Quality initiatives rarely fail because of bad tools. They fail because people don’t adopt them.
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Organizations spend months mapping processes, running kaizen events, or documenting corrective actions, only to watch the improvements unravel when employees quietly return to the “old way.” Leaders get frustrated, teams lose momentum, and quality becomes seen as another passing program.
The overlooked factor is change management. While quality management focuses on systems, standards, and processes, change management focuses on people—their readiness, willingness, and ability to embrace new ways of working. Without it, even the most elegant solution won’t take root.
The blind spot in quality initiatives
Every major quality framework—be it lean, Six Sigma, ISO, Baldrige—assumes people will adopt the improvements once they are proven effective. But adoption isn’t automatic. Data alone don’t overcome fear of disruption, loss of control, or cynicism that “this too shall pass.”
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Comments
Great article!
I love your correlation between quality activities (root cause analysis, corrective action and process mapping) and their change management equivalents!
Quality Activities & Change Management
Thank you Len. What you seen anything along these lines, OR can think of a scenario where this concept would add value?
Change Management is "Everyone's" Responsibility
Akhilesh,
I really liked your example about how "success breeds success." I have found that true in my experience as well (I'm sure many others have too).
While I agree that Quality Leaders could do a much better job of being advocates of change management and learn the skills to do so, I often see them as didactic proponents of whatever audit they are trying to pass at the time. That is why it is incumbent on Senior Leadership to help ensure that the goal is not just passing "this audit," but actually instilling the cultural change that will make it easier to sustain and pass "future audits." Only then will the company thrive now and in the future.
Change Management and Quality Leaders
Ken, Thank you for your thoughtful comment! I completely agree that, while Quality Leaders should be advocates of change management, there is often a tendency to focus narrowly on meeting specific audit requirements rather than fostering long-term cultural transformation. As you pointed out, senior leadership has a key role in shifting this mindset. The ‘stay within my job constraints’ mentality is deeply embedded in organizational culture, but for sustained success, embracing change beyond immediate tasks is essential to drive continuous improvement and thriving in the future.
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