Zero defect achievement – Striving towards perfection! What is TQM: Quality management is all about being proactive and concepts like total quality management and six sigma of recent origin reiterate the fact that hundred percent error free performance is possible the first time and every time. This is what is called as zero defect achievement which most of the companies at corporate level are headed for. The intention is to strive for perfection in work, the way an archer aims for the bull’s eye on a target. It is time for people to cast off their conservative and archaic business practices and think out of the box to enjoy a sustainable competitive advantage driven by quality. Zero defects seek top performance standards the first time and every time. Management scholars offer several suggestions to improve the zero defects programme: The idea of zero defects programme has to be communicated through out the organization right from the top to the bottom level including managers, supervisors and workers. This would harmonize the functions of line and staff. Prerequisites needed for the programme have to be determined and made available. The culture and climate of the firm should be conducive to accomplish the programme. Explain in simple terms about the functions to be accomplished. Design some solid system of recognition. Set up a time schedule as time lines are very important when it comes to product delivery. Spot all the bottlenecks and remove them. Training is absolutely essential– the skill set and mind set of the employees have to be attuned to the goals of the venture. Mock training and rehearsals are helpful. Standardization is the key to the success of this programme. Bench Marking: Total quality management is a process contributing towards quality and bench marking is a means to achieve high quality performance by setting some top notch industry performers as reference points or standards. It is a continuous systematic process employed by a business enterprise to develop business and working processes that integrate the best practices available in the industry. Bench marking is a crucial element in the process of quality management. Quality is one field of production, which reflects the ethical viewpoint and approach of business firms towards the society and other investors or stakeholders. Bench marking is a modus operandi used to: Identify and define customer requirements Plan and establish effective goals and objectives Develop time measures of productivity Become more competitive Determine industry’s best practice The initial step is to decide what is to be bench marked-the product, services, customers or business processes in various departments. The second phase of action is to identify and select your competitors who will set the necessary precedence. With that as reference, decide on your company’s strategies by making meaningful and valid comparisons. Judge the competitor strengths and weaknesses and compare them with that of your own to get a clear picture of your current performance levels and capabilities. This will give you a clear indication on the action plans to be developed and implemented in a phased manner by your organization. Quality management is likely to happen only when all the employees of the organization work as a team with unified principles. Quality demands deep commitment and responsibility from the members of organizations. It calls for intense training to imprint the perception of quality in the minds of...

Assessment centers Some companies run a series of prolonged selection procedures (assessment centers) each lasting one or two days, and sometimes longer. Usually these are after the first round of interviews and before making the final selection, but they can be used as an initial selection process. They are usually held either on company premises or in a nearby hotel, and are measured by many employers to be the fairest and most accurate method of selecting staff. This is because they give a number of different selectors a chance to see you over a longer period of time than is possible with a single interview, and the chance to see what you can do, rather than what you say you can do, in a variety of situations. Assessment Centers typically include a number of elements. Social/informal events, where you get a chance to meet variety of people, including other candidates, the selectors, recent graduates and senior management. This is an excellent opportunity for you to find out more about the organization and to ask questions in a more informal or social setting. Information sessions, which provide more details about the organization and the roles available. Listen carefully, as it is likely to be more up-to date than your previous research. If you are unclear about anything, ask. It is often good to have a question prepared for these sessions, but make sure it is a sensible question and not one that has already been covered. Asking inappropriate questions just to get noticed does not impress the selectors. Tests and exercises designed to exhibit your potential. Selectors at assessment centers measure you against a set of competencies, and each exercise is carefully designed to assess one or more of these areas. Do not worry if you think that you have performed badly at any stage; it is more than likely that you will have the chance to compensate later on. It is also worth remembering that you are being assessed against these competencies and not against the other candidates, so rather than trying to compete against them, make sure that you demonstrate the qualities the organization is looking for. Remember that assessment centers are extremely expensive to run and that you have already come a long way to be invited – you may have as much as a one in six chance of being selected. Vestibule Training Vestibule training creates a miniature of the department for which the training program is carried on. It utilizes machinery similar to that in operation on the production floor. Qualified instructors, usually highly skilled operators or supervisors, are provided to conduct the program in this special section. Here the new employees are given a course of training in the particular machines they will be required to use and on the exact work they will do when they become a part of the regular production force. {In the early 1800s, factory schools were created, due to the industrial revolution, in which workers were trained in classrooms within the factory walls. The apprentice system was inadequate due to the number of learners that had to be trained as the machines of the Industrial Revolution increased the ability of the factory to produce goods. The factory owners needed trained workers quickly because there was a large demand for the produced goods. Towards the end of the 1800s, a method that combined the benefits of the classroom with the benefits of on-the-job training, called vestibule training, became a popular form of training. The classroom was located as close as conditions allowed to  the department for which the workers were being trained. It was furnished with the same machines...

On The Job Training Methods For Effective Employee Development The method by which training is delivered often varies based on the needs of the company, the trainee, and on the task being performed. The method should suit the audience, the content, the business environment, and the learning objective. Ideally, the method chosen will motivate employees to learn, help employees prepare themselves for learning, enable the trainees to apply and practice what they’ve been taught, help trainees retain and transfer what they have learned, and integrate performance with other skills and knowledge.  The basic objective of training is learning which brings about a radical change in the perspective of an individual preparing him for the task. On the Job Training: This is the most common method of  training. The trainee is placed on the job and the manager or mentor demonstrates the trainee how to do the job. To be successful, the training  should be done according to a structured programme that uses task lists, job breakdowns, and performance standards as a lesson plan. Common on the Job training methods include:- Demonstration: Demonstration is very effective for basic skills training. The trainer shows trainees how to do something. The trainer may provide an opportunity for trainees to perform the task being demonstrated. Panel: A panel provides several points of view on a topic to look for alternatives to a situation. Panel members may have differing views but they must also have objective concerns for the purpose of the training. This is an excellent method for using outside experts. Projects: Projects require the trainees to do something on the job, which improves the business as well as helps them learn about the topic of training. It might involve participation on a team, the creation of a database, or the forming of a new process. Employees can voluntarily under-take some small projects that would better the performance of a system. This would help the employee to become noticed and others ease of doing a particular thing and a source of inspiration. Say, Simplifying a database application by introducing a new software. Mentoring: A mentor can tutor others in their learning. Mentors help employees solve problems both through training them in skills and through modeling effective attitudes and behaviors. This system is sometimes known as a buddy system. Visit our GUMROAD Ebook Store for all your MBA guide...

Self Motivation-Key to Managerial Success What is Self Motivation : Ability to do what needs to be done without external influence. How does your company become successful? Just because you have cutting edge technology! Surplus capital! Excellent Infrastructure! Reliable Workforce! Definitely not. A COMPETENT VALUE-DRIVEN CORPORATE MANAGER would make all the difference. Even his very presence would make the atmosphere ELECTRIC. Only some are gifted or bestowed with top managerial qualities. How! Is it an innate quality or imbibed! It is a topic worth the discussion, because it proves to be the liveliest element in the management process.     Well, when top management decides to recruit a good manger, what are the qualities they would be in favor of? Think about it, we even expect a house maid to be sincere, on time and loyal to us. When it comes to corporate dealings, the first and foremost quality desired will be “BEARING HUGE RESPONSIBILITY“. Accountability, transparency and control towards the day to day affairs of the company follow suit.   Read this resourceful article from Inlpcenter – Change Your Thinking: The Alternate Futures Self-Motivation Exercise , a unique self motivating strategy to make believe in yourself and become better problem solvers.     These managers who are also leaders serve as a ROLE MODEL for all the other employees SET STANDARDS FOR PERFORMANCE Motivate their employees Set a Brand Image for the company Be a GOOD LIAISON Problem solver Counselor and make the company special. Strategic Direction: When we talk about value, we talk about the influence that the value has on the STRATEGIC DIRECTION OF THE FIRM, which involves shaping up the character and image of the firm. A good manager EVOLVES OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. While considering the HEAVY TURN OVER TREND that has set in lately in the corporate environment, it becomes important for the top management to pick their HR lot carefully. How do you empower your trusted persons is a question that every Boss has to ask himself to retain the best talent. Good Managers stick to the firm and they contribute to the GROWTH OF THE FIRM. Training plays, of course a major part in the DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGERS but I feel that ONLY THE PERSON WHO MAKES THE BEST USE OF HIS SUBCONSCIOUS INNER DRIVE, REACHES THE TOP. Loyalty is an outdated term in this modern world and the minimum you could expect is SINCERITY. Self motivated managers easily regulate the environment and makes the climate cordial. He has to don many roles, A BRIDGE BETWEEN TOP MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES MANAGE THE INTEREST(OF BOTH THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND EMPLOYEES) FORMULATING MARKET STRATEGIES SHOULD BE A TECH-SAVVY A MAN OF EMPATHY A MAN OF BRILLIANT INTUITIONS(ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CONCERNS STOCK MARKET) EVER LEARNING VERSATILE and much more. Practice makes a man perfect is the saying. It suits the corporate business world too, provided the man is intelligent, capable and smart in taking decisions. Always a thinking person, an efficient manager would be on the look out for opportunities and resources that could benefit the firm. Every one of you who aspires to catch up with top positions in the business world must do a “THOROUGH SELF ANALYSIS” as to how agreeable you are in the likert scale of the...

Are You Happy with Your Job What is your attitude towards Job? How many of us go to work with cheery attitude and positive framework of mind. Most of us treat work as a duty or accountability. Either way it does not solve the purpose. If you treat job as a duty, there can never be any enjoyment attached to it. In case of accountability, you work to reach some targets without any passion for the job or you spend most of your time dreading the thought of reporting to your superior. Without involvement and love, any job is not complete and people experience only “Job Satis-friction“and not satisfaction. Have you thought about it? Scenario in Developing Countries: In most of the developing countries the proportion of dissatisfied group dominates the satisfied set of employees. This is because preference and priority is to earn the daily bread rather than achieving anything big. Well, this attitude shall be attributed to the low income group where without work their lives cannot go on. But the bottom line remains the same, the work should be satisfying. So, what are the terms? Also See: Performance Appraisal High Income Group: In high income group and higher level jobs where the work is very challenging, we see that the employees are very much satisfied with their work. They need constant battles to win over and are provided with such an environment that puts their think tanks into full use. But is it enough to keep them satisfied; no, the reward system has to be equally compensatory. Rewards in terms of pay, perks, recognition, appreciation, social status, awards and what not. So, how do we correlate satisfaction factor with productivity? The organization has to maximize the positive relationship between performance and reward systems. Also See: How to Handle Attrition 30 Simple Ways to Make Your Employees Happier Repetitive and Monotonous Jobs: Repetitive and monotonous jobs make a person dull headed and a stereotype; his enthusiasm is absorbed to the extent that he fails to understand and rejuvenate his skills. The job content should provide at least some sort of cheer and interest to the performing individual. Say for instance, you manufacture plain paper cups, if you decide to incorporate some floral designs on the covers; you very well witness a fresh whiff of enthusiasm amongst your work force. Such is the power of variety and change that brings cheer into human lives and attitude. If you are a terrific boss everybody will like you but if you are a source of terror, chances are there that there is a high turnover ratio in your company. People after all expect certain level of consideration and warmth from their bosses. Organizations must make the individuals perceive their roles properly to affirm satisfaction and to avoid conflicts. Career Advancement: Courtesy – Roscostretch Career advancement is what most of the people aspire and when they don’t find any scope for advancement their interest in the job gradually decreases. Merit versus experience factor also has its say over deciding the next probable candidate for promotion. The top level management, especially the human resource department must ensure the employees with a supportive environment that paves the road for collaborative effort and in turn internal satisfaction. Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction has to be considered from a broader perspective that encompasses all the independent and dependent variables that affect the nature of a particular job. This is very vital to an organization as job dissatisfaction leads to absenteeism, high turn over or attrition and decline in productivity. A dissatisfied employee is always a pain who can create problems by voicing his protest, gathering the union, neglecting his work or quitting. To avoid friction in the minds of...