“Total Quality Management”

BS-322
Lecture 11
“Characteristics of Quality Leaders”

Dr. Muhammad Irshad

Institute of Business Studies, KUST
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Leaders

A leader is one who heads an organization or a

department or group of people to carryout certain tasks
assigned to them or accepted by them as a single entity,
to the satisfaction of one and all.

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Leadership
The ability of a leader to manage or lead the group of people effectively to
carryout the task.

According to the James McGregor a leader is one inspires, not one who
controls the team member by brute force.

According to the “Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award”, “An

organization’s senior leader should set directions and create customer
focus, clear & visible values, and high expectations”. The directions,
values & expectations balance the needs of all stakeholders

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

1. Customer contact and care 7. Learning from problems

2. Treatment to subordinates 8. Good communication skills

3. Emphasis on improvement 9. Commitment to quality

4. Emphasis on prevention 10. Vendor selection

5. Collaboration and competition 11. Council organization system

6. Coaches rather than bosses 12. Encourage, recognize & appreciate

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

Customer contact and care
Quality leaders give priority to external and internal Customers and
their needs. Place themselves in the customers’ shoes and service their
needs from that perspective. They continually evaluate the customers’
changing requirements.

Treatment to subordinates
Quality leaders empower subordinates rather than control. They
trust and confidence in the performance of their subordinates. Always
provide the resources, training, and work environment to help
subordinates do their jobs.

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

Emphasis on improvement
Quality leaders emphasize on improvement rather than maintenance.
Always use the phrase “if it isn’t perfect, improve it” rather than “if it ain’t
broke, don’t fix it.” There is always room for improvement, even if the
improvement is small.

Emphasis on prevention
Quality leaders emphasize on prevention. “An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure” is certainly true. It is also true that perfection can the
enemy of creativity. We can’t always wait until we have created the perfect
process or product. There must be a balance between preventing
problems and developing better, but not perfect, processes.
Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

Collaboration and competition
Quality leaders encourage collaboration rather than competition.
When functional areas, departments, or work groups are in
competition, they may find subtle ways of working against each other
or withholding information. Instead, there must be collaboration
among and within units.

Coaches rather than bosses

Quality leaders train and coach, rather than direct and
supervise. Leaders know that the development of the human resource
is a necessity. As coaches, they help their subordinates
learn/teach how to do a better job.
Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

Learning from problems
Quality leaders learn from problems. When a problem exists, it is
treated as an opportunity rather than something to be minimized or covered
up. “What caused it?” and “How can we prevent it in the future?” are the
questions commonly quality leaders ask.

Good communication skills

Quality leaders continually try to improve communications. Leaders
continually disseminate information about TQM effort. They make it
evident that TQM is not just a slogan. Communication is two way–ideas
generated by people when leaders encourage. Communication is
the glue that holds a TQM organization together.

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

Commitment to quality
Quality leaders continually demonstrate their commitment to
quality. Leaders walk their talk– their actions, rather than their words,
communicate their level of commitment. They let the quality
statements be their decision-making guide.

Vendor selection
Quality leaders choose suppliers on the basis of quality, not price.
Suppliers are encouraged to participate on project teams and become
involved. Leaders know that quality begins with quality materials and
the true measure is the life-cycle cost.

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Characteristics of Quality Leaders

Council organization system
Quality leaders establish organizational systems to support the
quality efforts. At the senior management level a quality council is
provided, and at the first line supervisor level, work groups and
project teams are organized to improve the process.

Encourage, recognize & appreciate

Quality leaders encourage and recognize team effort. They
encourage, provide recognition and reward individuals and teams.
Leaders know that people like to know that their contributions are
appreciated and important. This is one of powerful tools of
quality leader’s.
Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Course: Total Quality Management Course Code: BS 322– Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Irshad.
Institute of Business Studies, KUST,Email: drirshad@kust.edu.pk
Topic: Characteristics of Leaders

Bibliography
Dale H. Bestterfield “Total Quality Management” 3rd Edition’

Sarkar, Debashis, 2001. The Managers’ Handbook for Total Quality

Management, New Delhi: Beacon Books

Brocka, Bruce and Brocka, M. Suzanne Essentials of Quality

Management, Homeword, Illinois