In search of excellence
WHEN Dr. Sivam (name changed), a U.S. resident accepted a challenging, but monetarily less rewarding assignment in India, he had little more in mind than going back to his roots after years of slogging it out in an alien land. But nothing had really prepared him for the culture shock that awaited him in his new assignment as the quality head of a manufacturing unit of a global conglomerate in a remote corner of Tamil Nadu.
Used to the disciplined and professional outlook of the western world, it was not long before Dr. Sivam found himself at loggerheads with employees of the unit. He simply could not understand their laidback approach to work or their easy acceptance of mediocrity. His detractors on the other hand, found him to be a critical and hard taskmaster. He was in the habit of speaking his mind, and while it did not go down well with a few employees under his scrutiny, most of the senior management appreciated his sense of discipline and commitment to work. They realised that Dr. Sivam's obsession for detail and an almost missionary zeal for accuracy, precision and excellence in every aspect of work was something that needed to be emulated by the rest of the staff. They encouraged him to become a role model for the others and lead them in the pursuit of excellence.
Dr. Sivam realised that he could not impose his standards of excellence on others— at least, not till they wanted it to be so. But lowering standards would mean embracing mediocrity. And this would mean abandoning excellence. If an organisation as an institution could not set standards for its employees to look up to, then how could it possibly hope to make an impression on its customers, vendors and associates? He reasoned that an organisation that abandoned its quest for excellence, could never hope to become world class or compete in the global market.
Dr. Sivam was determined to change the `anything goes' attitude and the culture of mediocrity that was prevalent in the unit. He felt that if he could change at least a handful of people, he could make a difference. With this in mind, he initiated a company wide programme to work for institutional excellence. A programme he decided to call, `I Demand Excellence'.
A purely voluntary multi-tiered programme aimed at individuals at all levels of management, it was for those who were genuinely interested and committed to continuously improving themselves.
Just do it!
He encouraged employees in leadership positions to join the programme, as they were in a better position to influence others. As the arbitrator of the programme, he warned that he would be demanding, obsessive about details, and an incessant and harsh critic. And his only condition was that the volunteers possess a genuine desire for excellence, a passion for continuous improvement, and an almost infinite capacity for accepting criticism and acting on it.
Participants in the programme had by default conferred every employee in the unit the right to offer criticism and suggestions for improvement on anything and everything that they did. Useful feedback, sincere criticism and suggestions for improvement were the keywords that governed the programme.
The programme moved forward on three levels. At the first level, participants were required to achieve standards of excellence. Once they had reached the required high standards, they could demand the same of their peers and associates in the second level. And at the third level, it would be possible for them to demand the same standards of excellence from even their bosses and superiors.
As arbitrator, Dr. Sivam charted out a set of fairly simple rules for the participants:
Stop doing poor quality work
Demand more from yourself than others do
Attention to detail even in small things
Continuous improvement
Life long learning
Have an open mind
Individual excellence to be embedded in teamwork.
Participants were required to bear these tenets in mind no matter where they were or what they did. If these simple rules were followed Dr.Sivam asserted, then excellence would be within the reach of every person who wanted to attain it.
He asked each participant in the programme to help at least one other person achieve excellence by sharing knowledge and by offering constructive feedback and genuine suggestions for improvement.
The group had regular interactions. Specific goals like `excellence in planning' or `process improvement' etc., were set for each meeting, and the discussions centered on how to achieve those goals. However feedback, honest criticism or suggestions for improvement could be offered by the participants at any point of time and was not confined only to meetings. The programme had a significant impact on the participants, probably because the participants were genuinely interested in achieving excellence. They only needed the right kind of feedback and advice to get them going. And the results were there for all to see— the sloppy work decreased (participants were willing to redo work that was of a poor standard.), quality of several processes showed marked improvement and employees were more open to feedback and criticism and became more committed to organisational goals.
Of the fifty odd people who enrolled in the programme, more than ninety percent felt that it had made a genuine change in their attitude to people and work. They had felt inspired by the programme to perform their very best.
This case study just goes to show how a single person can make a difference to the lives of others around him. Aristotle once remarked, `Excellence is not an act, but a habit!' No matter who you are or what you do, some kind of merit is always within your grasp. So hitch your wagon on to a star, draw out your best, and reach for it!
BINDU SRIDHAR
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