Politics in the Workplace

      Over the years I have learned the criticality of “getting along” with others. Coming up through the ranks, I found myself often butting heads with my peers and even though I was often times “right”, I was at the same time very ineffective as a team member and many people did not enjoy working with me. The purpose of my writing today is to focus on why politics are not the bad thing that many people believe. Participating in politics will allow one to go further in their career and have a more enjoyable time at work. Let’s get right to the first point.

     While working as a manager responsible for departments totaling greater than 50 persons, I found myself often butting heads with my peers and at times even with my superiors. I would use my technical ability to master management of my area of responsibility and use my spare time to find fault with the efforts of my coworkers. Soon many of them began to distrust me and others simply avoided me all together. As good as I was at what I did, it soon became impossible for me to get certain things done within the organization. This behavior ultimately not only slowed down my career but brought it to a stop when the telecom crash hit in 2002. When my team shrank due to repeated “right sizing” or layoffs, I knew there was not much need for a leader of my caliber to remain unless I could contribute in another capacity. Initially it was suggested that I might work in engineering, but I had already burned my bridges there and that team had no use for me. After a period of time I was laid off and unceremoniously sent on my way after nearly ten years with the company. Now that we know the bad let’s talk about the good!

     When a team works well together it makes a difference in not only what can be accomplished but the amount of effort required to get things done is also reduced drastically. What once took many meetings, arguments, or endless emails back and forth now I can achieve by simply asking. Also, more than once I was saved from embarrassing situations because a colleague decided to come have a discussion with me about an issue instead of going to my boss. Working together with others makes both parties look more successful to the senior leaders or executives. When things can get done without their active participation it makes all of the persons involved appear more competent. Additionally, when more can be accomplished in a short time there is often a cost savings realized. While one can never say for certain that they will receive some or all of that savings back personally in the form of wages, benefits, or bonuses, one can be certain if money is wasted or opportunity is squandered because of petty bickering or turf wars, the individuals involved nor the company will be able to do anything with those wasted resources. Lastly, let’s talk a bit about how to do politics right!

     This is my personal take on the topic, and over the years I have adopted ideas from many extremely intelligent people. I have learned from books, lectures, the Bible, podcasts, college classes, and I truly believe I could never learn too much about how to get along with others. First, always approach others in a loving way. I can hear it now, “No way, I hate that guy!” Well, here is the trouble with that attitude. If two people are on the same team (working for the same company = same team), then the success of the team is what is truly important. I can’t “win” while someone else on the team is “losing”. If I do win at another’s expense, the team doesn’t really win. Therefore, when I have a problem with a coworker or they are doing something that is causing me problems, I must approach them in a loving way, (not in a hateful way) in order to truly help them to be more successful. Being mean or hateful will only cause the coworker to be defensive so nothing will be resolved. Second, look for ways to better serve your coworkers. I can here you thinking “Hey where is the part where I get something?” We’ll get to that, keep your pants on! If you are constantly doing things that have a positive impact on your coworkers, their teams and the company, one day when you need some help with a project or task, you will have the full attention of the people you have been helping. It has been my experience that they will be not only willing to help you, but will be exited that they finally have an opportunity to do something for you.

    Now that I know how to do politics right, I see that being political is not a bad thing. It is a smart thing. It is how to get things done, make a better workplace and quite frankly a better world.

New Six Sigma?

In response to the announcement of a new version of SixSigma I formulated the following response:

I have studied many different continuous improvement methodologies over the years and would love to learn more about the the new kinder, friendlier Six Sigma, known as  "The New Discovery". Since I have always worked at smaller companies (the largest about 400 employees), I have always considered Six Sigma to be just what you have described, not really bad, just not a one size fits all approach (like Lean). Once one throws out the management structure (see ISIXSIGMA.COM ), all you really have left is a few statistical tools, project selection methodology, and the DMAIC process (which I honestly prefer over PDCA for a single process).

In the 90's, I worked for fabricated metal products company that was a first tier supplier to Motorola in Ft. Worth, Texas. I held the position of Quality Liaison to Motorola as well as a few other large corporations at that time. I had an opportunity to work with some great people, that had a very narrow directive (reduce variation). Years later, upon reflection (after the Motorola plant was shut down, all outsourced for cost savings I suspect), I have come to believe that Six Sigma lacks some things that I have found in Lean. Social responsibility, respect for people, and looking at the system as a whole, are the first things that come to my mind today when I compare the two. I imagine that I am not the only thinker out there who recognizes these things and I am certain there are more differences that I haven't thought of.

Hopefully the New Discovery was that Six Sigma was not a complete management philosophy but a project management system wrapped around some statistical tools that are great for companies of a certain size and type, but can not stand alone without further evolution.

I suppose I will have to give the new and improved version of Six Sigma a chance. I realize, having graduated from the school of hard knocks myself, one doesn’t need an impressive pedigree in order to become something of value to many.

Regards,

Robert N. West
Quality Manager and Lean Practitioner

Dr. W. Edwards Deming 14 Principals of Quality: Principal #2

     This is the second article in a series that I intend to write, in which, we explore the 14 points for management, set forward by W. Edward Deming in his book entitled “Out of the Crisis”, which was originally published in 1986 according to Amazon (My copy has copyright 1982).

    The second of the 14 points is:
2)    Adopt the new philosophy.

     In this chapter Dr. Deming points out the precision of the Japanese rail system and the fact that one would only need to give the departure times of the trains to give instructions for travel to some one new to the country.  This new level of precision has penetrated every aspect of Japanese life and since the time of the writing has taken over most of the world. There is a new much higher mark to aim for than what was considered acceptable in the past. We as Americans can no longer rest on our laurels. The new standards of quality and precision in the world have surpassed what was once acceptable.

     The focus of the text in this section describes the problem of defective products and the lack of understanding that just because your supplier replaces the defective product and absorbs the transportation cost does not mean that you are not paying for those expenses. That cost will just be added to the next shipment you receive.

      A new attitude aimed at continues improvement and elimination of defects is in order. Do not be satisfied with the replacement of shoddy products but insist the elimination of the cause of those defects.

Deming's 14 points of Management: Point #1

This is the first in a series of articles that I intend to write, in which, we explore the 14 points for management set forward by W. Edward Deming in his book entitled “Out of the Crisis”, which was originally published in 1986 according to Amazon (My copy has copyright 1982).

            The first of the 14 points is:

1)      Create constancy of purpose toward the improvement of product and service.

When Deming refers to constancy of purpose one imagines that there are at times shifting devotions and variable levels of dedication.  If one is in any organization that might be likened to a common garden variety American business, one will certainly be familiar with what the writer is referring to here. Most often people are very busy moving about in a frenzy taking care of the daily grind, without much care or concern for quality of product (or service) until there is a problem. Even when there is a problem, if the issue can be ignored, most often it will be. In general people don’t take time to improve quality until they are forced to do so (especially if it “is just a small problem”).

Management will go on looking at its daily issues and claim “we are to busy to deal with that” or “we just don’t have the resources to apply to resolving that issue” and my favorite “I don’t think we are ready for something that progressive”. This might go on for a period of time. Not looking at the potential magnitude of the “tiny” problems that could be fixed, preventing an emergency. No doubt, when one of these issues becomes a full grown non-conformance, that threatens short term profitability, management will be forced to act.

This is what seems to be the main idea behind point #1. There are two kinds of problems, short term and long term. Deming is suggesting that we must have constancy of purpose and plan for the long term. The short term is very simple. We are constantly forced to take care of those things, however the –in your face nature- of these things can easily distract even the most well meaning manager or supervisor from long term planning and proactive process improvement.

In the book Deming states “The next quarterly dividend is not as important as the existence of the company for the next 10, 20 or 30 years from now.” He suggests planning for the future with an aim on providing jobs. I think this is where many American companies failed of late. There have been so many jobs sent abroad with the sole purpose of improving quarterly earnings that the American worker has little faith or trust in our business leadership (and forget about respect).

Deming is able to sum up the strategy in a few words: Innovate, Invest in research and education, and constantly improve design of product (or service). With the emphasis on innovation Deming states, “One requirement for innovation is the faith that there will be a future. Innovation, the foundation of the future, can not thrive unless the top management have declared unshakeable commitment to quality and productivity.”

In the end, it will be up to us as leaders in business to determine what value we wish to bring to our communities, if any.

Deming's 14 Points

I recently commented on a guys post on LinkedIn. The topic was key points of management and he had stated that Deming's 14 points would be his first choice if he had to choose only three topics to teach.

My response:

"I am a huge fan of Deming also Tim. Out of the Crisis was one of the most insightful books that I have ever read. I found a tenth printing copy (from around 1990) at Half Price Books that looked like it had never been read. Inside was a laminated bookmark that had a GM logo, the 14 points one one side and the 7 diseases on the back. It made me wonder if the person who owned that book before me had any regrets about not reading it. I also thought about the possibility that that person was one of the many affected by the recent turn of events. It also reminded me what a shame it was that American businesses in general didn't take to heart some of these points."
"Hopefully that is beginning to change. I have recently seen signs that give me hope."

After writing this I thought to my self that it had been a long time since I read that book and I wondered how many of the points would seem familiar when if I read them now. This seemed to me to be a great topic for a new article. I will review and comment on Deming's 14 points in the weeks ahead, taking them one by one.

Quality is Free by Philip B. Crosby

Read this book to gain an understanding of how to implement a zero defects program. The information in this book is still relevant and valuable to this day. The author is recognized as one of the great thinkers in quality improvement. I personally, liked best some of the dialogs that were presented, since they presented very clearly how one might navigate the implementation of an attitude that conformance to standards is how to achieve customer satisfaction, and this is the responsibility of everyone who participates in the planning and production of the product or service... not the job of the quality department. The job of the quality department (if you have one) is to measure conformance, report findings, and insist that corrective and preventive actions are implemented.

Robert N. West
Quality Manager and Lean Practitioner
http://www.robertnwest.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/robertnwest
http://robertnwest.blogspot.com/

How to Create a Powerpoint Presentation

      I have both good and bad memories of meetings that were centered on a speaker and his or her presentation.  People from all walks of life use PowerPoint presentations because they are the best method of delivering information to a group of people. One must take the appropriate steps to develop a presentation that is interesting and to the point. Having this skill is crucial when a situation arises that requires this tool.
      PowerPoint has been a favorite method of delivering information in boardrooms and schools for many years. If one is in school or has a job, the skill of developing one of these presentations will come in handy sooner or later. PowerPoint is often used in schools by teachers to deliver information to students. Also, there are times when a teacher will request that each student deliver a report or other information using one of these presentations. Most modern classrooms are equipped with a projector with this purpose in mind.
      PowerPoint is used to deliver information in businesses of all sizes and the information that is delivered ranges from safety training to reviewing the quarterly numbers. Once developed, this skill will continue to be utilized throughout ones productive life, so we will describe the general process below, and it will serve as a guide to a successful presentation.
      First, gather the material that is needed for producing the presentation. The information one presents is the most important part of the PowerPoint presentation; it can be gathered from many sources. The internet is a valuable resource for finding information. Searching for information, using an optimized search engine (such as Google) can provide numerous sources quickly. More great sources are books, magazines and newspapers. Gathering information from text sources can be quite time consuming, so it is crucial to start as soon as possible. Depending on the topic that is being presented, one may find what he or she needs at a local library. Another great source of information is people. When trying to determine what information is most critical, asking an expert about a particular subject can save time. After the information has been gathered, it is time to gather some images. The images help hold the attention of the people viewing the presentation. Gather images together in a folder on the computer (don’t forget to back up). Don’t worry about the images being just right. One doesn’t need to have a specific purpose in mind for each image. Most of them will not be used in the finished presentation.  Keep the process to moving forward quickly. Don’t spend a lot of time thinking about each image or photo. Some clipart is included with Microsoft Office. Use the –HELP- feature found in the menu bar to learn how to access these images. Many images can be found on the internet. However, they may be copyrighted. If this is the case, one may be able to ask the owner of the image for permission to use it, but it is simpler to use images that are not copyrighted.
      Next, assemble the information and images into the slides. Begin with the content (or information) that is to be delivered. Group relevant information together on a slide. Keep adding slides until all of the information has been included. Once the slides have been created, it is a good idea to go through and arrange them in an order that makes sense, however the order doesn’t need to be perfect. Having the basic structure of the presentation in place is helpful to prevent repeating information. Now, the presentation has its basic shape, and it is time to add the graphics. Images are very simple to add to a slide. Simply copy and paste images into the slides. It is important to add graphics that will emphasize the message of a particular slide. For example, if a particular slide is focused on sales, a dollar sign may be a suitable graphic. It also important to use graphics that are relevant, or the audience may get confused. Don’t inadvertently mislead the audience with an inappropriate image either. If a slide is intended to propose the solution to a problem, and it has a photo of an angry mob in the background, the solution may not be well received.
      Finally, review the presentation, and practice speaking about what is on each slide. It is very important that the PowerPoint presentation assist the speaker in several ways. It should serve the purpose of: keeping the speaker on message, helping with time management, and ensuring that all of the important facts are presented. Also, special attention must be given to spelling and grammar.  If the presentation is riddled with misspelled words and poor grammar, the audience may disregard the information. They may be so distracted by the errors that they lose focus on the message. Another key aspect of a great presentation is clarity. Fine tune the wording to ensure the meaning of each slide is clear.  Next, check the message being conveyed. Is it to the point? Remove any extra information that does not contribute to the main point of the presentation. It is very embarrassing to be giving a presentation and find that the slides repeat information. Even worse, the presenter may get confused and say the same thing again and again. Take a trial run speaking about each slide. Anticipate what questions may arise about each topic. Write notes and keep track of what slide they are associated with. Make certain any relative facts and figures are close at hand. Many people (myself included) find it difficult to remember figures, especially when speaking in front of a large audience. Having facts and figures on hand will increase anyone’s confidence level.
      In conclusion, it is likely that one will find a need to deliver a PowerPoint presentation to a group of people, because it is used so extensively in our society, so always remember to gather, assemble, and review for a successful presentation.