Bob King's Organizational Vision

For several years, I served as a member of the Research Committee of GOAL/QPC, the organization best known for its Memory Jogger booklets used by thousands of companies and other organizations around the world.

GOAL/QPC's primary mission was to learn what could be learned about the quality focus of companies, primarily in Japan, that made Japanese companies such effectiuve competitors in the global marketplace. As a result, GOAL/QPC was responsible for translating into English much of the Japanese quality literature during the 1980s.

The following vision was created by friend and colleague Bob King, founder and President of GOAL/QPC, to give a flavor of what an effective organization should be striving for. Bob was instrumental in bringing the messages of W. Edwards Deming, long revered in Japan, to America.

As you consider this vision, think of organizations you have worked for (or are currently working for) and compare how well you think they are doing.

"...TQM Vision

1. Imagine an organization that knows what customers will want 5‑10 years from now and exactly what they will do to far exceed all expecta­tions.

2. Imagine an organization where each employee knows what they need to do in their job to make the organization run smoothly. These actions are documented, audited and updated daily as changing situations require it.

3. Imagine an organization where each employee manages by facts, knows how to analyze problems using simple tools for understanding variability and data.

4. Imagine an organization where each employee generates 100-200 suggestions per year (2‑4 per week) and 95% are implemented and joins with the work group to maximize this progress.

5. Imagine an organization where everybody knows the most important variable to control to satisfy customers and guarantee effectiveness and efficiency and where these standards are documented and updated daily.

6. Imagine an organization where the president sets the two or three most important goals for the year, every manager knows these goals and the 2 or 3 most important tasks to help achieve these goals, has measurable milestones on these activities which they personally audit monthly and document and send up through the organization to enable diagnosis and improvement.

7. Imagine an organization where each employee understands not only how to do their job but how to make significant improvement on their job on a regular basis.

8. Imagine an organization where each employee knows all the people who supply them with data and materials and gives them clear concise advice on how to improve that data and material and where each person knows all their customers and seeks out ways to meet all expectations in providing data and materials.

9. Imagine an organization where all managers and staff people use effective and simple planning tools on a regular basis to do a better job.

10. Imagine an organization where cross-functional teams assure that quality, cost, efficiency, services and profit are managed on a con­sistently high level throughout each business unit of the organization.

11. Imagine an organization where quality assurance and reliability are managed effectively on a daily basis but also, the total organization is thoroughly familiar with the customers.

12. Imagine an organization where all problems and challenges are met by a team of the most appropriate people regardless of level or job within the organization.

13. Imagine an organization where all information flows smoothly and concisely to the people who need it and both daily and improvement activities are audited at each level of the organization to assure that each employee reaches their full potential..."

Source: Bob King, GOAL/QPC