Generally, we are not inclined to welcome the introduction of formal management
systems. We have visions of increased bureaucracy and paperwork. We may also fear
the more focused accountability imposed by formal systems.
Organizations already afflicted with old sets of procedures, measured by the foot
(metre) or pound (kilogram), often have a different problem. Here, everyone knows
that the procedures are not accurate and any new edict to comply with them is unlikely
to improve anything. Such edicts do not inspire the people to use the system.
Leaders allay
these fears by involving teams in design of
their system and are
prepared to trash the old procedures. Leaders show their commitment by involving
themselves in developing, using and improving the system. Some key processes (such
as strategic planning) belong to senior management. Such processes are, not surprisingly,
ignored in some audit standards originated for contracts such as
ISO 9001. Management
reviews could correct this.
Your organization may have a department said to be responsible for quality, safety,
security, regulatory affairs or the environment. If you earn your livelihood in
these departments you may also have concerns and fears. Will you (and fellow professionals)
resist the temptation to ‘protect yourselves’ through several more narrowly defined
specialist sets of policies, procedures and instructions (not really systems) to
cement your roles and to tell people what they shall do?
Great benefits and value come from deploying responsibility for defining and meeting
all needs with integrated enterprise systems. Great leaders will take these opportunities
by changing or replacing any internal command and control watchdogs to instigators
of preventive action through the system.
Well-designed enterprise systems can enable workers at all levels to design, control
and renew or improve their processes so they deliver quality, safely and responsibly,
and so all of the other needs are also met. With great leadership and a dynamic
system, all of us can be trained and trusted (empowered) to meet requirements for
you to enjoy your work as much as we do.