John Zavacki observed:
> One company that began as a client for a business plan is now using
> us to do organizational, info system, and factory design. Another
> that opted for having us develop documentation for ISO 9002 refused
> to go any further. They convinced themselves that the
> documentation was the system. I keep in touch with some of the key
> players who did understand the need for developing a system and
> give them free chaplain services.
I agree with John; ISO 9000 should be *a* system, not *the* system.
A bit more about ISO 9000 systems: ISO 900x requires that there be a
documented quality system. Workers must follow the system, and the
system must be effective in preventing product and/or service
nonconformities.
In addition, the quality system must be documented with procedures
that are authorized by a responsible authority, and are controlled to
make sure that workers use the latest revision of their procedures.
ISO 9000 quality systems create limits to organizational learning,
following the archetype of "Limits to Growth" described in "The Fifth
Discipline." The limiting condition cycle includes these five events:
1) the system improvement is identified, 2) the system improvement is
described in a procedure and authorized, 3) the revised procedure is
somehow distributed, 4) |DELAY| while workers learn the new
procedure, and finally, 5) the new procedure (system improvement) is
implemented.
I find that in the maintenance of my company's ISO 9001 system, that
these limiting conditions aren't all bad; because managers know it
takes awhile to make changes, they are more considerate of making the
changes well.
Because ISO 9000 systems are so new (in the US anyway), industry is
still learning how to quickly complete the authorize, distribute and
implement cycle. And many companies, like your 9002 client, are still
in denial. Learning Org's aren't impossible in ISO 9000 companies,
but they do pose some special problems.
- --
Brad L. Myers, CQA
Gelman Sciences
Ann Arbor, Michigan
bmyers@gelman.com
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>