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New Quality Roles, Organizations and Future-Making
ByHesameddin AREF KASHFIAcademician, International Academy for Quality,VP for External Affairs, Asia Pacific Quality Organization,President, Iranian Society of Quality Managers, Iranharefkashfi@neda.net 
Abstract
 When looking to quality concept and its evolution form past to present, one easily finds that ithas always been linked with improvement and change and at the service of organizations formore effective and efficient performance, for success in market and for sustainable businessand excellence and also of society for welfare of the people. In turn, quality programs havealways been followed for improvement and change at different levels. Japan, after WW2, isalways the best clear example. Actually the secret of attraction of quality lies in the dynamicand evolving meaning it has been implying during the time. As we are always living in achanging environment, quality has had to evolve for adapting with changing needs. It is atimeless but dynamic and living entity which continues to exist in future.As much as the executives try to have the possibility for looking into future from a broaderperspective and then, understanding and analyzing mega trends and their interactions that areshaping future, they would be more and more able to find out what should be done with theirorganizations to improve the likelihood of their success. It is within this environment that theyhave an exciting and unique opportunity to influence future organizational direction and, inother words, to make their own future.This paper tries to give some general views with regard to new roles quality is taking orshould take in future and, then presents some suggestions for organizations in having anactive contribution to making future as well as their own.
Key words:
Mega trends, Organizational transformation, Future-making
Introduction
We are living and working in a very fast changing world with an ever-increasing rate of change. Whether we choose to work in the private or public sector, we face new challengeseach day every day, with an increasing pressure for improvement and change. Traditionalmarket boundaries are blurring and giving rise to new competitors in areas that were domainof business activities of selected few in past. There are external drives as well as internalwhich interact with each other and bring about a very complex situation. The mega trendssuch as internet, communication amazing facilities and globalization have totally changed ourlives in all aspects. The previous markets and consumers’ behavior are changed in a way thatorganizations have no other choice than taking completely new approaches hope to enablethem to cope with the new evolving and ever-changing requirements.In the past century, quality proved its usefulness by showing the value of conformance tospecifications, of standardization, of customer satisfaction and of taking the time to do thingsright the first time. But, for today and with more emphasize for tomorrow, it is not enough.
 
 
Dr. Joseph M. Juran
prophesied, at AQC of ASQC in May 2004, that
21
st
century will bethe quality century.
I believe his very short citation conveys a very deep and importantmessage to all involved in quality field at all levels.Quality can take much more important role than it has had during last decades and can help tobetter our lives in may different aspects. The overall impression of some pioneering qualityexperts is that quality has not yet realized its full potential to play its complete role and still,there are many areas in which quality can contribute to development and progress.Conclusions concerning the present situation for quality reveal that the world has a growingthirst and need for new quality concepts, methods and tools and techniques. There are manypractitioners joining the quality profession to use it for improvement, change and well-being.Public services, such as health care, education and other fields, mostly related to government,are areas greatly connected to welfare of the society and evidently, with quality, they canbring about significant benefits to individuals, the economy and the society at large.
Mega Trends
To explore new roles, we need first to review the mega trends which are influencingeverything evolving around us. Following are some few general factors which seem havingbroad impact on determining our lives as well as our business activities:
1- Change
Change is the most significant factor having great influence in everything around us in itsbroadest meaning. Although change, in its philosophic meaning, is not a new phenomenon,but, nowadays, the speed of change, dimensions, and subsequent effects, are really new issuesnever experienced before. Also, although human nature enjoys change but, on the other hand,from psychological point of view, man prefers to have a secure life and live in known ratherthan unknown world. To become ready for future we should change and adapt to the evolvingnew challenges which means seeing things in a different way and acting with new paradigms.Creativity is very close to change, as due to change and to cope with change, we need tothink and create ideas. And finally, innovation is putting those creative ideas into practice andrealizing them in concrete issues. Again in its broadest meaning, it can mean creating future.However, this factor is the most encompassing on playing a highly decisive and determiningrole for all other factors affecting our lives.
2 – E- life
If we consider our business as a means of earning life, e-life signifies all aspects of life ,including business, which are more and more conquered by information and communicationtechnology, such as e-commerce, e-business, e-learning, e-money, etc. and the new evolvingcomponents and products such as e-journal, e-book, e-library, e-music. And in brief, e-(virtually everything). Because of the very amazing, exciting and simple facilities internetprovides for the people all around the world, in different forms and in a variety of ways, moreand more people are getting involved in it. Flexibility, ease, low cost, speed, and many otherconsiderable features will make e-life and its components a world-wide phenomenon. We areliving in an e-world! Rather all of these features are "quality dimensions" from customers'perspective. The new products of ICT are considerably changing the way we live in itsbroadest meaning. Birth and development of virtual organizations are worth noting in thisconnection. Just imagine the connectivity between billions of people all around the world by
 
mobile phones, the amount of communication between them every moment and theexchanged information. Everybody is now a broadcasting station!The immediate close and strong connection of e-life and its ingredients are quite evidentwith change and its important relatives: creativity and innovation.
3- Globalization
As a result of internet diffusion in all aspects of life and business, globalization is anotherclear significant factor. It provides immense opportunities for everything. Most of them areunexpected and very exciting. Many borders, if not all in long term, are breaking byglobalization. Global culture, global partnership, global relations, global community, globalcitizen, global citizenship, all are developing due to this general factor. Globalization alongwith e-life, have eliminated time and space and have brought about many hidden potentialsand capabilities to function. They all together, have introduced uncountable number of exciting opportunities for life and business composed with complexity and uncertainty. As if man has been in prison, in a secure and safe prison, with time and space constraints and now,he is liberated in free space. We are not able to fully and simply imagine the differencebecause many of our mental frames have long habits with past and, we need time tounderstand the characteristics of the new e-world. It is like a fantastic journey but in realworld which once was just a fiction for making scientific fun and amusement. Now, thatfictitious future has arrived and is right here, close to us!It is notable to emphasize that globalization is one side of the big coin. All local aspects withdeep roots in history of the societies are the other side which can not be ignored, disregardedor neglected. Globalization, although having a great influence in everything, can not dissolveeverything in it self. Still, the local specifics continue to exist and will survive. A new word isintroduced as “
Glocal”
to contain both
global and local
meanings. And
, Glocalization
, inturns,
 
can encompass all issues related to globalization as well as all aspects still havingimportant role which come from Localization. That is: Glocalization = Globalization +Localization. Within all of this, we should not forget that most local problems are now gotconnected together and have become big regional and / or global problems which are not easyto solve due to having more complexity. New global platforms are needed.
New Quality Roles
Within the context of the above three mega trends, we may look to new quality roles fromsustainability point of view. Quality and sustainability are deeply connected and providewinning solutions for environmental performance, social responsibility and economicalresults. Although these topics are not new and are collectively termed as “the triple bottomline”, it is believed they represent critical aspects which demand serious focused attentionwith many new quality roles for future. For better remembering, they are also called the“Three Ps”; Planet, People and Profit, corresponding to environment, society and businessresults, respectively. We may explicitly correlate them to sustainability as environmental,social and economical respectively.
1-
 
Environmental sustainability
Environmental issues are the most important and decisive for sustainability. Withoutenvironmental sustainability, everything will be at risk and quite suspended in long term.With proper and wise environmental consideration it is possible that man can have happy lifeon earth. This factor is vital in its true meaning. All our living conditions are subject toenvironment protection. This issue is no longer a local but a global problem which demands
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