TQM: Step One to Designing Processes that Deliver Continuous Value to the Customer by John R. Secor, CEO, Yankee Book Peddler, Inc. This article is an abridged version of an address delivered at the 1st International Conference on TQM and Academic Libraries held in Washington, DC April 20-22, 1994. The complete proceedings will be available in August from the Office of Management Services. Many business journalists are calling TQM a failed fad, and one cause of failure is that businesses adopt off- the-shelf total quality programs without having the necessary organizational underpinnings. Because TQM must be woven into an organization's strategic objectives, quality must be introduced by executives who are committed to improving performance and who are willing to lead the effort. Every leader and manager views his or her era as especially provocative, as uniquely chaotic, requiring radical and revolutionary change to set things right. While we certainly do live in challenging, some say unstable, times I don't believe that we should approach change with a revolutionary mindset. Nor do I believe that quality is an option; it is an imperative. Customers' expectations and choices have increased in this technological culture. TQM provides a basis by which companies can apply strategy, innovation, and action to bring about growth and improvement while taking care of employees and customers. It is the key to success in the 1990s. Organizational Underpinnings Before you can even begin to plan a total quality initiative you'll have to answer the question, "What business are we in?" Then ask: "Why are we considering TQM?" While many librarians, understandably, do not view the library as being a business, nor themselves as businesswomen or businessmen, they are, nevertheless, being admonished to become more business-like. In other words, initiate those business activities that will enable you to be more successful. However, no company or library should undertake a total quality program until the strength of the following five underpinnings are assessed and judged able to support the effort. These are: strong leadership, a definition of mission and vision, human resources involvement, a commitment to training, and a commitment to effective internal and external communications. Strong Leadership According to Michel Robert, strong leadership consists of three fundamental skills: strategic thinking, innovative thinking, and the "ability to deal with operational problems and decisions successfully."1 Senior executives and managers, as they sharpen their own ability to think strategically and creatively, must develop a culture that encourages everyone to innovate. A leader's objective should be to educate employees, so that they can both recognize opportunities that already exist and use change to create new opportunities. Today, far too many talented managers have been assigned to solving problems rather than to nurturing opportunities; leaders must extricate their key people from such damage containment activity and together start to think of ways to expand the business. Mission and Vision Douglas Schaffer emphasizes clarity of mission. "A company must begin the improvement process by defining their strategic business goals and integrating these into a plan to significantly improve organizational performance. The first step, analyzing the situation that creates the need for action and clarifying what needs to be accomplished, is probably the most important and the most overlooked." 2 Just as businesses must recognize what they do best, library leaders must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the library, and be focused on improving every process that is critical to success. This also involves knowing your competitors. Libraries already work in a competitive environment, with today's intra- institutional competition for funding, and tomorrow's information superhighway. To get your fair share of resources you need to know who you are today and who you want to be tomorrow. Human Resources Human resources and training staff play a critical role in helping employees to acquire new skills and adjust to new responsibilities. We discovered during our own assessment that we had not conducted a new employee orientation in over six months, and that on- the-job training was usually being conducted by the least productive employee. We almost immediately instituted ongoing monthly seminars that covered a wide range of topics, including time management, negotiating, managing change (the most popular to date), and listening skills. We also implemented a supervisor's training program and a management development program. Since Yankee Book Peddler adopted TQM in 1990, our training budget has more than quintupled. Unless you are both willing to and able to increase your training budget, do not even consider TQM. Internal and External Communications Since the change to a total quality system involves the workforce, employees must have a say in how their work is to be done and should not have to deal with surprises. They must also understand the reasons why the organization is focusing on TQM, as well as the goals that have been set. Rapid change requires frequent and effective communications. Most companies use a variety of tools to communicate - from monthly newsletters to quarterly staff meetings. In addition, I strongly suggest that libraries develop marketing strategies that effectively communicate to students and faculty the essence of your organization's mission and vision. The customer has to be made aware of the library's strengths. And like the "listen to the customers" component of good internal communication, good external communication involves listening to customers to know how they view the services the library provides. One final note regarding the pace of change that you should seek as you redefine your library: I am a fan of incremental improvement. Susan Lee, Associate Librarian of the Harvard College Library, writes that, "In changing an organization's culture, it is essential to remember that many small steps create change . . . We are focusing on building small wins and making continuous progress."3 Robert Schaffer and Harvey Thompson urge us to replace ". . . large-scale, amorphous improvement objectives with short-term, incremental projects that quickly yield tangible results . . ."4 If you already have a TQM program in place, I urge you to stick with it. Avoid being seduced by panaceas that promise fast-paced improvement. If you don't have a continuous improvement program in place and are thinking about funding a revolution, don't. Alone, TQM will not enable your company to meet strategic objectives, but it will play a big part. TQM is woven into my company's strategic business plan and continues to help us meet our goals. In 1986, Yankee Book Peddler employed 154 people. Today, we number 175 - a 14% increase over eight years. Our sales, over the same eight years, increased 200%. TQM works! 1 Michel Robert, The Essence of Leadership (New York, NY: Quorum Books, 1991): p. 3. 2 Douglas Schaffer, "Why Total Quality Programs Miss the Mark," The Journal for Quality and Participation, vol. 16 (September 1993): p. 20. 3 Susan Lee, "Organizational Change in the Harvard College Library: A Continued Struggle for Redefinition and Renewal," Journal of Academic Librarianship, vol. 19 (September 1993): p. 18. 4 Robert H. Schaffer and Harvey A. Thompson, "Successful Change Programs Begin with Results," Harvard Business Review (January-February 1992): p. 86. ------- ARL 181 A Bimonthly Newsletter of Research Library Issues and Actions Association of Research Libraries August 1995