Management Buy-In
One of the most common complaints I heard from Quality professionals is lack of management support. It seems to be the one single topic that always appeals to the average Joe Quality. Indeed, if all of the tales were true, most executives appear to be in need of a brain transplant. Unfortunately, they only run the company, so they must be appeased somehow. This issue of Quality Concepts addresses some of the ways the Quality professionals can get better buy-in from their top management.
Find the real guy or gal in charge
Companies are comprised of many people, but only a few that make the decisions. When someone says management does not support this, I often wonder who. The fundamental question is, "Who can say yes when everyone else says no?" That is the person who must support a quality initiative. It may be the VP of Quality or it may not. In smaller companies, more than likely it is the President or CEO. Everyone else just marches to the tune that he or she is playing. When selling a new quality objective, this is the person that must be convinced. Everyone else is just ancillary. They can assuredly say no, but they can't say yes. Finding out who makes the decision is the first step towards management buy-in.
Talk the talk
Welcome to the world of the executive. Every day someone is telling you what you should be doing. Maybe it's buying a new computer system. Perhaps it is selling a less profitable division or buying a new technology. The fact is, executives are bombarded with decisions every day. They also know that everyone is slanting the discussion to achieve some other hidden agenda. The computer salesman wants him or her to buy the new computer system so he can get paid. The manager wants to develop a new product so he can control a larger budget. The engineer wants to kill a technology because it tends to break down at 3:00AM. Everyone wants something, but they all lack one thing: credibility. In order to get top management to support you, they must first believe you. That means you have to develop a relationship based on trust. It takes time, but it can be done. Know who the decision makers are and cultivate a peer-level relationship.
Speak their language
Assuming you have a peer-level relationship with a decision maker, now the question becomes how to sell a quality initiative? After all, isn't quality what everyone is shooting for? Not necessarily. Executives do not have time to focus on the technical details, but they want to know about the benefits. For example, rather than sell Six Sigma by describing that you can use design of experiments to reduce process variability, give them the benefits which is reduced waste or increased revenue. Putting quality initiatives into language that they respond to is imperative in getting new projects funded. Instead of telling the decision maker that ISO registration will involve process controls and external audits, tell them that ISO registration will lead to lower costs as less defective product is made.