Loud Thinking

Cut Down on Errors and Improve Quality

Today’s customers have myriad outlets to air grievances about poor service or faulty products. And because cycle times in most industries have shrunk, the likelihood of errors has increased. To prevent problems, concern for quality needs to be embedded in the company culture. Doing this requires clear communication at every level.
Executives need to emphasize quality’s importance when evaluating employees and announcing new initiatives.
Managers should regularly discuss processes to improve quality with their teams.
Employees need to be encouraged to hold one another accountable, and feel comfortable raising concerns about quality violations.

Adapted by HBR from “ Creating a Culture of Quality” by Ashwin Srinivasan and Bryan Kurey.