The Change Agents Handbook

Introduction

Quality is never an accident: it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.             -- Willa A. Foster

This book deals with the role of change agents in orchestrating and supporting a very specific type of organizational change: the adoption of quality management principles and methods as the foundation for running the organization.

In order to accomplish this transformation successfully, some people within the organization must understand the following three broad areas:

1. the role of change agents,
2. the science of improving quality, and
3. the process of orchestrating change.

In this book we will refer to the organization-wide adoption of quality management principles and practices as a quality approach. It is often referred to by other names such as total quality management or continuous quality improvement.

This approach is based upon a body of knowledge – a philosophy and set of principles that are translated into action by means of proven methodologies, tools, and techniques. This approach is not new. It is based upon a line of thought begun by Dr. Walter A. Shewhart of Bell Laboratories in the 1930s, and subsequently developed by teachers and thought-leaders such as Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. J. M. Juran, and Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa.

Between 1950 and 1990, a few pioneering industrial companies, first in Japan and then in the United States, developed these ideas into a practical and comprehensive approach to management, and perfected a range of supporting methodologies and tools. Today, this quality revolution is spreading throughout the industrial world, as well as into other sectors such as government, health care and education. Like the Industrial Revolution, this revolution appears to be unstoppable because of the potential it offers for economic and social gain.

Exhibit I.2 sets out the main characteristics of a quality approach, as well as some common misconceptions. If you would like to know more, refer to Appendix A, Quality in a Nutshell. This is a thumbnail sketch that provides a perspective and context for the rest of the book. It sets out the scope of this field and its historical roots, definitions of quality, and what a quality approach is and is not.

If you are already familiar with the history of the quality revolution, and if the table below tells you nothing you didn't know already, then you are ready to proceed to the next chapter immediately.

Exhibit 1.2

More Information

• Table Of Contents
• Chapter Summaries
• Readers Comments
• Frequently Asked Questions
• An Excerpt
• Ordering Information