Chapter 9: Empowerment and Quality

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Questions and Answers

What does empowerment in the workplace primarily aim to improve?

Employee satisfaction

Organizational performance (correct)

Leadership skills

Company revenue

Which of the following is NOT one of the four E’s emphasized by Jack Welch?

Ability to energize others

Strong communication skills (correct)

Edge to make tough decisions

High personal energy

What practice did Jack Welch implement to enhance collaboration within General Electric?

Standardized procedures

Increased bureaucracy

Reduced team sizes

Launched the workout process (correct)

How should organizations view their employees according to the principles of an empowered workplace?

As the organization's most important resource Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason for decentralizing decision-making in an empowered workplace?

To place responsibility where the information is most accessible Signup and view all the answers

What is empowerment in the workplace primarily concerned with?

Expanding employee knowledge, tasks, and decision-making responsibilities Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a diagnostic question for assessing the need for empowerment?

Are all employees satisfied with their current tasks? Signup and view all the answers

How can ownership of stock benefit employee motivation?

It combines financial investment with participation in decision-making Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best reflects the impact of employee participation on business success?

Employee participation is almost never negative or neutral and positively impacts business success Signup and view all the answers

Which historical aspect is relevant to understanding empowerment in the workplace?

The historical roots of the quality movement Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of empowering employees in the workplace?

Allowing subordinates to take the lead in performance planning Signup and view all the answers

What are the three 'needs to know' that employees have?

Grand plan, personal expectations, and feedback Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT one of the seven rules for effective meetings?

Encourage leadership presence before taking action Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following communication challenges is highlighted as a barrier?

Fear and trust issues Signup and view all the answers

What does the concept of 'setting standards' suggest in an empowered workplace?

Standards should be established collaboratively Signup and view all the answers

What is the essence of empowerment in the workplace?

The expansion of employee knowledge and decision-making responsibilities Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors is NOT typically linked to a need for empowerment?

Strong communication among teams Signup and view all the answers

Which strategy can enhance employee motivation alongside empowerment?

Providing stock ownership combined with participation Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the benefits of employee participation in a business?

It leads to higher business success Signup and view all the answers

What could potentially indicate a need for empowerment within an organization?

High costs due to waste and inefficiency Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of a leader in a workplace that emphasizes empowerment?

To facilitate communication and collaboration Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following practices helps fulfill employees' 'need to know' regarding their personal roles?

Communicating the purpose and values of the organization Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is essential for effective communication within a team according to the guidelines provided?

Writing and distributing minutes after the meeting Signup and view all the answers

What is one key aspect that should be avoided to ensure effective meetings?

Having discussions that lack preparation Signup and view all the answers

How should roles and responsibilities be defined in an empowered workplace?

Through collective discussions among team members Signup and view all the answers

What is one of Colin Powell's rules for leadership?

Be demanding. Signup and view all the answers

According to Joseph Jablonksi, which ingredient is essential for quality management?

Participative Leadership. Signup and view all the answers

What does W. Edwards Deming emphasize as crucial for improving product quality?

Delegated tasks and power. Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of the Deming Prize?

To recognize outstanding achievement in quality control. Signup and view all the answers

Why is a talented and committed workforce necessary in the global marketplace?

To ensure quality products and services. Signup and view all the answers

What philosophy regarding expertise is stated by Rene McPherson?

The performer of a task is often the best expert. Signup and view all the answers

What impact did Deming have on the production level workforce?

Taught them statistical techniques of quality control. Signup and view all the answers

What does perpetual optimism serve as, according to Colin Powell?

A force multiplier. Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the key principles taught by Edwards Deming regarding quality and cost?

The more quality that is built into anything, the less it costs over time. Signup and view all the answers

According to Deming, what should be eliminated to ensure better quality?

Mass inspection as a dependence for quality. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of teamwork does Deming highlight as important in his teachings?

Close collaboration between workers and managers. Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the objectives of the quality movement inspired by Deming?

To break down barriers between departments. Signup and view all the answers

What does Deming advocate for in order to continuously improve quality and productivity?

Utilization of statistical methods. Signup and view all the answers

What did Frederick Winslow Taylor contribute to the management movement?

He developed monetary incentive systems. Signup and view all the answers

How did Henry Ford revolutionize the manufacturing process?

By organizing machines and workers along an assembly line. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Chapter 9: Empowerment and the Quality Imperative

Empowerment is the expansion of employee knowledge, tasks, and decision-making responsibilities.
Employee participation positively impacts business success, rarely having a negative or neutral effect.
Employee ownership combined with participation motivates employees.
Questions to diagnose the need for empowerment include:
- Do people seem uninterested in their work?
- Are absenteeism or turnover rates too high?
- Do people lack loyalty and team spirit?
- Is there a lack of communication among individuals and groups?
- Is there a low level of pride?
- Are costs too high because of waste and inefficiency?
- Does the quality of product or service need improvement?
Empowerment is driven by efforts to enhance performance.
In a global economy, the path to success is challenging.
Strong management is needed to overcome significant obstacles.
Employees' attention and effort address smaller obstacles.
Jack Welch, General Electric CEO, stressed the importance of strong leaders who are:
- High energy individuals
- Able to energize others
- Capable of making tough decisions
- Skilled in executing strategy
Welch reformed General Electric practices and culture by:
- Eliminating bureaucratic management
- Launching the workout process
- Sharing ideas across the company
- Rewarding innovation and implementation
- Borrowing ideas from other companies
Principles of an empowered workplace:
- Trust in employees' ability to achieve organizational goals.
- Invest in employees as the most important organizational resource.
- Recognize employee accomplishments.
- Provide symbolic rewards to acknowledge employee value.
Decentralize decision-making, placing responsibility as close to the customer as possible.
View work as a cooperative effort.
- Encourage teamwork to boost achievement.
The following table outlines empowered, out-of-control, and unempowered workplace approaches to decision making.
The following table outlines empowered, out-of-control, and unempowered workplace approaches to various processes.
Accurate, timely, and complete information is crucial; employees prefer information from immediate supervisors
Effective leaders are constantly communicating, even when not speaking.
A closed office door sends a powerful message.
Leaders should tailor their communication to the audience.
Employees need to know:
- The company's grand plan (purpose, values, and success strategies.)
- Expectations, reasons, and associated consequences of their actions
- Feedback on performance and recognition for their efforts.
Effective communication requires a top-down process, ensuring that everyone understands the message
Leaders are accountable for effective communication.
To effectively conduct meetings:
- Conduct meetings only when necessary.
- Clearly define objectives with an agenda prior to the meeting.
- Invite participants and provide necessary materials beforehand.
- Set a time and place suitable for effective and efficient work with all attendees accommodated.
- Encourage active participation from attendees.
- Establish clear action steps and responsibilities.
- Record and distribute meeting minutes.
Common communication problems include distance, distortion, fear, trust factors, size, complexity, and conflicts
People matter: Rene McPherson, past president of Dana Corporation, emphasizes employee importance.
Leadership requires:
- A vision
- Demanding standards
- Detail-oriented attention to small elements
- Sharing credit for successes
- Calm and kind demeanor
- Fixing problems
- Maintaining optimism
The struggle to compete in the global marketplace emphasizes the importance of quality.
Quality products and services are an inherent consumer demand.
A talented, committed, and empowered workforce is crucial to meeting consumer demands for quality
Quality management principles include:
- Participative leadership
- Continuous process improvement
- Effective use of groups
W. Edwards Deming highlighted the importance of participation in restructuring the Japanese economy, and the Deming Prize for exceptional quality control.
- Teaching statistical quality control tools/techniques to employees who can then improve quality.
- Management recognizing the importance of employee input to quality process improvement.
Deming emphasized quality building and cost reduction over time.
He stressed the importance of creating a strong system and consistency of purpose, the necessity to use statistical measurement to reduce variation issues, and emphasized teamwork between workers and managers.
The Deming Chain Reaction reveals that better quality leads to decreased costs, improved productivity, market capture, business survival, and increased job opportunities.
Continuous improvement methods:
- Create consistency and purpose
- Establish high standards
- Eliminate dependence on inspection for quality
- Reduce supplier numbers
- Recognize that system issues are frequently the source of defects, not the worker
- Improve job training
- Provide higher supervision levels
- Break down department barriers
- Eliminate fear by promoting open communication
- Remove/avoid numerical goals & slogans
- Use statistical methods for continuous improvement of quality/productivity.
- Remove obstacles to pride of work
- Institute programs for employee education and training
- Ensure management's commitment to quality/productivity
Classical/behaviorist viewpoints on managing complex environments emphasize embracing the strengths of different perspectives.
Strong quality improvement/continuous quality improvement philosophies stem from scientific management and human relations principles.
A balance between these two approaches helps ensure wide acceptance among managers.
U.S. companies realized that traditional approaches to managing quality were insufficient for achieving world-class quality.
The total quality management (TQM) model was adopted to address gaps in traditional approaches
TQM emphasizes building in quality and prevention-based strategies over inspection.
TQM's success leads to improvements in areas such as:
- Business productivity
- Employee relations
- Productivity gains
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Increased market share
- Enhanced profitability
Common traits of companies experiencing successful quality initiatives:
- Prioritize customer needs
- Incorporate values into company operations
- Empower and train all employees
- Integrate quality-focused processes for continuous improvement
The implicit value system of the quality movement emphasizes the repeating of past processes yielding no change, therefore, if you want to see improvement—a different approach is required.
Contemporary improvement methods such as Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, checklist procedures, and ISO standards reflect modern approaches to quality enhancement that continue to be relevant today.
Continuous improvement underscores the importance of accurate data, insightful analysis, creative thinking, reliable measurements of inputs/outputs, and workforce discipline.
Continuous improvement standards are found in eight areas:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Employee Involvement
- Process-oriented work
- Systems-focused management
- Continued improvement
- Data-driven decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
Successful initiatives for improved quality performance incorporate:
- Management commitment
- Employee support
- Thorough training
- Consistent application of principles and practices
- Positive reinforcement
Six Sigma quality: Statistical tools for analyzing product defects.
Lean manufacturing: Approach to improving business performance for quality, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
Checklist procedures: Well conceived, communicated, and executed procedures.
ISO standards: Voluntary quality standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization.
ISO standards of performance are set in eight areas:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Involvement of people
- Process approach to work
- System approach to management
- Continual improvement
- Factual approach to decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships.

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Explore the themes of empowerment and its critical role in enhancing quality within organizations. This quiz will examine employee participation, motivation, and management strategies essential for business success. Understand the signs that indicate a need for empowerment and how these factors contribute to overall performance.