About This Blog

A QualitEvolution is intended to capture positions and experiences as a participant in the evolution of the Quality profession into the 21st century. From its origins as the brainchild of Corporate Industrial Statisticians, our profession has transformed and evolved to incorporate and adapt to the demands and expectations of our modern existence.

The scope of the subject matter within A QualitEvolution extends to the furthest ranges of quality, business transformation, management science, and quality issues especially pertinent to the members of ASQ in Canada.


Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Walking With Steve Jobs Toward Improved Creativity

In an article within the "Financial Post" business section of the Canadian newspaper, the National Post, there is a very interesting article relating the benefits of walking to creative thought.



As cited within the caption, "Taking a long walk was Steve Jobs' preferred way to have a serious conversation".



This aligns with the ethic of "Management By Walking Around" (MBWA), which was promoted by the legendary Peter Drucker, reinforced by Tom Peters et. al, and translated into Japanese as the "3Gs" (Genga, Gengutsu, and Genjitsu, which translate into “actual place”, “actual thing”, and “actual situation”).



The Lean practice of "Going To The Gemba" supports the creativity of initiatives like Kaizen, not just because people are immersed in the environment where the actual work is performed, but the very act of walking stimulates the necessary creativity needed for problem solving and continuous improvement.

The article backed this up with historical and scientific references.  Intellectual icons like Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Dickens, and Ludwig van Beethoven were referenced within the article as examples of historical figures whose tendency for long walks contributed constructively to their respective compositions and publications.

A recent study by Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2014, revealed the comparative results of participants when taking Guilford's Alternative Uses Test.  This is a test used to measure creative thinking by coming up with alternative uses for everyday items, and scoring these uses across multiple evaluation criteria: originality, fluency, flexibility, and elaboration.  A summary is provided below:

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Guilford's Alternative Uses Task (1967)

(For more information, contact Gayle Dow, Indiana University)
In Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task (1967) examinees are asked to list as many possible uses for a common house hold item (such as s brick, a paperclip, a newspaper)

Example

Name all the uses for a brick:

  1. A paperweight
  2. A doorstop
  3. A mock coffin at a Barbie funeral
  4. To throw threw a window
  5. To use as a weapon
  6. To hit my sister on the head with

Scoring

Scoring is comprised of four components:

  1. Originality - each response it compared to the total amount of responses from all of the people you gave the test to. Reponses that were given by only 5% of your group are unusual (1 point), responses that were given by only 1% of your group are unique - 2 points). Total all the point. Higher scores indicate creativity*
  2. Fluency - total. Just add up all the responses. In this example it is 6.
  3. Flexibility - or different categories. In this case there are five different categories (weapon and hit sister are from the same general idea of weapon)
  4. Elaboration - amount of detail (for Example "a doorstop" = 0 whereas "a door stop to prevent a door slamming shut in a strong wind" = 2 (one for explanation of door slamming, two for further detail about the wind).
*You might have noticed that the higher fluency the higher the originality. This is a contamination problem and can be corrected by using a corrective calculation for originality (originality = originality/fluency).


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The comparative results from the study showed an 81% increase in the creativity scores resulting from walking.  This is a remarkable outcome, which is supported by current business leaders like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Square's Jack Dorsey, who employ walking as a catalyst for deeper thinking and conversation.

I encourage everyone to walk and be mobile, not just for the inherent health benefits, but for the positive effects on creativity and composition.  This very article was composed following my habitual aerobic exercise on an elliptical trainer at a nearby YMCA.


Monday, December 1, 2014

Quality - Epiphany of Value, Purpose, and Function

The article by Brooks, referenced in View from the Q, uses terms like conversion and epiphany to describe the recognition and adoption of quality.  Deming is compared to the famous evangelist, Billy Graham.

My own conversion was at the feet of the Billy Graham of quality, Dr. W Edwards Deming. I had the great good fortune to attend six of his four-day seminars during the final years of his life, and even had some brief conversations with him. My conversion was literally an epiphany.

In this context, an epiphany can also refer to secular discoveries (i.e. Pythagoras and the 47th problem of Euclid (sum of squares in sides of right-angled triangle = square of hypotenuse a.k.a 3-4-5 unit right-angled triangle) or Archimedes (water displacement in the bathtub to measure volume, to which he cried "Eureka!").

A Quality Epiphany or "Eureka Moment" can be generated consistently in three ways:

- Demonstrating cost reductions by controlling losses and penalties by meeting and complying with requirements, regulations, and customer specifications.

- Projecting revenue expansions by increasing business opportunities and entry to new markets demanding higher levels of quality assurance and performance.

- Realizing improved operational efficiency and predictability by optimizing methods and practices to reduce waste, improve predictability, and increase capacity with existing resources.

How do we explain this in a simple and memorable manner?  I have an example below:

In response to the latest View from the Q posting, I wanted to provide a very simple and timeless explanation of Quality, from which more detailed explanations can be made to fully understand our profession.


To summarize:

- The PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle is the core of all activities related to Quality, with the Quality function at the center point of all activities.

- The scope of the PDCA cycle (represented by the area within the circle) reflects the domain of the Quality function, and its influence within its parent organization

- The repetitive and continuous PDCA cycle (originating from Shewhart and popularized by Deming) reinforces the constant and perpetual progression from uncontrolled chaos to predictable ideals.

- The two parallel lines bordering the circle have different meanings.  The left line represents the minimum levels of compliance, conformity, and "good enough" quality.  The right line represents the desired state of having quality-driven breakthroughs, innovations, and extensions to the solution.

- The role and value of the Quality function can be shown visually in this context, as a way to continually perform PDCA-related actions to not only guarantee compliance and conformity, but to advance the organization toward competitive advantages.

- Imagine that the PDCA cycle is not only in continual motion, but is progressing along a maturity track from the boundary of minimal compliance toward the infinite possibilities of unlimited innovation and extensions.  Consider the progression of Honda over the last 50 years from scooters and outboard motors to vehicles and aircraft.

The best way to take this from theory to practice is to demonstrate quality in all of its forms (Lean, Inspection, Process Controls, Management Systems, Risk Management, Business Process Improvement etc.) and show where value and gains are added for the organization and the people involved.