COMMUNITY QUALITY COUNCILS by Myron Tribus

[The following article appears in _SPC_INC_, Winter 1993 (pages 1
to 4) and Summer 1993 (pages 9 to 12).]

                       COMMUNITY QUALITY COUNCILS

                             by Myron Tribus

          The establishment of Community Quality Councils has
     become an important development in the national quality
     movement. While many individuals have been involved in this
     effort, the prime leader has been Dr. Myron Tribus. Our
     first intention was to feature one of his many papers.
     However, it soon became clear that no one article gave the
     entire picture--nor would one article in SPC INK be
     sufficient. So we have edited several papers, organizing
     them into a series which will continue throughout 1993. In
     Part One, the topic includes:

          Why Do We Need Community Quality Councils?
          The History of Community Quality Councils
          The Purpose of A Community Quality Council

          At the end of each article are listed resource people
     who can help you in your own efforts to develop a Community
     Quality Council. For more immediate information, we
     encourage you to read the new book we are offering: "Quality
     First" by Dr. Myron Tribus, P.E.

              Why Do We Need Community Quality Councils?

     Because of the efforts of many quality leaders, there has
been a reawakening in the United States to the importance of
quality--and the need to manage for quality. Awareness of the
"Quality Imperative" has increased as many writers have warned
that unless the quality of goods and services produced by the
U.S. increases dramatically, we shall no longer be an effective
competitor in international commerce.
     Communities now also face a number of serious problems
including the following.
Economic Decline: The declining economy has taken away jobs and
caused the layoff of hundreds of workers. These layoffs have a
ripple effect in the community, causing the closure of many small
businesses. Real estate values decline and the tax base is
reduced. There are not enough revenues to support essential
public services.
Inadequate Numbers of Qualified Personnel: The pace of change in
high technology causes changes in the work place. At the same
time that there are unemployed people, there are often jobs
waiting to be filled. Employers find it difficult to compete
because they cannot find qualified people to help them fill
orders from customers.
Decline in Performance of Schools: For more than a decade
national studies have chronicled the decline in performance of
students leaving our high schools. Equally significant is the
fact that nationally there is a 25% dropout rate.
Drugs, Crime, Teen age Gangs Overwhelm Local Police Forces: There
is not enough money to support the agencies which are supposed to
deal with these problems.
Decline in Social Services: Faced with too little tax money,
local officials struggle to find the funds to keep the fire
departments, police departments, schools, libraries, road
departments and other essential services going. Budget cuts are
the norm.
     All over America, citizens have become habituated to a low
quality of service in their communities. They excuse poor quality
in the handling of trash, clean streets, restaurant service,
hotels, and in "service" stations. But poor quality does not have
to be the norm. We can have a better life. These problems are not
just "cultural." The behaviour of employees reflects the way
things are managed. The key to better quality in the community
lies in the re-education of our managers.
     Community Quality Councils can mobilize resources in a
community to address these problems. Through this series, you
will see what C.Q.C.s do, what has been experienced with them in
some cities, how to establish these councils, and some lessons
learned in communities that have had only limited success.
     In some communities, these admonitions have been taken to
heart and the Community Quality Council has been a way to make a
concerted and organized effort to raise the quality of service,
manufacturing, and production, within the entire community.

                             The History of
                       Community Quality Councils

     The first quality council in the U.S. was the Growth
Opportunity Alliance for Lawrence (now known as GOAL/QPC) in
Lawrence, Massachusetts. The group was begun by Mayor Larry
LeFebre, who was alarmed at the city's economic decline.
     At about the same time, NBC presented its television
documentary, If Japan Can... Why Can't We? and Bob King, who
became director of GOAL/QPC, saw the television program and at
once telephoned to Dr. Deming in Washington and asked him for
help. Dr. Deming agreed to help, and from this collaboration grew
the start of the community-based quality effort in the U.S.
     Meanwhile other communities, aware of what had been done in
Lawrence, set about to establish their own community-based action
committees. The Naval Air Repair Facility was instrumental in
starting a "Deming Users' Group" in San Diego. The Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce started the Philadelphia Council on
Excellence (PACE). Another council was started by the Chamber of
Commerce of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Ohio Quality &
Productivity Forum (OQPF) was started in Cincinnati. The
Minnesota Consortium for Quality and Productivity was started in
Minneapolis. It should be noted that each community has evolved
its own pattern of activity. There are now approximately 1500
communities across the USA which are in one phase or another of
starting their own quality councils.
     During the same time period, the people at the Center for
Advanced Engineering Study (CAES) at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology began to realize that the quality movement was
going to be an important factor in the economic wellbeing of the
U.S. Several companies, such as Ford Motor Co., the Nashua
Company, and the Pontiac Division of GM, had begun to work with
Dr. Deming and were introducing quality as a guiding principle of
management. Other companies were working with Dr. Joseph Juran
and the Juran Institute. CAES, therefore, called a meeting to see
what might be done to help this movement along. Representatives
of industry were unanimous in saying that they needed an
infrastructure outside their companies to help in the
transformation. It is not possible for one company to transform
itself alone. Each company is served by a network of suppliers
and if all do not make the change, none of them can.
     Two independent efforts spearheaded the movement. One was an
initiative started in Jackson, Michigan. The economy of Jackson
was geared to the automobile companies, so when the auto industry
fell on hard times, Jackson was particularly hard hit. The mayor
requested the Jackson Community College to start a special course
in statistical process control.
     With the help of several companies, and the State of
Michigan, the college received sufficient support and
encouragement to develop video tapes and manuals designed to
"train trainers" in SPC and elementary quality management. Dr.
Deming lent encouragement and advice. Then, under a grant from
the State of Michigan, the project expanded to train trainers in
other parts of Michigan. Soon the activities had expanded to the
training of trainers in about a dozen other states.
     The project was adopted by, and became the official program
of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges,
which represents approximately 2000 junior and community
colleges. The program was eventually renamed "The Transformation
of American Industry" project. Agreements were made with the
American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) to promote the tapes
and the instruction as a joint effort. The Transformation Project
has now developed a network of community and junior colleges at
which training has been initiated. By early 1987, trainers had
been trained in over 100 locations.
     Meanwhile, the initiative to form a supportive
infrastructure (which had been started under the guidance of
CAES), was incorporated as the American Quality and Productivity
Institute (AQPI), a non-profit institute devoted to the promotion
of the principles of quality management through the promotion of
more local community-based quality councils.
     The need for closer cooperation between the Transformation
Project and AQPI was first recognized in the community of
Jackson. Although the Transformation Project was reaching many
community colleges, the schools were still having difficulty
attracting students to their courses. It seemed evident that the
two organizations needed to combine forces--AQPI to foster
community councils and the Transformation Project to create
educational resources.
     Using these and other resources, many communities across the
U.S. are working to create Community Quality Councils, and some
have progressed far enough to be enjoying the benefits of these
organizations.

                             The Purpose of
                       A Community Quality Council

     In developing a community action program, it is important to
have a clear idea of what is to be accomplished. Just wanting to
get something started in quality is not sufficient. There is
often the naive hope that by merely bringing people together,
good things will happen- and they often do in other fields. But
quality is a different matter. There are so many misconceptions
(often held by quite intelligent people) that even if the
organizing effort is turned over to a group of otherwise
competent people, what evolves is not likely to be what was
intended.
     The primary goal of the quality council should be to promote
the principles of quality of management in every enterprise in
the community.
     By enterprise we mean not only the manufacturing companies,
but also the departments of city government, small businesses
(including service industries), the schools, and even the small
shops on Main Street. The objective is to make the community an
"island of quality."
     It should be kept in mind that the success of Japan is
counter to most of the prevalent beliefs about economics.
According to most economists, Japan, with practically no natural
resources--no coal, no oil, no forests, no minerals, no army,
navy or air force should not be a dominant force in international
trade. Everything produced by Japan has to be made from imported
materials. What Japan has is good management which guides its
people in adding value to the imported goods and shipping them
out at a huge profit.
     Many communities in the U.S. may be considered "islands"
which, to survive, must import materials from elsewhere, add
value and then export their product. In that sense, most
communities are very much like Japan. There are, of course, some
exceptions such as communities which export a raw material like
oil, coal, iron ore, timber, or farm goods. They produce a
primary product not based on importation. But most communities
are not that fortunate.
     Bert Nanus, of the University of Southern California, put
the matter very succinctly when he said that most managers have
concentrated their effort on the creation, protection, and
expansion of physical wealth. Survival now requires the creation,
protection, and expansion of human wealth. It is the proper
leadership of this human wealth that creates the physical wealth.
Quality management is concerned with this principle. It is the
open secret of Japanese success; but it is a secret which can
be put to work by any community.
     The American Quality and Productivity Institute and the
Transformation of American Industry Projects have set forth four
purposes which provide a unique approach to this need.
     1. To promote the principles of quality management
throughout the community.
     2. To help all enterprises in the community change their
managerial styles to "quality first" management.
     3. To provide opportunities for education and training.
     4. To provide a basis for exchange of information and
experience among companies and communities.
     The unifying theme of community quality councils is their
concentration on a different way to manage, applied in both the
public and private sectors.
     This different management has a long history. It was
originally developed in the U.S. and taught to the Japanese as a
way to prevent them from becoming a burden on the U.S. taxpayer
after World War II. This same different management has been
adopted by a number of private companies in the U.S. and has been
successfully used in a number of communities. When properly
applied, this approach makes a business more competitive and a
local government most cost effective. With the help of the
schools, communities can have a locus of people who are properly
qualified to apply this new management and to participate in the
constant improvement of the work done in the community.
     The one theme which can unite the leaders of any community
is "jobs creation." Jobs are required to support the economy. The
creation of more jobs is an idea to which every citizen can
relate. But Community Quality Councils can provide a rallying
point by promoting three distinct themes--all related to the
creation of more jobs.

          * Increasing the competitiveness of local industry,
     i.e., teaching management and labor how to fight back
     against the foreign competition which has already taken away
     many jobs from American industry. The promotion of a new way
     to manage can now be documented as having been the factor
     which made the difference in many companies such as Ford,
     Xerox, Harley Davidson, and Corning Glass Company.
          * Supporting local economic development by providing
     improved quality of life through better government services,
     improved education, a more competitive infrastructure.
          * Providing qualified people. Community councils can
     provide educational opportunities for both management and
     labor. The most important resource a community can have is
     trained people.

                             A Vision:
               The Potential of a "Quality Community"

     If you were to visit a community devoted to total quality,
what would you find? Let's fantasize for a moment. You arrive at
the airport--on time--and find the place clean and the people
friendly and helpful. Your baggage is waiting at a clearly marked
place very near the exit to the terminal, on the ground level
where the taxis and shuttles are waiting. As you get into your
cab, the driver asks for the name of your hotel and telephones
ahead to confirm your reservation and to tell the hotel you are
on the way. When you arrive, the doorman greets you by name and
the hotel has the registration form ready for you to sign. All
the necessary information has been taken from the computer
because the travel agent, or your secretary, was asked for the
details when the reservation was made.
     The next morning, your wake-up call is accompanied by an
offer of coffee or tea. The hotel has supplied a disposable
toothbrush and toothpaste tube, along with a hair dryer, for your
convenience. As you finish your breakfast in the coffee shop, the
waitress asks you sign your bill and inquires if you need
transportation to your next destination. She also asks if you are
checking out so the bill can be made ready.
     As you go to the next destination, the cab driver asks you
if he can call ahead for you to confirm your arrival. You note
that the streets are all clean. The street signs are easy to see.
Store fronts are of various designs, but all are either new or
newly painted and the displays are attractive. Traffic flows
smoothly. You note that the cab is clean, both inside and out,
and that seatbelts are available for your safety.
     Have we just described some kind of grand utopia--Walden
Three perhaps? Why have Americans become habituated to such low
quality of service in their communities?
     The developers of Community Quality Councils believe that
poor quality is neither inevitable nor cultural. Community
services reflect the way the community is managed. And the key to
a better level of quality in the community lies in the
re-education of the community leaders and managers.

                          Community Solutions:
                       Always Political in Nature

     Crucial to the development of a community quality initiative
is the understanding of the political structure of the community.
Power has many motivations which may be categorized into three
areas: personal, political, or business. In general, personal
power is largely tied to the other two.
     In examining powerful persons in one major city, the key
ingredients in gaining power were recognized as being money,
achievement, community service, and longevity. None alone was
sufficient.
     Power is often called "clout." Clout comes from "muscle."
Muscle is developed from the ability, and more important, the
proclivity to use it. "Use it or lose it" applies to political
muscle too!
     Powerful people may also derive their power from the company
they represent or from the public office they hold, with some
offices having more clout than others. Ethnic and cultural groups
find power within themselves, but can seldom transfer that power
into the community.
     Then there are the power brokers. These people have no
official link to political power structure--they are often the
representatives of business. Or because of longevity within the
community, they may have personal clout with those in positions
of "official power." They usually have the largest investment in
the success of the community. That investment may be financial,
familial, social, or may arise from moral leadership of many
years, such as an influential educator.
     Those who seek to make changes must understand the web of
power in their community and then, to achieve success, they must
be able to activate those forces.
     As a leader, you must understand the various power sources
and how to balance their competing interests in the community.
The members are held together by their common goals and concerns.
This commonality of purpose tends to bind them together. Their
conflicting interests tend to pull them apart. Quality management
principles may be used to help the members of a community
overcome their differences while working for the good of the
community.
     As you assume a leadership role, it is imperative that you
realize the awesome responsibility you have taken on. If you
fail, it will be nearly impossible for anyone else to accomplish
the task. The "we tried it and it didn't work" attitude will
become a powerful barrier.

                        A Brief Review of Quality
                          Management Principles

     The greatest threat to the quality movement is for it to
fall under the control of people who do not understand, or care
to learn, what it is all about. The biggest barrier to progress
is the lack of a commitment to learn. Many people will want to be
involved in this effort. But they may not understand what it is
about. They may not realize that the rules of the business world
have changed as they were busily climbing the ladder. Unless all
participants know and understand the basic principles of quality,
it will be impossible to develop a unified vision and plan,
toward which the group can work.
     It is necessary to involve people of power in the movement,
but until they understand the underlying quality principles, they
must be kept in the background as much as possible. This will
require real leadership skills, including tremendous tact and
sensitivity.
     But what are the new principles? What is different about
quality-driven management? Here is a brief list of a few of the
principles of quality management.

                              Principle 1:

     * Quality is never your problem
     * Quality is the solution.

                              Principle 2:

     * Organized human activity takes place within a system.
     * 85% of problems are in the system; 15% are worker
     problems.

                              Principle 3:

     * The essence of Quality Management is the ability to treat
     problems of systems and people simultaneously.

                              Principle 4:

     * All systems exhibit variability.
     * Managers must be able to distinguish signals from noise.
     * Quality management techniques permit intelligent decisions
     concerning when to take action.

                              Principle 5:

     * The manager's job has changed!
     * The people work in a system.
     * The manager must work to improve the system--with employee
     help.

                              Principle 6:

     * Quality does not cost-It pays!
     * High quality produces profits, lower costs, happier
     customers, happier workers, better suppliers, stronger
     competitive posture.

                              Principle 7:

     * Successful organizations are customer-driven .
     * Everyone serves a customer.
     * The concept of "customer" includes more than the outside
     customer. Everyone serves a "customer." The next person in
     line is your customer.

     This is only a partial list of principles, of course. And
the listing is just that--a list. It doesn't begin to give the
full scope of the transformation necessary for a community to
achieve real quality services. But it is a tiny picture
of the concepts that must be learned, understood, and committed
to-by everyone involved in the quality effort.
     One striking thing about these principles is that they are
fundamentally different from the principles upon which most
companies and communities are now managed. Layers of management
abound in most organizations. If the system of management is to
change, there must be a change in the entire organizational
"culture."
     Making such changes is not easy. People must help one
another, and that is where community quality councils can play an
important role. But to be successful, everyone in the
transformation effort must share a common vision. And to quote
Dr. Deming's Point I- there must be a constancy of purpose. The
task will not be easy or short in duration.

                           Getting Organized:
                     Start Slowly Without Publicity

     A quality movement must be executed with quality. Do not
make the mistake of starting by making public proclamations. The
first thing to do is gather the proper allies around you. You
need to find colleagues who understand and who are committed to
the promotion of quality. Recall Dr. Deming's reply when asked,
"What does it take to get started?" He said, "A critical mass of
people who understand and who work consistently." The first step
is to find the critical mass of people who understand. In most
cases, the required number is about six or seven. Of course, it
only takes one person to start, but the task is much too large
for any one person to undertake alone. Organization and
cooperation is required.
     The person or group who starts the organization must be
someone who understands quality management principles and who
practices them. It is absolutely essential that the group begins
by developing a shared vision, delineated with operational
definitions of what is to be accomplished and a plan for action.
     One way to locate other people who may want to be involved
is to contact the local chapter of ASQC. Harry Kenworthy, in
starting a group in Connecticut, wrote to the people on the list,
asking them to submit to him the name of a person in their
organization who was highly placed and who, in their opinion,
understood the quality movement and was trying to implement it.
These responses led him to the executives in the community who
had a stake in quality improvement and understood it. After a few
telephone calls to such a list (which, unfortunately, is apt to
be a short one) a small organizing committee may be formed.
     Of course, there are other ways to find the members. The
right people are often to be found at conferences and seminars on
quality. But by whatever means, you must find a small number of
people who are dedicated, competent in quality, and willing to
work for the good of the community.
     But remember--quality is like motherhood and apple pie--
everyone is for it! Many people may be enthusiastic, but have no
real understanding of the new quality principles. If they are
unwilling to learn and make a commitment, in the long run they
will be detrimental to your effort.
     The next step is to organize a broader basis of support.
Committee members should call upon the leadership of several
organizations, such as:

     The Chamber of Commerce
     The Mayor's Office
     Professional Societies
     Local Industry
     Local Community Colleges
     Continuing Education
     Unions
     The Medical Community
     Service Organizations

                          The Kickoff Meeting:
                              Going Public

     After you have lined up your organizational group and have
developed a clear vision and a set of operationally defined
objectives, you are ready to launch the program.
     One good way to get started is to ask the Chamber of
Commerce and the Mayor's Office to sponsor a kickoff meeting. A
good format would be to convene about 9:00 a.m. for carefully
planned presentations. At noon, your guests can be invited to a
luncheon, complete with a keynote speaker.
     The kickoff meeting must accomplish three things:

     1. Announce the start of the quality movement in your
     community and explain what it will do for the community.
     2. Present inspiring speakers for the sessions. They will
     help guests to understand what must be done and what
     advantages those things will bring to the community
     3. End with a specific program of action. People must leave
     with something tangible to do.

     The Mayor and Head of the Chamber of Commerce can fulfill
the first objective--if you have educated them properly.
     For your session speakers, you need to find speakers with
meaningful and practical messages and ideas. The local chapter of
AQPI or ASQC may be able to help you. And you may have Deming
experts in your community who could make presentations. Another
source would be representatives from local businesses who have
successfully brought quality management principles into the
workplace.
     For the keynote speaker, it is helpful to procure someone
who is well-known, who is a dynamic and inspirational speaker,
and who can send people out with a sense of excitement about the
quality concepts. This speaker may well have to be paid a fee, or
at the very least, you will need to be prepared to pay their
expenses.

                           The Action Program:
                           The Key to Success

     Be sure to end your first meeting with a definite action
program. You should announce the various committees, ask the
chairmen to speak in public about what they intend to do and then
announce your first activity.
     If you intend to start with round tables or conferences, be
sure to have some of the details and the dates ready to announce.
People who have taken time out from their jobs to hear what you
intend to do want to know that something definite will happen. It
is very poor quality to call a meeting only to announce that more
planning meetings will be held in the future!
     Some people fear that if they announce a program of events
people will feel that there was some kind of "steamroller" at
work. Therefore your announcement should include what you intend
to do to get started and a description of what planning is
required for future programs. In other words, your presentation
should involve something definite to do, and at the same time,
hold the door open for others to participate and plan additional
activities.

                            What Not To Do!

     If there is one danger trap to be avoided above all others
it is this:

                       The local quality movement
                           must not fall under
                         the dominance of people
                          who do not understand
                       what the quality revolution
                              is all about!

Because there is such a shortage of people who really understand
the new management principles, there will be a tendency for the
people who normally wield the power in the community to assume
that all they need to do is put their shoulders to the wheel and
push with their accustomed zeal--and good things will happen.
     Nothing could be further from the truth. The quality
movement must have leadership. The leaders must, above all,
understand what the principles of quality management are and know
how to apply them. Because there is a shortage of "willing
workers" who understand the quality revolution, you must be on
guard. Remember--a public false start will be a powerful barrier
to further efforts!

_________________________________________________________________

     This article was adapted from two papers: "A Template for
Bringing Quality to the Community" by Myron Tribus (from
the BDA 1992 National Forum) and "Creating Community Quality
Councils: Applying Quality Management Principles in a
Political Environment" by Kathy Lusk, Ph. D.; Myron Tribus, Ph.
D.; Carole and David Schwinn, Transformation of American
Industry Project. The latter paper is included in the book,
Quality First: Selected Papers on Quality & Productivity
Improvement by Dr. Myron Tribus, P.E., published by the National
Institute for Engineering Management & Systems, and
available from SPC Press, Inc.
     Myron's book is only $25.00 plus shipping charges. It is an
8 1/2 x 11 inch format, has a soft cover. and is 308 pages. It
includes such classic articles as:
The Germ Theory of Management
Deming's Way
Managing to Survive in a Competitive World
Reducing Deming's 14 Points to Practice
Deming's Redefinition of Management
Creating Community Quality Councils
TQM at the Grass Roots
Improving Productivity in Government Services
The Application of Quality Management Principles in Education
AND MANY MORE!
________________________________________________________________

Resource People for the Formation of Community Quality Councils

Dr. Myron Tribus
30 Britto Terrace
Fremont, CA 94539

William M. DeCrease
205 W. 42nd Street
Erie, PA 16508

Richard Miller
Quality Counselor
17175 Bay Street
Jupiter, FL 33477

Dr. Kathy Hagler
Technology Exchange Center
1616 East Fourth St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701

James Brown
Manager, Quality Resources
Tennessee Valley Authority
400 West Summit Hill Drive
WT 8A-K
Knoxville, TN 37902

Harry Kenworthy, Div. Mgr.
Willimantic Division
Rogers Corporation
730 Windham
South Windham, CT 06266

Barbara Hummel
Executive Director
MAQIN
1010 Mound Street
Madison, WI 53715

Jan Partain, Coordinator
Arkansas Ind. Dev. Commission
One State Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201

Carole & David Schwinn
Transformation of American
Industry Project
Jackson Community College
2111 Emmons Road
Jackson, MI 49201
______________________________________________________________

                           Myron Tribus, P.E.
                            Quality Counselor

     Dr. Tribus is a consulting engineer specializing in Quality
Management, and a Director of Exergy, a company specializing in
the design of advanced high efficiency power production systems.
He retired from MIT in 1986 after over 11 years as Director of
the CAES. Before going to MIT, he was a Senior Vice President for
Research and Engineering for the Xerox Corporation; he served for
two years as Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology in
the U.S. Department of Commerce; he was Dean of the Thayer School
of Engineering at Dartmouth College; he was on the faculties of
the Colleges of Engineering at UCLA and the University of
Michigan.
     Dr. Tribus has published over 100 papers and two books. He
has also published and lectured extensively on topics of social
interest such as the decline of U.S. competitiveness in world
trade, the role of decision theory in political decision-making,
and the role of technology in society.
     In recent years, Dr. Tribus has become known through his
writings on Dr. Deming's philosophy of management. He is one of
the founders of AQPI.
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