Letters
TO THE EDITOR

On managing change
I read with interest "Managing Change" (First Word, November 1998). My experience reinforces my belief that the issues of change and change management are very much issues of communications, i.e., the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The challenge is to maximize people's preference by helping them recognize how they react to the world around them and how they can use each other's preference type to establish a collaborative change management effort. It takes time, and, above all, senior management must lead through observable behaviors and maintain unerring dedication and perseverance.

--Al Barke
Defense Threat Reduction Agency
al.barke@dtra.mil

More on managing change
I agree that change is a vital ingredient to any organization's success. I believe that most people in today's society have begun to embrace this concept.

You mention the unpleasant situation of layoffs and how that translates into larger workloads for the remaining employees. I would be interested in hearing about organizations that have experienced layoffs, resulting in the remaining employees having to not only manage an increased workload, but also to find time to spend on initiating and implementing constructive, well-thought-out change.

--Dan Smith
American Society for Testing Materials
dsmith@astm.org

Change opens doors to opportunity
I found your article quite intriguing and very accurate. In my short career as a quality engineer, I have seen many cringe at the idea of change. While change can illicit a feeling of betrayal to some, it is just the tip of the iceberg for many greater things to come. My previous company decided to close the facility doors and move the operation to a sister plant down South. Even though this was a drastic change for many, it is my opinion that the door of opportunity opened wide. The people were given the chance to explore many other situations.

I am now struggling with my present company. A couple of people in the decision-making chairs look at dollar signs before anything else. Through hard work and persistence, I believe we will get over this hurdle and do things for the good of the company. At this point, change occurs only when corrective actions are issued.

Your article will be passed along to many in my organization.

--Stephen R. Vandre
stephenv@phillips-origen.com

Implementing cultural change
The company I work for has just been recommended for QS-9000 certification, and one of the main challenges in the implementation process was "cultural change." Even though we have been recommended for certification, we're far from being compliant with the standard. Not only has it been a challenge getting people to change--even if it is for the better--but also getting upper management to buy into, and believe in, the requirements of QS-9000.

--Anonymous
qsresearch@aol.com

Baldrige Award inspires interest
Seldom do I dive into a publication immediately after returning to my desk from the mail room. Your article on the Baldrige Award ("An Era of Positive Change: The Baldrige Award's Future," November 1998) inspired a rash divergence from common practice.

The Baldrige has intrigued me since its inception. The diversity of opinion on its viability as a business improvement tool inspires me to consider more deeply the implications and use of all the tools available to us. While the number of submitted applications has dropped considerably in the last four years, it has grown by leaps and bounds on the state level.

I was quite disappointed by your choice of a voice to represent the anti-Baldrige sentiment. Phil Crosby has consistently bashed nearly every improvement concept that is even slightly contrary to his own. He has been anti-Baldrige since its inception. Fortunately, Crosby's opinions carry little weight and have had no influence on those who support the process. His comment about interest in state awards losing steam shows how out of touch and behind the times he has become.

--Michael Glowacki
mjg@elkaymfg.com

Who is your customer?
I just read James Harrington's column, "Who Is Your Customer?" (Performance Improvement, December 1998) with great interest.

I'm chief information officer of a health care system in the Midwest. Our information technology department is under attack by upper managers for not being responsive to their customers. The front-line and middle management people are satisfied and complimentary of the support they get.

It has been ingrained in our IT staff culture to provide high-quality support to our customers. When computers were first introduced to business, they were used primarily by clerks and secretaries. The next wave put them in the hands of production workers, which in a hospital are the caregivers. The third, and current wave, is to put them in the hands of knowledge workers, often considered to be "upper management."

While this evolution has taken place, IT has not made the shift from thinking the front-line employee is their primary customer. This causes us to put the needs of the front-line employee ahead of managers' needs.

When I read Harrington's column, I realized I have a blind spot in knowing who my primary customers are. I'm going to use this insight as a catalyst to encourage the IT staff to rethink their whole customer service approach. The article has led me to believe we need a paradigm shift in the magnitude of 180 degrees.

--Larry Koch
Heartland Health System
St. Joseph, MO
larryk@mail.heartland-health.com

Quality in the military
I recently read "Profiting from Patience: TQM Pays Off" (Quality Digest, November 1998). I appreciate the study showing that time and patience do "pay off" when it comes to an investment in quality. The military "embraced" TQM some time ago, but I haven't seen a study anywhere that showed outcomes in our setting. Have any similar studies been done on TQM in a military setting?

--Robin M. Rubbo
Naval Healthcare Support Office
Norfolk, VA
hsn1rmr@hsn10.med.navy.mil