PERSONAL QUALITY

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When you come across the word “Quality”, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it the look and feel of something? The way that the product or service is helping you to achieve something and thus easing your task? Or, is it just one of those words whose meaning you know internally, but can’t define.

Speaking of businesses, what are businesses for? They are for the launching and the use of different products or services that are meant to be useful for the end-users or customers. It is universally known that a good business is where a company or organization can constantly find effective solutions in the form of a product or a service for their target customers.

In business, the quality of a product or service is determined on whether or not the functionality of it is better than the initial expectations set. By definition, good quality products are those that incorporate features and have the capacity to meet different customer needs or wants. Good quality products or services give customer satisfaction and are generally free from defects or deficiencies.

But, what is “Quality”?

Everyone has their definitions and standards of defining and maintaining quality. For customers, their standards of quality keep on changing depending on different circumstances. Mostly, the quality is affected by the mood of a customer and how useful it was for them. For a company or organization, the customers’ definition of a “quality” product or service is what can make or break their business. In short, the future of a company depends on the feedback of the end-user.

Quality is defined or seen from different angles.

• From a customer’s perspective - “Quality is often associated with value and usefulness.”

• From a salesperson’s perspective - “Quality is directly related to features, functions and price.”

• From a manufacturer’s perspective - “Quality is the conformance to design specifications.”

The market expectations of a product or service can be attributed to technical quality. But, the larger share should be allotted to human aspects of quality. This is directly related to the attitude and the behaviour of people who produce the product or render a service.

Norman Augustine, an American businessman and the Chairman and Principal Officer of several companies including the American Red Cross, once said: “It costs a lot to produce a bad product”. He was referring to the innumerable times when an organization invested their time and money to develop a product, but the product was received badly by the end-user.

The Company’s Realization of Quality

Among all the companies in the world who have realized that quality is one of the deciding factors that can make or break them, it was the Japanese market that took notice of this first. They were among the first to make quality their top priority throughout the production process.

For other companies, it was the early 70s where they learnt that product quality was a major variant for them. Though it took time, companies learnt to survive, they need to make sure that the products and services that they launch should be best received and liked by customers. In short, the end-user should be satisfied and should be able to use whatever product they’ve purchased, effortlessly.

How are Quality Products Made?

The first step to producing the best quality products and for rendering good services to end-users is to start from the core of an organization. The core of an organization refers to the people working in the organization - all the way from the people who develop a product to the ones who manufacture and test it. It is the individuals in a company who take care of the different processes that are involved in product development. Thus, hiring them with care, training them in what they are expected to do, and micro-managing the quality of a product from beginning to end is what companies should ideally follow.

The development of the quality of a product or a service starting from an individual level gave rise to the notion of “People First” and their “Personal Quality”. Since the discovery of this notion as the first step towards bettering products, many small and large organizations have shifted their focal point towards this very important aspect.

Personal Quality

All human beings are capable of doing certain things, but there is a clear distinction between their capability and what they can do. An individual’s performance fluctuates greatly under different situations. In short, no two people are the same and different people have different performing capabilities.

In a company or an organization, it has been proved that unless each individual delivers a high level of dedication towards the quality of a product, an organization cannot sustain their position in the market. So, the best place to start quality development is with an individual’s performance and attitude. Personal quality is essential for keeping self-esteem in order. It is also the direct cause for good health, work efficiency, positive attitudes, and good behaviour.

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Maintaining Personal Quality

Every individual who is working in an organization has a reason why they are hired. Sometimes their hiring is based on a unique skill that they have, their attitude towards work, their experience in the field, etc. Personal Quality can be improved individually and together as a team. In work situations, the level of improvement that a person can go through with time and experience is exponential. In a work environment, it is usually the supervisor who evaluates and helps to improve an employee.

The success or failure of an individual does not depend solely on his performance. Many unseen factors cause it. In the case of an individual failing, their superiors are the ones who should guide them in the right direction and help them regain their lost confidence. In the case of an individual succeeding, their success should be applauded and recognised by all those in concern.

An effective way of making sure that personal quality of an individual or a team is maintained is by giving them awards or recognition.

Key Takeaways

Quality is a relative term i.e. it is something that can be measured. As per the article, we now know that the quality of a product is the overall efforts of all the members in an organization who help to develop it from scratch.

On an individual level, personal quality is a constant and self-development project. Through working on their effectiveness, their relationships, and through interacting with different environments, an individual can become more specialized and more valuable to any organization that they choose to join.

Quality is the standard backbone of an organization and every individual working in it.