NC State of Business

These days Management Systems such as ISO 9001 and the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria required communication processes, why do these continual improvement systems emphasize in communication if it is such a basic principle? Communication has always being important, at home, school, work, between different nations, etc. Through the years, technology has provided us with a lot of tools to communicate, every day these tools make possible for messages to travel faster and further. But I wonder… are we using the technology effectively to communicate, or are we abusing the technology and still not communicating?

Let’s set the example of emails, every time we write an email we really believe we are communicating, however, how do we ensure that the message was transmitted correctly? How do we know that the receiver of our message understood everything we wanted to say? And this not only happens with emails, it also happens with newsletters, telephone and face-to-face conversations. Ensuring that the receiver of our message really understands what we want to say is an art.

Recently, I read an article from the University of Maine stating that “We send from 100 to 300 messages a day. These include the message we intend to send, the message we actually send, the message as the hearer interprets it; the response of the hearer based on what he or she heard, and our reaction to the exchange of words, meaning and interpretation.”*

“We hear only half of what is said to us, understand only half of that, believe only half of that, and remember only half of that”* Wow! This phrase is quite scary, but at the same time is a challenge to ensure that our messages are clear and concise whenever we want to communicate something.

All these being said, when we communicate is important to remember:
“We see things not as they are but as we are” – H.M. Tomlinson. This means that we have to ensure that the messages we want to transmit are designed for the receiver and not for ourselves.

Avoid sounding judgmental or pointing fingers, use “I” statements to share what you think or feel without sounding like you are attacking or blaming, focus on common goals, ensure to tell the hearer how your message will affect them, try to use positive statements so the communication channel is not blocked.

Remember to pay attention to your body language, we communicate as much or more through body language as we do with words, some things to be aware of are: eye contact, facial expressions, stance and movement of arms, hands and legs.

Keep in mind the goal of your communication:
• To inform – to provide information for use in decision making but not necessarily indicating a course of action
• To request for specific actions from the receiver
• To persuade – to reinforce or change a receiver’s belief about a topic, and possibly act on the belief
• To build relationships – simple goal of building good-will between you and the receiver

In order to be a good communicator, it is important to be a good listener as well, good leaders have this skill and it is one of many that make a good leader, but we will talk more about good leadership skills in another time. By recognizing the importance of active listening and making it a key part of your group’s culture, you will save time by getting more information without having to repeat the same, will help the speaker clarify what they are saying and makes them feel heard, and will reduce emotions that could block clear thinking. When practicing the art of listening, just relax and listen with all your senses.

Effective communication helps group members to build trust and respect, foster learning and accomplishing goals. Every group is made up by people who share common interest and commitment, and yet may see things from a variety of perspectives. By communicating effectively, this diverse group will be able to understand the issues and make decisions for effective change.

I just hope that this communication was effective, and gives you some ideas on how to enhance or improve your communication skills.

*Kathy Walker et. Al “Communication Basics” LEADS Curriculum Notebook Unit II, Module 2-1 (Kansas State University, 2002), 2.
Reference: Effective Communication, Getting things done in groups , Bulletin #6103, Group Works, The University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Organizations often seek opportunities to improve their competitive advantage within their respective industries. Many organizations struggle to accomplish this goal without the use of a systematic approach to improve their organizational performance as it relates to quality products or services. Lean and Six Sigma are proven quality techniques that can help improve organizational performance. Although most organizations want to improve quality and cut costs, the deployment and implementation of continuous improvement methodologies is commonly viewed as a daunting undertaking.

For various reasons, some organizations focus their efforts on implementing Lean concepts, while others focus their efforts towards the implementation of Six Sigma methodologies. Lean is considered to be a systematic approach of eliminating waste in all processes of an organization and is based on the Toyota Production System (TPS). The term Six Sigma was coined by engineers at Motorola in the 1980’s which focuses primarily on reducing variation within a manufacturing or business process. Six Sigma improvements are based on a structured problem-solving methodology which requires project management skills.

Many organizations seem to find the appropriate balance of integrating both Lean and Six Sigma within their organizations to achieve optimal improvement performance. The term Lean Six Sigma represents this collaborative approach. By incorporating the tools and concepts of Lean into the structured DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) framework of Six Sigma, organizations are reaping the benefits of two very powerful and effective quality improvement methodologies.

There is always a level of risk associated with managing projects. Often discussed as individual topics, risk management and project management are now being integrated into general discussions of systems management. More specifically, the new version of AS9100 – Quality Management Systems - Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations actually includes specific references to the need for risk and project management processes.

Risk Management

AS9100 (Rev. C) has now added requirements for companies to assess and manage the risks involved with providing their product or service. So what is risk? Risk is that element of doubt you feel when you tackle something new and aren’t quite sure of the final outcome. Risk is defined in the AS9100 standard as “an undesirable situation or circumstance that has both a likelihood of occurring and a potentially negative consequence”. Risk Management consists of defining those potentially “undesirable situations”, assessing their probability of occurring; understanding what the impact may be should the event happen and determining what to do if the risk level is too high. A simple matrix can help you understand the level of risk associated with the products and service your company provides.

Once the risk level has been defined, then you develop action plans to reduce or eliminate the risk. If the risk level is low, you may be able to accept it without taking any action. Understanding and managing risk as it relates to Special Requirements, Critical Items, and Key Characteristics is the intent of the new requirements in the AS9100 Standard.

Project Management

Why add a Project Management requirement into the standard? If you are working on an aviation, space or defense project, you could be working on something that is quite large and complex, involving multiple suppliers or partners and takes place over a long time period. To be successful, these programs should be effectively defined, planned and executed in a controlled manner in order to meet the customers’ needs and expectations. Defining, Planning, Executing, Controlling – are key activities of project management. The new requirements in the standard promote additional focus on up front planning and encourage adequate controls throughout the whole “product realization” process to meet schedules and stay within resource constraints.

The revised audit standard for AS9100 Rev. C has not been released yet, so no companies can be certified to the new C version until the auditing documents are released, which is estimated to be mid-year 2010. What do you do in the meantime? If you are planning to get registered before the middle of next year, you can set up your program to meet the requirements for both B & C versions and get certified to the B version changing to the C version at an audit cycle. If you are already certified to AS 9100 Rev. B. you will need to add these and the other new requirements into your program during the next 30 months or before your next audit cycle if it occurs after mid-year 2010.

So often in the past, I have seen companies devote huge amounts of cash, personnel, materials, and other valuable resources on initiatives and strategies without putting forth the upfront work to make sure that all of the effort will yield a bountiful harvest. While I am sure the reasons vary and all appear to be justified, I have always been amazed that so much hinged on so little actual sustenance. I am starting to see a change in this type thinking.

My clients have been much more focused on: what type results they should expect, how they will get the results, what commitment level will be required, and so on. I have always gotten these type questions; but, now I see significantly more focus on the details. This may be one of the few pluses of the current slow economy. Maybe now, leadership is more cost conscience? Maybe it is lack of funds? Whatever it is, folks are asking the right questions.

On your core initiatives, make sure you are asking the right questions. Here are a few that I think need answers:

(1). How and to what extent will this help you? Dig down into the weeds here. Do not just accept that you will benefit. Will this benefit your customers? Your company finances? Your associates?

(2). How much will you have to commit? Time, money, materials, organizational involvement, supplier involvement, customer involvement, etc…

(3). Do you have the expertise to execute the initiative? Can you draw help from other sources in your company? Do you need outside assistance?

(4). Do you have time to make this happen? Most changes do not happen in short periods of time. Avoid running out of gas before you get a successful implementation by making sure you are robust in PDCA.

(5). Will your culture support the initiative in both the short and long term? If not, this will have to be addressed or failure is certainly a likely outcome.

I believe you have to have these and other core questions answered in detail as part of your upfront work. If you do not know where to start or what questions to ask, please call us at IES. We know the questions to ask and can provide real examples and data to support your efforts.

This past weekend I had to deal with a supplier that didn’t know how to communicate, and even though it was a bad experience because of all the time I had to invest, it was a good reminder of the importance of honesty with our customer even when we know we will not be able to fulfill all their expectations.

Why are we afraid of our customers? Do we really believe we will have their loyalty by lying to them?

The truth is that customers rather hear the truth about what they should expect, than for us to make them believe that they will get something that we know they won't get.

The bad experience of this weekend reminded me that we need to learn to communicate with our customers regarding any type of news, good or bad, if our customer is going to be affected, we need to let them know in a timely manner what to expect, and what is the plan to ensure their satisfaction, or at least to try to make things right. If we "hide" information from our customers just to try to look better, eventually the customer is going to notice, that we were not truthful to them, and this could destroy their trust in our product, service and ethics.

It is important that in our organizations we ensure we create a culture of open communication, with no fear, this approach will really enhance our ability to communicate internally and externally and as a result have a collaborative team and a happy customer.