Reference no: EM132312133 , Length: word count : 800

The indifferent Manager

The efforts of Public Communications Inc. to implement total quality had exceeded expectations at two of its three plants. However, the third plant just didn’t seem to be able to get things off the ground. The plant manager, Merrill Stephens, was under a lot of pressure because his colleagues in the other two plants were succeeding and he was floundering.

He didn’t know what the problem was, and he didn’t know how to find out. Merrill decided to call together a group of line employees and ask for their input. Immediately, he sensed their reticence. Clearly, they had something to say but didn’t want to say it.

Finally, an employee who had been with the company for more than 20 years spoke up. “Mr. Stephens, we’re just going through the motions to keep corporate off your back,” he said. “We know you don’t buy this total quality nonsense.” Merrill had to admit that the employees were reading him like a book. Sure, he had followed the implementation guidelines to the letter.

His executive team was the quality council. Policies had been developed and deployed. Employees were working in teams, and training in the use of quality tools was being provided. The problem was that Merrill himself was just going through the motions. He didn’t really believe in total quality and had hoped it would turn out to be just one more corporate-mandated initiative that would fizzle and eventually go away.

He had only four more years until retirement and didn’t need this in his life right now. His managers, middle managers, supervisors, and employees knew him and sensed his indifference and halfheartedness. Part of the organizational culture at this plant was that the employees took their lead from the plant manager. If Merrill was really behind an effort, they got behind it. If he wasn’t, they didn’t. When they accurately sensedhis indifference to total quality, they responded accordingly.

Question 1: Your Viewpoints/take away on above topic: “The Indifferent Manager”.  The text lists ten points of the foundation for a quality culture. Which one(s) do you think is/are the most important and why?

[Word Length: 200 Words]

Question #2: When implementing TQM, 6-sigma, lean manufacturing, many practitioners said that the culture change is one of the key elements for a success. Do you agree and have an example to support your insight?

-Clearly provide an example supporting your statement. [Word Length: 200 Words]

Question #3: Provide summary/viewpoints on article: “Companies Everywhere Copied Japanese Manufacturing. Now the Model Is Cracking – WSJ”.

Article- Companies Everywhere Copied Japanese Manufacturing. Now the Model Is Cracking By By Alastair Gale and Sean McLain.

(Text file for the question 4 attached below)

Question #4: Above text introduces four types of customers: butterflies, true friend, strangers, and barnacles. If you have a startup or run a dealership, what type(s) of customers you would like to focus with limited resources?

Provide clear example situations and narrate your explanation clearly.

[Word Length: 200 Words]

Attachment:- Quality Culture .rar