Many quality management professionals describe their #1 problem as getting management buy-in to new quality management initiatives. So if you are in a new quality position or desperately need quality assurance program processes to change within your organization, how can you get management to sign off and support your new ideas?
Selling Quality to Management: How to Get Management Buy-In to New Quality Initiatives
1. Selling Quality to
Management: How to Get
Management Buy-In to New
April 30th, 2012
Quality Initiatives
Featuring Guest Speaker:
Brien Palmer, InterLINK Management
Consulting
Hosted by:
IBS America
THE PRODUCTIVITY ADVANTAGE
3. Brien Palmer
Quality and Management Consultant for
20+ years
“Economic Case for Quality” team leader
(Pittsburgh pilot run)
Past chair of American Society for Quality,
Pittsburgh chapter
CoREM Board trustee
Managing Principal in InterLINK
Management Consulting
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4. Agenda
Current Situation
How Executives Think
How to “Sell” Ideas
Focusing on Business: Using a Business Case
Selling Ideas to Your Organization
Gaining Comfort Around Top Management
Q&A
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5. The Business Case for This Webinar
1. Why should we do this?
To facilitate Quality principles in service to our
organizations and our careers.
2. What if we did NOT do it?
Our good ideas would not get implemented, hurting the
organization and frustrating ourselves.
3. What do we want when we finish?
Skills in “selling” Quality ideas to our organizations,
resulting in better performance, competitive success,
and more-skilled Quality professionals
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6. Some Crazy-Bad Projects
1. No customer input, no project plan, schedule
accountability, no priorities, managed by the vendor,
no sponsorship, no attempt to create acceptance by
the user community, and no forum for dissent or
criticism. (People talked to me, but would not speak
up in meetings.)
2. Manager (founder’s daughter) would not talk to
consultants, would not address her role in the process,
would not agree on work rules.
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7. Current State
Technical Skills vs. Interpersonal Skills
How Decisions Really Get Made
Business and Personal Costs of Poor Management-communication
Skills
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8. You Need TWO Things
1. A Worthy 1. The Ability to
Idea SELL the Idea
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9. How NOT to do it
Point out a problem and walk away.
Focus on regulatory requirements but not business needs.
Never leave the department.
Over-use “jargon”.
Avoid senior managers.
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10. How TO do it
Become Project Manager of your idea
Work with Other People.
Get a management sponsor
Create teams, partnerships, alliances, etc.
Understand your Management and put your idea in
their context
Their Objectives
Business Case
Cost/Benefits (ROI)
Building Organizational Consensus
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11. How Executives Think
Big Picture vs. Department or Project Focus
Intuition vs. Analysis
Quick Action vs. Ducks in a Row
Boldness vs. Caution
Extraversion vs. Introversion
“The Language of Business”
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12. Economic Case for Quality:
What Sways CEOs?
89%
78% 73% 51%
#1: Conversation #2: Testimonials #3: A Case Study #4: Competitor’s
with peer CEO Financial Returns
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13. “Economic Case for Quality” Resources
www.makinggoodgreat.org
www.asq.org/economic-case/
What Do CEOs Think About
Quality? Quality Progress
Magazine, May 2004
Making the Economic Case
for Quality, by John Ryan
(ASQ White Paper)
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14. How to Quantify Cost Benefits
Use internal CFO resources
Share assumptions and invite participation
Offer to do a pilot run, then measure results
Let your Financial people talk
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15. Building the Business Case
1) Why should we do this?
2) What if we did NOT do it?
3) What do we want when we finish?
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16. Business Case Considerations
Address why any action is necessary. (If this is not clear, why
bother doing anything?)
Emphasize the costs of NOT doing the thing. (People will
automatically focus on the costs of doing it.)
Focus on the outcomes, not the process
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17. Uses of the Business Case:
In selling ideas to executive teams
In meetings where you have prepared a coalition of supporters
At the beginning of a presentation, in order to reconnect with the
reasons for the project
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18. Sample Business Case:
We waste a lot of time getting approval for small parts during
product development. We’d like to authorize each engineer to
spend $100 without signature.
If we don’t do this, we’ll risk more delays in product development.
With a $100 limit, we will still have protection, but we’ll eliminate
many delays.
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19. Practice in BUILDING A SIMPLE BUSINESS CASE: a speed
exercise
Think of a Real Quality Idea You Have. Examples:
Create an employee suggestion system
Qualify the company to an ISO standard
Track certain quality metrics
Introducing a corrective action/preventive action system
Survey employees re: effectiveness of work processes
Do a kaizen or a lean blitz in a particular area
Posting visible metrics in the work areas
Track and analyze problems on a regular basis. (e.g., material review board)
Introduce standardized work processes and procedures
Jot It Down
Consider the Following:
1) Why should we do this?
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20. Selling Ideas
The Connotations of “Selling”
“Why Should Anybody Care?” Tune in to WII-FM
Use the Language of Business
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21. Principles of Consultative Selling
Helping the Executive, from their perspective (not yours)
Think “Pull”, not “Push”
Trust and Selling
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22. Selling Ideas Across an Organization
Gather like-minded colleagues and form a group (formal team or
ad hoc working group)
Get a management sponsor
Plan informal meetings with a critical mass of people:
stakeholders, experts, and decision-makers.
Keep meetings exploratory. Use probing questions. Get their
opinions.
Refine your proposal based on feedback.
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23. Tools for Organizational Interviews
Use your business case to form an “elevator speech” that:
Highlights the problem and current pain
Outlines your solution
Explains your plan to get organizational acceptance
by
ice
sp ract rs
ake embe
Takes only 60-90 seconds
t
This am m
te
Ask probing questions
Ask for their opinion and input
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24. Some Goals of Organizational Interviews
Test the idea across several departments
See how people feel about it.
Ask for advice and help.
Gain ownership on their part, if possible.
See how opponents can be influenced.
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26. What are the Challenges?
You are exposing yourself to people who could
affect your career.
Senior Managers can be impatient, brusque
and blunt.
It is hard to get and keep their attention.
The topic probably means a great deal to you
but less to them.
They can ask questions that exceed your area
of expertise.
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27. Planning the Management Presentation (1 of 3)
• Before the presentation, BE PREPARED!
Previously engage a majority of the decision
makers.
• Know Your Audience, and shape your message
to them.
• Prepare a quick-hit business case (less than
one minute) and START with this slide.
• Use a human narrative, especially under “What
if we did NOT do this”
• Illustrate with anecdotes and stories.
• Make it interesting, not just technical.
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28. Planning the Management Presentation (2 of 3)
Emphasize why this is important.
Tell them that you will ask for their
action.
Make major points. Illustrate with
human narratives (stories) whenever
possible.
Use graphics whenever possible too
illustrate data.
Stay strategic (i.e., high-level). For
detail, offer handouts, hip-pocket slides
and/or the big honkin’ book.
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29. Planning the Management Presentation (3 of 3)
Try to set a theme that you use throughout.
Move briskly. If you did your job well, you are reiterating
information, not presenting it for the first time.
Plan to end at 20-30 minutes, with a summary, and a call to
action.
Review your presentation and your meeting plan with your
sponsor, especially on how to handle objections.
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30. Maintaining Your Poise
Remember, people want you to succeed.
Rehearse your talk. Consider a dry run.
Consider memorizing your introductory
slides. (After the first couple of minutes,
you will get past your nervousness.)
When practicing, use positive imagery, like
professional athletes.
Remember, you will have done your job.
Now, its their job.
Breathe!
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31. DURING the Presentation
• At the beginning, announce that you would like a decision.
• Finish your presentation at about 20-30 minutes (not at 60 minutes.)
• ASK for the decision.
• Handle questions and objections in accordance with position and
expertise.
• Let your sponsor play a role.
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32. Learning Comfort Around Top
Management
What Causes Discomfort around Managers?
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33. Strategies for Developing Comfort
Practice
Assignments and Projects
Develop Coalitions
Use Outsiders and Surrogates
Questions and Active Listening
The Value of Discomfort
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34. Thoughts to Take Away
Become Project Manager of your idea
Work with Other People.
Get a management sponsor
Create teams, partnerships, alliances, etc.
Understand your Management and put your idea in their context
Their Objectives
Business Case
Cost/Benefits (ROI)
Building Organizational Consensus
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36. For Further Information…
Making Change Work: Practical Tools for Overcoming Human
Resistance to Change, by Brien Palmer. Published by ASQ’s Quality
Press
The Case for Quality—Taking it to Management. Webinar
sponsored by ASQ.
Selling Quality to Management: How to Get Management Buy-In to Qu
, IBS America-Sponsored Whitepaper written by Brien Palmer
IBS Overview THE PRODUCTIVITY ADVANTAGE
Hinweis der Redaktion
I HAVE to know how to sell Quality, or else I won’t succeed in my business. It’s a matter of life and death in my chosen occupation. Ask for how many people are familiar with the ASQ’s Economic Case for Quality. (Raise hands)
Briefly review the three elements of a Business Case. This is a SIMPLIFIED Business Case. A THOROUGH business case would amplify these points considerably, and possibly use the methods herein.
We train people on analytical skills, but not interpersonal skills We encourage fact-based decision making, but don’t pay attention to how decisions really get made. The business and personal cost of poor management-communication skills. Ask “how many people promoted into a new position?” If so, click yes in the FEEDBACK area, if no, click no. Ask “how many people given training to handle their new position?” IF yes, click yes. If no, click no.
10:20 Ask if attendees have seen these situations.
What is the MIS manager responsible for? What is the Sales Manager responsible for? What is the QA manager responsible for? What is the CEO responsible for? How does this affect our approach to CEOs and other top managers? Use pointer 10:30
Use pointer
11:00 Break after this slide
GO ON TO NEXT PAGE
Briefly review the three elements of a Business Case. This is a SIMPLIFIED Business Case. A THOROUGH business case would amplify these points considerably, and possibly use the methods herein.
[This slide amplifies the points made on the previous one.]
[This is a role play enacted by the instructor. Play out the part as if you were presenting to a management committee.]
Mental models and sales: used car salesmen vs. physicians. This connotation works against Quality professionals. Give choice of words including “self”. POLL #5 “ The Language of Business” applies to for-profits.
2:40-2:50 One-minute case lets you jump in incase the meeting goes on too long, your session gets pushed back, etc. Finish after 20-30 minutes. If you have more detail, put it in an hip-pocket slide. Review the 60-second “emergency” option.
2:40-2:50 One-minute case lets you jump in incase the meeting goes on too long, your session gets pushed back, etc. Finish after 20-30 minutes. If you have more detail, put it in an hip-pocket slide. Review the 60-second “emergency” option.
2:40-2:50 One-minute case lets you jump in incase the meeting goes on too long, your session gets pushed back, etc. Finish after 20-30 minutes. If you have more detail, put it in an hip-pocket slide. Review the 60-second “emergency” option.
2:40-2:50 One-minute case lets you jump in incase the meeting goes on too long, your session gets pushed back, etc. Finish after 20-30 minutes. If you have more detail, put it in an hip-pocket slide. Review the 60-second “emergency” option.
4:00 I introduce some ideas, and then let individuals add to them. Use whiteboard.
End 4:15 Use pointer Plan ahead, practice, use role plays, develop scenarios—your manager will be impressed by your grasp of the issues! Seek assignments that consciously bring you into contact with senior managers. Better to start out small than to confront a manager under a high-pressure situation. Form teams of like-minded people and work together to achieve your desired outcomes. When appropriate, work with outside consultants, respected insiders, and others to get your message to senior managers. Questions and Active listening: Take the focus off of you by asking questions. Indicate your understanding of the answers by summarizing them briefly. If/Then Dialogue: This is a non-threatening way to assert your opinion. First, refer to a concern, principle, or issue that you have heard the manager state. Then, put your opinion in terms of that concern or principle. Use this format: I am concerned that IF [we don’t do what I want us to do], THEN [we won’t meet the objective that you stated]. Example: “Yes, I know that ISO certification will require a lot of time and effort. But I am afraid that if we don’t get certified, then we’ll never be able to expand into Europe.” The Value of Discomfort: Unease is a way to protect yourself from change. Sometimes unease and discomfort can indicate a potential for dramatic improvement Any questions or comments?