Quality, synergy and planet earth
by Gamini T Pandikorala
ISO President (2013-2014) commenting on ISO’s global business of
standards (ISO Focus+ the magazine of the International Organisation for
standardization-volume 4, No 2, February 2013) says ‘...one of my
priorities will be to encourage ISO to provide standards that address
the vital economic infrastructure needs of the economy’ business and
society.’
As a civil engineer from a developed country he focuses on highly
technical area to achieve high quality or standards. But how about the
people who are ignorant of the quality philosophy? It’s equally
important creating a quality atmosphere for such people who are still in
the majority. The plan I developed for this purpose is called ‘Pre
ISO’(once recommended to a state bank by a foreign expert) a very easily
achievable level. However, it needs a better network covering developed
and developing countries to spread the idea globally. Much work has to
be done in the area of educating people to enable them to grasp the
significance of quality principles and then it’s a matter of proceeding
to document the existing systems in their respective organisations.
The reservoir of quality principles have been accumulating from
ancient times. The most famous utterance by King Parakramabahu the
great(1125-1186) ‘not even a drop of water that comes from the rain must
flow into the ocean without being made useful to man’ can be considered
as such a valuable contribution to an agricultural economy.
The recent past witnessed quality gurus such as Demin Phillip
Crossby, and Juran. The late Dr Stephen R Covey said ‘Principles are
deep, fundamental truths, classic truths, generic common denominators.
They are tightly interwoven threads running with exactness, consistency
beauty, and strength through the fabric of life.’
The word ‘synergy’ appeals to me not merely because it speaks about
working together to apply principles of creative cooperation learnt from
nature but because it has proved 1+1 = not three but anything over 3.
Secondly, you can apply synergy inwardly by observing your thoughts both
analytical and creative and be the seeker of truth which I do with my
colleagues dedicated to quality.( E_sonet associates)synergy helps you
to achieve excellence therefore undoubtedly a quality tool.
I decided to link planet earth with quality not merely because once
it occupied the position of god and now it’s ‘nobody’s child’ but to
give you the ownership of the planet after restoring its status core.
That said, I firstly go for a brief account of quality an ocean of
philosophy and technical jargon. If the quality environment is properly
created in work place or at home you become stronger with your ability
to access quality tools to achieve your business or personal goals. A
widely used quality principle familiar to us in this part of the planet
earth is ‘do what you say and say what you do’.
Begin with this idea and perfect your existing system with basic
knowledge of a quality system for example ISO. With this simple approach
you can begin your quality journey. In an article of mine published by
‘The Professional banker’ a prestigious journal in banking sector in Sri
Lanka - March 1997 issue I have stated that the whole banking industry
should come under ISO quality system(or at least pre-ISO level)so that
every employee is able to work creatively and make his /her contribution
in quality system sharing each other’s experience to meet the challenges
of the 21st century.’
Major task
Winning the leader of the institute for quality is the major task of
a quality consultant. The quality has to start from top and go cascading
to all the levels below even though the bottom-up approach is also used
in various situations. Training is an important area in quality
management targeting continual improvement. If the head of an institute
is committed to quality it’s the greatest thing that can happen to the
institution.
Recently the press reported that the Speaker of the parliament had
decided to conduct classes for members of the parliament on certain
procedures which indicates his wish to raise the standards, a good
juncture to begin a quality journey seriously.
Internationally famous magazine on financial management commenting on
Total Quality Management (TQM) says total means everything and everybody
in the organisation (This can be the parliament of a country)and extends
to suppliers(suppliers of all services to the parliament).
It puts the onus on each individual and group to take responsibility
for quality.(Quality means customer satisfaction - all members of the
parliament are the customers of the Speaker-when addressing the speaker
or performing some duty on his instructions all members see that the
speaker is delighted all the time. The magazine says that the quality
has five basic principles: right first time, zero defects, customer
satisfaction, continuous improvement and fit for purpose. Any
institution, individual has a right to go for quality system, Pre-ISO is
ideal to start with.
According to the late Dr Stephen R Covey synergy means that the whole
is greater than the sum of its parts which means that the relationship
which the parts have to each other is a part in and of itself. It is not
only a part, but the most unifying and the most exciting part.
Because of the infinite value of synergy as to what it can do it has
become the key factor for the success of any principle centered projects
such as installation of quality systems or any individual aiming to
achive excellence. It can unleash the greatest power within people. you
will be amazed to hear what it can do if you think for a moment how
synergy works on human body. Peter Russel in his book Spirit of Now
says, “you are an assortment of several trillion individual cells, and
acting for its own interest yet simultaneously supporting the good of
the whole. If it were not for this high degree of synergy each of us
would be just a mass of jelly, each cell acting only for itself and not
contributing to the rest of the body.’ When synergy is not operating
organism becomes ill due to lack of coordination. When synergy is lost
altogether the organism dies. The individual cells may live on but the
whole living organism no longer exists.
As appeared recently in the press the offer of synergy by the
president of USA towards the trading organisation of BRICS is admirable
and will produce good results if all parties follow the principles of
synergy.
Now you can see how the miracle of synergy links us with the planet
earth. If you observe nature carefully you find synergy everywhere in
nature. The human body is part of the nature, therefore a part of the
earth. Scientists now hold the view that the earth has its own
conscientiousness. But we have no way of seeing it as a whole for
synergy to operate and miracles to happen. The minds of people can
visualise earth in parts only. Governments have separated it with the
power of their constitutions. Oceans and great rivers are divided. The
very rich hang on to their deeds claiming thousands of acres, others
hundreds and some with few perches of land. The way you see the wood
(not the trees) you must see the planet earth.
Great poet
Even Robert Frost the great poet who saw and admired the forest
missed the planet when he wrote the poem ‘Mending Walls’.
It’s pathetic to know that the people live on banks of some great
rivers are forced to focus only on parts of rivers belonging to their
country. This separation in minds of people extinguishes the life of the
river. E.g. River Brahmaputra in India. The issue is open to the world’s
seven billion odd population to find a solution. In Sri Lanka I feel
that every individual has the right to believe that planet earth belongs
to them for the purpose of synergy.
Just imagine, can there be conflicts when the planet earth is
vigilantly protected by over seven billion people? On February 14, 1990
an astronomer Carl Sagan expressed this view of ownership of planet
earth when he uttered these words after seeing the blue earth in data
coming from in excess of four billion miles away, appearing as a pale
blue dot on the screen at NASA ‘…That’s here.
That’s home. That’s us.’ We failed to realise the truth in those
words - every human being on this earth is a ‘Carl Sagan’ a proud owner
of this planet. It becomes your duty to protect not only ten perches in
your deed but the next door neighbour’s land as well.The idea is not
strange.
Every one of us owns the stock of oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere.
In New York, Kremlin, and Beijing or in Colombo…. you breathe in oxygen
freely.
You have a birth certificate which can refer to yourself. Any company
has a document issued by registrar of companies to refer to it as a
legal entity. Planet earth performing such magical functions has none at
all.
In order to assist us can all governments together develop a simple
document to refer to Planet Earth? Scientists can do their part by
developing an animated 3D model of planet earth for the entire world to
view 24 hours.
I am thankful to Mr Gunasekera in Arthur C Clarke Institute for
Modern Technologies for enlightening me on this point.
World War II ended in May 68 years ago and wrote this article in this
significant May 2013 to give the world an idea to consider to end
conflicts and save the lives of human beings. I reproduce a concluding
passage of an article published in a local quality magazine more than a
decade ago.”
The quality system targets always look for ‘win-win’ situations.
Victories for humanity will come in abundance from every person every
moment in quality systems.
The problems are escalating in the world in an environment of greed
for profits inhumanity to humanity displayed by terrorist activities
sexual harassment of women, child abuse, drug trafficking, dishonesty of
people holding top positions. The situation is alarming.
The very existence of the planet earth is being challenged. Quality
is our only hope!”
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