WORKING AT HEIGHTS - Wind Energy Network

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTQUALITY MANAGEMENTWhether the subject is the management ofquality or the quality of management themessage is the same.The principles of ISO9001 are almostuniversally valuable, but the value ofISO9001 implementation is almostuniversally ridiculed.The subject of implementation, and theoutrage of consultants selling overlybureaucratic compliance systemswithout a single care for the achievementof ownership throughout the team,is discussed at greater length in theworkshop.Let us concentrate on the positive firsthalf of the statement in this short text.We are talking about Kotter’s steps4 and 5. The delivery of a consistentquality performance depends upon thedecisions that every individual takeswhen confronted with the variables ofhis/her operation. Any other concept ofteam performance is significantly lessproductive.When every individual can take ownershipof, and personally commit to the principlesof quality management he or she is thenable to implement them consistently in allthe varying situations with which he/she isconfronted. We call this initiative.So what are the principles of ISO9001?1 Understand our customers’requirements2 Create the environment to succeed3 Involve the team fully to achieveobjectives4 Identify the activities & resource thatmake a process5 Manage the processes that make abusiness system6 Turn experience into learning &improvement7 Manage information to improvedecisions8 Create value together with ourcustomersIt sounds good stuff doesn’t it? And so itis. However, I would guess that 95% ofthe individuals who work for businessesthat have been sold ISO9001 have nofamiliarity with this set of principles.The ONLY chance of successfullyimplementing ISO9001 is if 100% ofthe individuals understand how theseprinciples relate to their work experience,and are committed to applying them.ENVIRONMENTIn our workshop on competence youwill recall that the three constituents oforganisational competence are Expertise,Equipment and Environment. One cansee just how important it is for managersto create, maintain and develop theright work environment. Without theunderstanding of objectives and principlesindividuals in the team cannot volunteertheir commitment, andwithout each individual’scommitment to performa manager is consignedto the close supervisionof everyone’s actions.These managers feelthe need to monopolisethe authority to makedecisions because, intheir view, no-one hasearned the trust to be‘let loose’.The litmus test fora successful workenvironment isdelegation.DELEGATIONWhen I think aboutthe good managers I have worked for(there have been some) and the badmanagers (there have been more) thereis one common factor… delegation.All of the good ones were successfuldelegators, and all the bad ones wereawful delegators. Indeed there are veryfew shades between good and baddelegation.What is the difference between a gooddelegator and a bad delegator?For me the answer is authority. Thinkabout it as it affects you. In order tosucceed in achieving an objective youneed to know that the responsibility isyours, and that you have the authority totake the necessary action. And there youhave it, good ones delegate responsibilityand authority, and bad ones delegateresponsibility, but not authority.FINAL THOUGHTSMcCrimmon and Kotter have clarified thesubject of management for me. I urgeyou to read the books I have detailed. Forthose avid readers amongst you there isone other book in my list of ‘must reads’.Marcus Buckingham’s ‘First Break All theRules’ sounds like a call to rebellion, butit really isn’t. It is challenging and thoughtprovoking, anything less would be a wasteof time.Management is a function, a responsibilityto execute the agenda.Resist the temptation to mimic someoneelse’s style. Even if they have beenhugely successful, they have got thereby doing it THEIR WAY. They may sellbooks by promoting style, but they won’timprove your chances of being a bettermanager by persuading you to adopttheir style. There is only one successfulstyle…YOURS, but the functions of goodmanagement are universal.John Brittonjohn@renewablesnetwork.co.ukwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk21