This article in Businessweek is a nice synopsis of a subject that has not had much visibility lately - TQM. Specifically, it goes to the heart of why the Japanese are masters of quality products and Americans are not:
What do the Japanese take for granted when it comes to quality? They take for granted that things should work as they are supposed to, and they even see an elegance to things working properly -- whether it's cars, subway schedules, traditional flower arranging, or the famous tea ceremony.
American culture focuses on getting it out the door - the 'end'. Quality is focused on getting it right before it goes out the door - the 'means'. While the article's focus is on products which are largely manufacturing based processes, the message is relevant for all those business activities that involve groups, an end product, and the process of creating it. Groups tend to focus on the 'end' and pay no attention to the 'means' of creating it. This causes chaos and low quality.
There is a lot more to TQM than this article identifies, but at its most basic, TQM is nothing more than eliminating obstacles from the process that do not add value (or are detrimental to value) and constantly seeking means to streamline and accelerate the process.
Wikis tend to be viewed as a simple means to produce and store end products - documentation. I maintain that their greatest value is in facilitating the process of creating the end product. Groups that are charged with creating or accomplishing something focus on the end product and let chaos take place during the process because few of us have the discipline or instinct to think through the process and set up any kind of rudimentary infrastructure to facilitate the mission. We fall back on the familiar tools at our disposal (email, phone, voicemail) and just let things happen.
The process is where mistakes happen and quality suffers. The Japanese get that both in their product and in the process - which is the fundamental principle of TQM.
Whether your group is a nonprofit assisting some charitable need, a design team for a new product, or a sales organization, the process dictates the outcome and a seamless, simple collaborative tool like a wiki is fundamental to facilitating that process - the 'means' that ensures the 'end'.
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