Step-wise answer to Leadership
Assess how your own organization is doing on each and identify specific means that could help incorporate the ideas listed into the culture of your organization. please feel free to disagree.
Number one, create consistency and continuity of purpose, plan products with an eye to the long-range needs of the company, don't succumb to the pressures of the quarterly report, do you do things for the long haul, or do you succumb to the quarterly report?
Two, set high standards, no company can compete in the world market until its management discards old notions about what's acceptable as levels of mistakes, defects or inadequate training and supervision, so set high standards. If your organization is to be world class, it has to have world-class standards.
Three, eliminate dependence on mass inspection for quality, instead use statistical controls for incoming and outgoing goods and services.
Four, reduce the number of suppliers, buy based on statistical evidence of quality, not price. There's an old saying, "Garbage in, garbage out." This can be helped by reducing the number of suppliers.
Five, recognize that there are two general sources of quality problems. One is faulty systems. Indeed, 85% of quality problems could be traced back to faulty systems. And the other is the employee. 15% of quality problems could be traced back to the employee, so strive to constantly improve the system