Thursday, February 12, 2015

Why Should Quality “Go Global”?

This blog post is in response to February 2015 ASQ Influential Voices topic "Why Should Quality "Go Global"?"


ASQ's mission statement talks about increasing the use of and impact of quality in response to the diverse needs of the world. In my humble opinion, we need to do more, throughout the world, to accomplish that mission.

Here is my logic for 'Why':

  • In the 21st Century, globalization is the name of the game. An organization cannot survive and prosper, if it is only US focused.
  • Need for good education, proper healthcare, and responsive government are universal.
  • With limited global resources, need exists to ensure people's livelihood through economic prosperity.
  • We are polluting the world (air, land, water) faster than our forefathers did.
  • World is constantly in turmoil due to barbaric and uncivilized behavior of few people and groups.

Here is my logic for 'What' should be done:
  • Take a case of global supply chains. In the globalized scenario, the key players of the supply chain (suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and customers) could be anywhere in the world. When these key players integrate quality management to optimize their entire supply chains, they will achieve best performance for their supply chains. 
  • There is a need to skillfully integrate quality management with supply chain management to create innovative products/services to provide for the global citizens. ASQ should promote the use of Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria for better management of  global supply chains.
  • Quality is a common denominator for providing access, containing cost, and ensuring best outcomes in education, healthcare, and government sectors. ASQ should act as a catalyst to share best practices in all sectors globally.
  • For Economic prosperity, ASQ should promote effective and efficient deployment of ISO 9001 Standards globally.
  • For Environmental stewardship, ASQ should promote effective and efficient implementation of ISO 14001 Standards universally.
  • For Social Responsibility, ASQ should disperse effective and efficient use of ISO 26000 Standards for good governance and promote spirit of cooperation and collaboration among 7 billion people on this earth.

Here is 'How' we can carry the "Quality Torch" forward collectively and individually: 
  • Education Sector: ASQ India in collaboration with IIT (BHU) Varanasi, IIT BHU Global Alumni Association (IBGAA), and Business Excellence, Inc., USA we  initiated a Free Knowledge Transfer Using Technology (Google Hangouts). Under this initiative a 12 session Leadership Excellence Series (LES) was unveiled in August 2014 to impart soft skills and quality management principles/practices to India's top 1% of youth in engineering college. The resultant YouTubes are shared widely with 6,500 students, faculty, and administration at the IIT (BHU) campus.
          https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140822213201-1800896-knowledge-transfer-via-google-hangout?trk=mp-           reader-card

          https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140902040132-1800896-successful-launch-of-iit-bhu-asq-india-leadership-excellence-series 
  • Healthcare Sector: In 1989, we established Blind Foundation for India (BFI) with a mission to prevent and cure blindness as well as provide education and rehabilitation to over 15 million visually challenged people in India. This staggering number translates to one out of three blind people in the world residing in India. 
          Refer to my April 13, 2013 TEDxIIT Chicago Talk on "Exponential Power of the                      
          Gift of Giving" at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-fmkivYcVg&feature=share 
ASQ and quality professionals have treasure trove of knowledge which needs to be disseminated to uplift citizens of the world for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and peaceful coexistence.

I look forward to learn from your perspectives and practical experience in making Quality Global.

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