Question

Evaluate an organization you know on the basis of product quality and service quality. Compare the results against those of its best competitors. Develop an action plan to stay excellent or improve.

Answer 1

An organization that I know on the basis of product and service quality is GE. The company is present in the following business segments – aviation, additive, healthcare, capital, lighting, power, renewable energy, etc.

GE is considered a pioneer with regards to product quality and service quality. The company, in the late 80s, started its evolution towards quality by creating a learning environment that eventually led to Six Sigma. The company’s quest for excellence towards product and service quality is driven by Six Sigma which is embedding quality thinking and process thinking across all operations and activities of the company.

The company’s competitors like Legrand, Leviton, United Technologies Siemens, and Phillips etc. also focus on product quality and service quality through emphasis on innovation and continuous improvement. However these companies’ change acceleration process is not as agile and not as flexible as GE.

An action plan for GE to stay excellent is that they should continue to keep customers at the center of their universe. This will enable GE to deliver excellent quality in terms of performance, reliability, competitive prices, and on-time delivery. Secondly the company should ensure that its processes are robust by having an outside-in thinking. Lastly leadership commitment towards quality should remain high and quality should be made a responsibility of every employee.