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Team Building
~ How
To Build Quality Into Your Team
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 Quality is primarily viewed in
terms of corporate culture, multi-departmental ad-hoc task forces and the
salvation of entire companies. This article, instead, will view these ideas
as they might be applied by a Team Leader with a small permanent staff.
Quality has become the philosophers' stone of
management practice with consultants and gurus vying to charm lead-laden
corporations into gold-winning champions. Stories abound of base companies
with morose workers and mounting debts being transformed into happy teams
and healthy profits; never a day goes by without a significant improvement,
a pounds-saving suggestion or a quantum leap in efficiency. With this
professed success of "Quality" programmes, there has evolved a proscriptive
mythology of correct practice which has several draw backs:
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The edicts call for nothing less than a company
wide, senior-management led programme.
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The adherence to a single formula has a limited
effect, precludes innovation outside these boundaries, and reduces the
differentiation which such programmes profess to engender
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The emphasis on single-task, specially formed
groups shifts the focus away from the ordinary, daily bread-and-butter
Of course, these criticisms do not invalidate the ideas of Quality but are
simply to suggest that the principles might well be viewed from a new angle
- and applied at a different level. This article attempts to provide a new
perspective by re-examining some of the tenets of Quality in the context of
a small, established team: simply, what could a Team Leader do with his/her
staff.
What is "Quality"?
In current management writings
"Quality" has come to
refer to a whole gambit of practices which themselves have resulted in
beneficial side-effects; as a Team Leader, you will want to take advantage
of these benefits also.
The Customer
In simple terms, attaining Quality has something to do with satisfying the
expectations of the customer. Concern for the wishes and needs of customers
becomes the focus for every decision. What the customer wants, the company
provides. This is not philanthropy, this is basic survival. Through careful
education by competitors, the customer has begun to exercise spending power
in favour of quality goods and services; and while quality is not the sole
criterion in selecting a particular supplier, it has become an important
differentiator.
If one ten-pence ball-point runs dry in one month and another ten-pence
ball-point lasts for three then the second ball-point is the make which the
customer will buy again and which he/she recommends to others - even if it
costs a little more. The makers of the first ball-point may have higher
profit margins, but eventually no sales; without quality in the product, a
company sacrifices customers, revenue and ultimately its own existence. In
practical terms, Quality is that something extra which will be perceived by
the customer as a valid reason for either paying more or for buying again.
In the case where the product is a service, Quality is equated with how well
the job is done and especially with whether the customer is made to feel
good about the whole operation. In this respect Quality often does cost
more, but the loss is recouped in the price customers are prepared to pay
and in the increase of business.
Reliability
The clearest manifestation of Quality is in a product's reliability: that
the product simply works. To prevent problems from arising after the product
is shipped, the quality must be checked before-hand - and the best time to
check quality is throughout the whole design and manufacturing cycle. The
old method of quality control was to test the completed product and then to
rework to remove the problems. Thus while the original production time was
short, the rework time was long. The new approach to quality simply asserts
that if testing becomes an integral part of each stage of production, the
production time may increase but the rework time will disappear. Further,
you will catch and solve many problems which the final "big-bang"
quality-check would miss but which the customer will find on the first day.
 To achieve this requires an environment where the identification of errors
is considered to be "a good thing", where the only bad bugs are the ones
which got away. One of the most hallowed doctrines of Quality is that of
zero defects. "Zero defects" is a focus, it a glorious objective, it is the
assertion that nothing less will suffice and that no matter how high the
quality of a product, it can still be improved. It is a paradox in that it
is an aim which is contrary to reason, and like the paradoxes of many other
religions it holds an inner truth. This is why the advocates of Quality
often seem a little crazy: they are zealots.
People as Resource
While Quality has its own reward in terms of increased long-term sales, the
methods used to achieve this Quality also have other benefits. In seeking to
improve the quality of the product, manufacturers have found that the people
best placed to make substantial contributions are the workforce: people are
the most valuable resource. It is this shift in perspective from the
management to the workforce which is the most significant consequence of the
search for quality. From it has arisen a new managerial philosophy aimed at
the empowerment of the workforce, decision-making by the front line, active
worker involvement in the company's advancement; and from this new
perspective, new organizational structures have evolved, exemplified in
"Quality Circles".
Without digressing too much, it is important to examine the benefits of this
approach. For such delegation to be safely and effectively undertaken, the
management has to train the workforce; not necessarily directly, and not all
at once, but often within the Quality Circles themselves using a single
"facilitator" or simply peer-coaching. The workforce had to learn how to
hold meetings, how to analyse problems, how to take decisions, how to
present solutions, how to implement and evaluate change. These traditionally
high-level managerial prerogatives are devolved to the whole staff. Not only
does this develop talent, it also stimulates interest. Staff begin to look
not only for problems but also for solutions. Simple ideas become simply
implemented: the secretary finally gets the filing cabinet moved closer to
the desk, the sales meetings follow an agenda, the software division creates
a new bulletin board for the sports club. The environment is created where
people see problems and fix 'em.
Larger problems have more complex solutions. One outcome of the search for
Quality in Japan is the system of Just-In-Time flow control. In this system,
goods arrive at each stage of the manufacturing process just before they are
needed and are not made until they are needed by the next stage. This
reduces storage requirements and inventory costs of surplus stock. Another
outcome has been the increased flexibility of the production line. Time to
change from one product run to the next was identified as a major obstacle
in providing the customer with the desired range of products and quantities,
and so the whole workforce became engaged in changing existant practices and
even in redesigning the machinery.
The Long Term
However, I believe that the most significant shift in perspective which
accompanies the introduction of Quality is that long term success is given
precedence over short term gains. The repeat-sale and recommendation are
more important than this month's sales figures; staff training and
development remain in place despite immediate schedule problems; the
product's reliability is paramount even over time-to-market. Time is devoted
today to saving time in the future and in making products which work first
and every time.
Team Quality
While the salvation of an entire corporation may rest primarily with Senior
Management, the fate of a team rests with the Team Leader. The Team Leader
has the authority, the power to define the micro-culture of the work team.
It is by the deliberate application of the principles of Quality that the
Team Leader can gain for the team the same benefits which Quality can
provide for a corporation.
 The best ideas for any particular team are likely to come from them - the
aim of the Team Leader must be to act as a catalyst through prompts and by
example; the following are possible suggestions.
Getting Started
There will be no overnight success. To be lasting, Quality must become a
habit and a habit is accustomed practise. This takes time and training -
although not necessarily formal training but possibly the sort of
reinforcement you might give to any aspect of good practise. To habituate
your staff to Quality, you must first make it an issue. Here are two
suggestions.
The first idea is to become enthusiastic about one aspect at a time, and
initially look for a quick kill. Find a problem and start to talk about it
with the whole team; do not delegate it to an individual but make it an
issue for everybody. Choose some work-related problem like "how to get the
right information in time" and solicit everybody's views and suggestions -
and get the problem solved. Demand urgency against a clear target. There is
no need to allocate large amounts of resource or time to this, simply raise
the problem and make a fuss. When a solution comes, praise it by rewarding
the whole team, and ensure that the aspects of increased
efficiency/productivity/calm are highlighted since this will establish the
criteria for "success". Next, find another problem and repeat.
The second idea is the regular weekly meeting to discuss Quality. Of course
meetings can be complete time wasters, so this strategy requires care. The
benefits are that regularity will lead to habit, the formality will provide
a simple opportunity for the expression of ideas, and the inclusion of the
whole group at the meeting will emphasize the collective responsibility. By
using the regular meeting, you can establish the "ground rules" of accepted
behaviour and at the same time train the team in effective techniques.
One problem is that the focus on any one particular issue may quickly loose
its efficacy. A solution is to have frequent shifts in focus so that you
maintain the freshness and enthusiasm (and the scope for innovative
solutions). Further benefits are that continual shifts in emphasis will
train your team to be flexible, and provide the opportunity for them to
raise new issues. The sooner the team takes over the definition of the "next
problem", the better.
Initial Phases
 The
initial phases are delicate. The team will be feeling greater
responsibility without extra confidence. Thus you must concentrate on
supporting their development. Essentially you will be their trainer in
management skills. You could get outside help with this but by undertaking
the job yourself, you retain control: you mould the team so that they will
reflect your own approach and use your own criteria. Later they will develop
themselves, but even then they will understand your thinking and so your
decisions.
One trap to avoid is that the team may focus upon the wrong type of problem.
You must make it clear any problem which they tackle should be:
This precludes gripe sessions about wages and holidays.
As with all group work, the main problem is clarity. You should provide the
team with a notice board and flip-charts specifically for Quality problems.
These can then be left on display as a permanent record of what was agreed.
If you can, steer the group first to some problem which has a simple
solution and with obvious (measurable) benefits. A quick, sharp success will
motivate.
Team Building
To succeed, a Quality push must engage the enthusiasm of the entire team; as
Team Leader, you must create the right atmosphere for this to happen. Many
aspects of team building can be addressed while Quality remains the focus.
 You must create the environment where each team member feels totally free to
express an idea or concern and this can only be done if there is no stigma
attached to being incorrect. No idea is wrong - merely non-optimal. In each
suggestion there is at least a thread of gold and someone should point it
out and, if possible, build upon it. Any behaviour which seeks laughter at
the expense of others must be swiftly reprimanded.
One crude but effective method is to write down agreed ground rules and to
display them as a constant reminder for everyone, something like:
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All criticism must be kind and constructive
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All our-problems are all-our problems
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BUGS WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE (but not for long)
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If it saves time later, do it now
Another method is to constantly talk about the group as
the plural pronoun: "we decided", "we can do this", "we'll get back to you".
This is especially effective if it is used in conversation with outsiders
(especially management) within ear-shot of the team. Praise and reward the
whole team; get the team wider fame by a success story in an internal
newspaper.
Most importantly, you must enable failure. If the team is unable to try out
ideas without rebuke for errors, then the scope of their solutions will be
severely limited. Instead, a failure should be an opportunity to gain
knowledge and to praise any safe-guards which were included in the plan.
Mutual Coaching
An important aspect of team interaction is the idea of mutual support. If
you can instill the idea that all problems are owned by the entire team then
each member will be able to seek help and advice when needed from every
other team member. One promoter of this is to encourage mutual coaching. If
one team member knows techniques or information which would be useful to the
rest, then encourage him/her to share it. Specifically this will raise the
profile, confidence and self-esteem of the instructor at the same time as
benefiting the entire group. And if there is one member who might never have
anything useful to impart - send him/her to a conference or training session
to find something.
Statistics
One of the central tenets of Quality programmes is the idea of monitoring
the problem being addressed: Statistical Quality Control. Quite simply, if
you can't measure an improvement, it probably isn't there. Gathering
statistics has several benefits in applying Quality:
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It identifies (the extent of) the problem
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It allows progress to be monitored
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It provides an objective criterion for the
abandonment of an idea
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It can justify perceived expense in terms of
observed savings/improvements
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It motivates staff by providing a display of
achievement
and, of course, some problems simply disappear when you
try to watch them.
The statistics must be gathered in an objective and
empirical manner, the outcome should be a simple table or graph regularly
updated to indicate progress, and these results must be displayed where all
the team can watch. For example, if your team provides product support, then
you might monitor and graph the number of repeat enquiries or the average
response time. Or if you are in product development, you might want to
monitor the number of bugs discovered (i.e. improvement opportunities).
In the long term, it may be suitable to implement the automatic gathering of
statistics on a wide range of issues such as complaints, bug reports,
machine down-time, etc. Eventually these may either provide early warning of
unexpected problems, or comparative data for new quality improvement
projects. It is vital, however, that they focus upon an agreed problem and
not upon an individual's performance or else all the positive motivation of
staff involvement will be lost.
Projects
Clarity of purpose - this is the key to success. You need a simple, stated
objective which everybody understands and which everybody can see achieved.
 Any plan to improve the quality or effectiveness of the group must contain:
By insisting on this format, you provide the
plan-owners with a simple mechanism for peer recognition (through the
displayed notice board) and yet enable them to manage their own failure with
grace.
For a small established team, the "customer" includes any other part of the
company with which the team interacts. Thus any themes regarding customer
satisfaction can be developed with respect to these so called internal
customers. In the end, the effectiveness of your team will be judged by the
reports of how well they provide products for others.
A simple innovation might be for a member of your team to actually talk to
someone from each of these internal customer groups and to ask about
problems. The interfaces are usually the best place to look for simply
solved problems. The immediate benefit may be to the customer, but in the
long run better communications will lead to fewer misunderstandings and so
less rework.
Building Quality
Quality costs less than its lack; look after the pennies and the profits
will take care of themselves. To build a quality product, you must do two
things:
It is a question of attitude. If one of the team spots
a modification in the design or the procedures which will have a long term
benefit, then that must be given priority over the immediate schedule. The
design is never quite right; you should allocate time specifically to
discussing improvement. In this you should not aim at actual enhancements in
the sense of added features or faster performance, but towards simplicity or
predicting problem areas. This is an adjunct to the normal design or
production operations - the extra mile which lesser teams would not go.
Many products and services do not lend themselves to quality monitoring.
These should be enhanced so that the quality becomes easily tracked. This
may be a simple invitation for the "customer" to comment, or it could be a
full design modification to provide self-checking or an easy testing
routine. Any product whose quality can not be tracked should naturally
become a source of deep anxiety to the whole team - until a mechanism is
devised.
One of the least-used sources of quality in design and production in the
engineering world is documentation. This is frequently seen as the final
inconvenience at product release, sometimes even delegated to another
(non-technical) group - yet the writing of such documentation can be used as
an important vehicle for the clarification of ideas. It also protects the
group from the loss of any single individual; the No.7 bus, or the
head-hunter, could strike at any time.
 In devising a mechanism for monitoring quality, many teams will produce a
set of test procedures. As bugs emerge, new procedures should be added which
specifically identify this problem and so check the solution. Even when the
problem is solved the new procedures should remain in the test set; the
problem may return (perhaps as a side effect of a subsequent modification)
or the procedure may catch another. Essentially the test set should grow to
cover all known possibilities of error and its application should, where
possible, be automated.
Role Change
As your team develops, your role as leader changes subtly. You become a
cross between a priest and a rugby captain, providing the vision and the
values while shouting like crazy from the centre of the field. Although you
retain the final say (that is your responsibility), the team begins to make
decisions. The hardest part, as with all delegation, is in accepting the
group decision even though you disagree. You must never countermand a
marginal decision. If you have to over-rule the team, it is imperative that
you explain your reasons very clearly so that they understand the criteria;
this will both justify your intervention and couch the team in (hopefully)
good decision-making practices.
Another role which you assume is that of both buffer and interface between
the team and the rest of the company: a buffer in that you protect the team
from the vagaries of less enlightened managers; an interface in that you
keep the team informed about factors relevant to their decisions.
Ultimately, the team will be delegating to you (!) tasks which only you,
acting as manager, can perform on its behalf.
Quality for Profit
By applying the principles of Quality to an established team, the Team
Leader can enjoy the benefits so actively sought by large corporations. The
key is the attitude - and the insistence on the primacy of Quality. As a
Team Leader, you have the power to define the ethos of your staff; by using
Quality as the focus, you also can accrue its riches.
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