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no plagiarism, follow instructions in the file, please references in APA style Do it on the time 8 QUALITY | August 2019 www.qualitymag.com I learned a long time ago that quality standards, issues and performance are goals people can rally around, unlike other goals like cost reduction or pro- ductivity improvement. Quality opens people up to change because the change is for a good reason. It con- nects them with the customer and taps the motive of pride in their work This should not be a surprise to most of our readers but to create a true quality environment an organiza- tion must first focus on the customer. The purpose of all work and all improvement effort is to better serve the customer. This should be recognized by everyone as funda- mental to survival, but unfortunately some managers do not always do well with this concept, straightfor- ward as it might seem. It is important, therefore, that managers ensure that there is a common definition of the basic words and phrases used in communicating what they hope to accomplish and why. Quality means satisfying customers’ needs and expectations. It is this focus that is, in fact, the purpose of all work. However, it seems not everyone has the same understanding of the word quality, which results in mixed messages. If the focus of a quality environment is to satisfy the needs and expectations of the customer, then the basic premise of all other organizational needs will be addressed: profitability, producing quality products and services, improving productivity, out-performing the competition, managing change, and ensuring employee involvement. Another critical definition is required. Just as some people are apt to translate quality too narrowly, so too may we consider customers in the same restrictive sense. One of the single most powerful revelations in my quality education has been that customers are not only external but internal as well. When our thoughts are extended to other depart- ments and fellow employees as customers, significant positive changes occur in the way work is done or, in quality terms, in the way we deliver our outputs, prod- ucts or services. It is important to emphasize that satisfying the needs of the external customers must be paramount. As we strive to better meet the needs of internal cus- tomers, we must guard against diminishing external customer satisfaction. The challenge is to see our efforts as a total system designed to satisfy our tradi- tional customers. The pursuit, the focus, is toward but one end, which is to meet or exceed customer expectations. It is this oneness of purpose that links all activities toward a single end that makes the total quality environment. The focus on internal customers and satisfying their needs toward improving external customer satisfaction has the potential to transform the organization from one of departmental boundaries and barriers into one of complementing rather than competing activities. In this new environment information ceases to be hoarded as a power cache and is shared not only within the department but with others as well. Collaboration is common, competition is not; partnerships are sought, teamwork prevails; and continual improvement of the system is the goal. The customer focus when supported by this single- system attitude requires a new generation of manage- ment that is long past due for some organizations. The traditional hierarchical organization restricts not only management but all within it. The organization that is capable of multi-depart- ment, cross-functional teamwork on a daily basis is one where processes are seen as related parts of the total quality system. People working in such an envi- ronment better understand not only the organization’s mission, but their own role toward its accomplishment. Consequently, people are better able to fulfill their tasks and to improve on them. Essentially, what is being described is the culture of an organization. More than any other responsibil- ity of management, the culture it creates, supports, or maintains is critical to the ability of the organization to provide the desired products and services. Too often, however, management gives little thought to the cultural tasks required to create and maintain the environment. Typically, when management’s atten- tion is on aspects of the work environment, it is in response to conditions occurring because of manage- ment negligence. The recognition of internal custom- ers, however, helps management address how best to satisfy the needs of direct reports, work associates, and other departments. A true quality environment is driven by a focus on the customer. This purpose provides our organization direction as well as purpose. Jim L. Smith has more than 45 years of industry experience in operations, engineering, research & development and quality management. You can reach Jim at [email protected] CUSTOMER-FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT ORGANIZATIONS MUST EXTEND THEIR DEFINITION OF CUSTOMERS. JIM L. SMITH FACE OF QUALITY 08_QM0819-CLMN-Face.indd 8 7/19/19 1:14 PM Copyright of Quality is the property of BNP Media and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holders express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. College of Administrative and Financial Sciences Assignment 1 Deadline: 23/10/2021 @ 23:59 Course Name: Quality management Student’s Name Course Code: 424 Student’s ID Number: Semester: First Semester 2021 CRN: Academic Year: 1442/1443 H For Instructor’s Use only Instructor’s Name: Students’ Grade: Marks Obtained/Out of 5 Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY 1. The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated folder. 2. Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted. 3. Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page. 4. Students must mention question number clearly in their answer. 5. Late submission will NOT be accepted. 6. Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions. 7. All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism). 8. Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted. 9. Assignment -1 should be submitted on or before the end of Week- 7 . Learning Outcome: 1. Use quality improvement tools and practices for continuous improvement to achieve the organizational change and transformation. (2.2) 2. Implement quality improvement efforts using teams for organizational assessment and quality audits. (3.1) •Instructions to search the article: Via your student services page, log in to the Saudi Digital Library. After your login with your student ID, search for the following article: CUSTOMER-FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT: ORGANIZATIONS MUST EXTEND THEIR DEFINITION OF CUSTOMERS. ISSN: 03609936 In this article, the author discusses the different definition of customers either internal or external and how satisfying all customers’ needs helps the organization in term of accomplishing its quality objectives. Read the article, and answer the following questions: 1. In your own words, summarize the article. ( 150 – 200 words ) ( 2 marks ) 2. To which extent do you agree or disagree with the author point of view “that internal customers’ needs are important as externals to create a true quality environment” and Why? ( 150 – 200 words ) ( 2 marks ) 3. Discuss the tools needed to operate within the new environment as indicated by the author. ( 100 – 150 words ) ( 1 mark ) Answers: 1. …… 2. ….... 3. ……