Page 51 - DMGT524_TOTAL_QUALITY_MANAGEMENT

Total Quality Management

Notes and morality. Leadership becomes moral in that it raises the level of human conduct and ethical
aspiration of both the leader and the led, and thus has a transforming effect on both.” Similarly,
Daimler Chrysler’s CEO Bob Eaton defines a leader as “someone who can be a group of people
to a place they don’t think they can go.” “Leadership is we, not me; mission, not my show;
vision, not division; and community, not domicile.” As the above illustrates, leadership is
difficult to define in anything other than lofty words.

4.1 Leadership

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award has a more grounded definition of leadership in
its core values. As stated in its core values and concepts, visionary leadership is:
“An organization’s senior leaders should set directions and create a customer focus, clear and
visible values, and high expectations. The directions, values, and expectations, should balance
the needs of all your stakeholders. Your leaders should ensure the creation of strategies, systems,
and methods for achieving excellence, stimulating innovation, and building knowledge and
capabilities. The values and strategies should help guide all activities and decisions of your
organization. Senior leaders should inspire and motivate your entire workface and should
encourage all employees to contribute, to develop and learn, to be innovative, and to be creative.
Senior leaders should serve as role models through their ethical behavior and their personal
involvement in planning, communications, coaching, development of future leaders, review of
organizational performance, and employee recognition. As role models, they can reinforce
values and expectations while building leadership, commitment, and initiative throughout
your organization.”

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. A leader strengthens and inspires the followers to accomplish …………………….
2. …………………… CEO Bob Eaton defines a leader as “someone who can be a group of
people to a place they don’t think they can go.”

4.2 Characteristics of Quality Leaders

The main behaviors or characteristics that successful quality leaders demonstrate:

They give priority attention to external and internal customers and their needs. Leaders
place themselves in the customers’ shoes and service their needs from that perspective.
They continually evaluate the customers’ changing requirements.

They empower, rather than control, subordinates. Leaders have trust and confidence in
the performance of their subordinates. They provide the resources, training, and work
environment to help subordinates do their jobs. However, the decision to accept
responsibility lies with the individual.

They emphasize improvement rather than maintenance. Leader use the phrase “If it isn’t
perfect, improves it” rather than “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There is always room for
improvement, ever if the improvement is small. Major breakthroughs sometimes happen,
but it’s the little ones that keep the continuous process improvement on a positive track.
They emphasize prevention. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is certainly
true. It is also true that perfection can be the enemy of creativity. We can’t always wait
until we have created the perfect process or product.

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