Building a Quality Culture: Fixing the 5 Deadly Diseases of Management

As I participate in a 12-week-long learning path to truly understand what quality means in an organization, I've begun to see that quality is much more than just meeting standards or achieving certifications. It’s about creating a culture where continuous improvement becomes second nature, and where every team member works toward the same goal of excellence. One of the key lessons I’ve learned so far comes from Dr. W. Edwards Deming, who identified five "deadly diseases" that can stop any organization from building such a culture. If we want to create real, lasting quality, these issues must be addressed head-on.

Every company wants to improve and succeed. But what makes the difference between a company that just survives and one that grows with quality? Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a famous expert in quality management, explained this by highlighting five major problems, or “deadly diseases,” that stop companies from building a strong quality culture.

If you want to grow a culture of quality in your company, you must get rid of these problems. Let’s look at what these "diseases" are and how they harm progress, using simple examples.

1. Lack of Long-term Vision

Many companies focus only on the short-term, like how to increase profits quickly. But this makes them forget about long-term goals, like building better products and keeping customers happy for years.

Example: Think of a company that sells low-quality products just to make a quick profit. Customers might buy once but won’t return, and in the long run, the company loses its reputation and customers.

Solution: Always focus on a long-term vision. Let your team know that the goal is not just quick sales but continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. This helps in building lasting success.

2. Focus on Short-term Profits

Some companies are so focused on making money fast that they cut important things like quality control or employee training. While this can give profits in the short term, it damages the company in the future.

Example: Imagine a construction company that uses cheaper materials to save money. This might make the project cheaper, but when the building starts to fall apart, the company will have a bad reputation, and it may lose customers or face legal issues.

Solution: Invest in quality, even if it means less profit right now. Over time, customers will notice your commitment to quality and trust your business more, which brings long-term profits.

3. Blaming Individuals Instead of Fixing Systems

Many companies use annual performance reviews to rank employees, giving some people rewards and others punishments. But Deming explained that most problems come from the system, not the people. If your process is broken, it doesn’t matter how hard employees work – the system needs fixing.

Example: In a factory, if machines keep breaking down, it’s not the workers' fault if they can’t meet production goals. The real problem is the machine maintenance system.

Solution: Don’t just blame individuals when things go wrong. Look at the bigger picture and fix the processes or systems that might be causing the problem. Encourage teamwork and help everyone work towards better systems, not just better personal performance.

4. Changing Managers Too Often

When managers are changed too often or new managers are hired from outside without understanding the company, it creates confusion. Every new manager may bring their own way of working, which makes it hard for teams to follow a clear direction.

Example: If a retail store changes its store manager every few months, employees will get confused about rules and expectations. This can lead to poor service and unhappy customers.

Solution: Keep managers in their roles long enough to understand the company’s culture and systems. Developing managers from inside the company ensures they know how things work and can guide their teams better.

5. Focusing Only on Numbers

Many companies rely only on easy-to-measure numbers like sales, costs, or production output to make decisions. But not everything that matters can be measured. Things like customer happiness, employee satisfaction, or hidden inefficiencies are just as important but harder to see.

Example: A call center might focus only on how many calls are answered per hour. If workers are rushed, they might give poor customer service, leading to unhappy customers. However because the numbers look good, management may not see the problem.

Solution: Don’t rely only on visible data. Pay attention to things like feedback from customers and employees. Ask what’s going wrong, even if it doesn’t show up in the numbers. This will help you improve in ways that numbers alone can’t show.

How to Build a Strong Quality Culture

Getting rid of these five deadly diseases is the first step to building a lasting quality culture. Here’s how you can do that:

• Focus on the future: Make sure your company’s goals are clear and focus on improving quality for the long term. Everyone should know the company's mission.
• Don’t chase quick profits: Invest in quality and training. This will help you build trust with customers and grow your business over time.
• Improve systems, not just people: Look for system problems and fix them. Don’t blame individuals when things go wrong.
• Keep leadership stable: Train and keep managers who understand your company well. Don’t change leadership too often.
• Look beyond the numbers: Pay attention to what’s happening behind the scenes. Listen to customer feedback and check how employees feel about the work environment.

By fixing these problems, you will create a workplace where everyone works together to improve, customers are happier, and your business becomes stronger in the future.

The Deming Dimensions by Henry R. Neave