones (1996) recommend implementation of the lean principles across the
complete supply chain from raw material to final customer use. Six Sigma
programs are designed at the organizational level, implementing cross-
functional projects, attacking issues critical to cost, quality and schedule,
impacting key stakeholder groups including customers, suppliers,
employees, and shareholders.
It should be clear that all aspects of quality management, including
assurance, planning and improvement, require a systems approach.
Anything short of that, such as departmental-level “grass-roots” process
improvement activities, risks suboptimization of the system at the expense
of the local process optimization. It is the responsibility of management to
effectively harness the organizational inertia for improvement, and guide
it toward a systematic solution of issues. Anything less is a failure of
management.

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