The field of quality management has developed and matured in the last 20 years. Originating in the manufacturing sector, where quality control is easily measured by testing production (usually being a tangible thing), it has now grown into better management of systems and procedures.

Measuring the quality of service providers requires different measurement tools. Some of my work includes reviewing quality of service providers, which is often impressive.

I like the recent moves towards recognising how risk also fits in the efforts of quality.

It makes business sense to identify areas of high business risk, then focussing quality efforts there.

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The field of risk management, also sometimes referred to as safety management, includes asset safety: working so that the bridge doesn’t fall down, or the pipeline doesn’t rupture. 

It’s possibly more common to think of ‘safety’ as OHS or WHS, related to workplace safety; oversimplified to hardhats or steel-toed boots.  WHS keeps workers safe; very important. 

I think there are (at least) four types of “safety”: workplace, process, public and personal.  Some of my work is in public safety: preventing asset failure where failure could impact on an innocent bystander (the public).

Each type has differing requirements and particular solutions.

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The ability to take a complex topic and simplify it should be the goal of every person who works in complex roles. But simplifying is a classic case of ‘easier said than done’.

The reports, articles, and emails with enormous amounts of content but for which the intent or purpose is not clear, have not been simplified. The writers probably have felt that they need to fill the page to prove knowledge. Though in many cases, less is more.

James Clear wrote: “To simplify before you understand the details is ignorance. To simplify after you understand the details is genius.”

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There’s plenty of guidance and advice on how to be a leader.

There is another skill, less known and less discussed, but probably just as important, if not moreso. And that’s the skill and behaviour of being a first follower.

As Derek Sivers says in the YouTube/TedTalk video: “the first follower turns a lone nut into a leader.” So, a leader is alone until a first follow joins in; now the rest of the crowd sees the benefits and makes it a party.

The same happens with business innovations, social movements, and group activities. Every leader needs a first follower.

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There’s a nostalgia to looking back in time, to be reminiscent about how far we’ve come, or how things used to be.

It’s a good exercise to then take that same lament and look ahead the same timeframe.

So when a statement is made like “has it been 10 years since…”, or “I can’t believe that was 20 years ago”, we should also think, can you imagine that far into the future?

Smartphones and social media only really took hold of our lives 15 years ago. Try to imagine what our conveniences (and irritations) will be 15 years from now.

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I don’t usually do these 100words in series; rarely even is one related to the last one. But this one I thought needed a ‘part 2’.

Last post mused about the importance of asking questions. Asking relevant questions is a useful skill that needs to be developed and nurtured.

But the second part is, we need to have access to someone to ask the question in the first place. And we need somewhere to ask the question without fear of being judged. Finally, we should definitely be able to expect a useful answer.

Answers are as important as the question.

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As noted to me recently by esteemed industry member Ted M, the hardest way to learn is through bitter experience.

While it’s true the best way to learn, in conjunction with gaining expertise and seeking feedback, is through experience, there are sometimes cases where the experience should actually be avoided, if it might be seen as a bad experience coming out of it.

So, if the hard way to learn is through a bad experience, maybe an easier way to learn, and to avoid repeating mistakes made by others, is to develop the ability to ask insightful and relevant questions.

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There’s always a danger when making assumptions: we all know that.  Assumptions can simplify our complicated tasks; we take shortcuts like assuming things, to avoid cognitive load.  Assumptions are based on past experience, and maybe some hopeful thinking, too.

There seems to be an ongoing assumption that ‘technical skills can be taught’, like as if it’s just easy to do that.  Or, there’s a view to “hire the person with the better personality; they’ll be able to figure out what they need to know”.  Those assumptions may be costly. Perhaps there’s a link between failed projects and assumptions like those. 

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When there is a decision to be made, it is almost impossible to separate individual motivational biases from that decision. We like to think we’re impartial, fair, and logical, but the research shows that we are usually not. There is often tussles between what we want to do, and what we should do.

The motivations associated with decisions include: what we individually want or need; wanting to be seen in a positive light or be liked; wanting a positive outcome (of which the perspective is a factor); and wanting to avoid regret.

Humans are predictably unpredictable and yet surprisingly consistent.

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Humans have a propensity to work together. We seem to drift towards cooperation rather than drifting towards isolation. Even in the current “stay apart’ modality, we are still working together in creative ways. It’s built into our DNA, the need to co-exist and cohabitate. Humans cooperate so that we can achieve bigger things. And by cooperating, we learn from each other. We share ideas and information, for the bigger potential and the better outcome.

Knowledge is best spread around by cooperation and teamwork. It is the sharing of ideas, knowledge, and space, that leads to improvements, innovation, and remarkable achievements.

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There’s plenty of advice available advising new workers to ‘communicate well’, ‘think of other ways to do it’, ‘don’t just follow the old way’.

This is valid and useful advice, but the hard part is actioning it. The practicalities of taking that advice to where the work is – that is easier to say than do. It’s not easy to rock the boat as a new employee.

These are concerns worth addressing. Also, you can damage your work reputation by speaking against the norm too often, or offering ‘new’ ways of doing things that are not better, or are more expensive.

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There are many kinds of puzzles. The jig-saw puzzle requires putting together pieces to create a known picture. Other types of puzzles are based on problem solving or tricks around twisting what you might think you know. Then there are brain teasers, riddles, or Rubik’s cubes.

Some puzzles are ‘proper’ or predictable. The outcome is known and expected – like jig-saw puzzles. Others are more complicated because the outcome is not known or expected or predictable. These complicated puzzles need more creative thinking, more time, and a different approach. Make time for those complicated puzzles and be creative in the approach.

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Decisions, applying judgement, or taking action are part of any knowledge worker’s day. Value is added through the day by applying decisions, judgement or actions to information. This is achieved mostly through use of that “black box” that is between our ears.

The concept of agency is part of the day as well (considering knowledge work here, not societal issues). Agency is the ability or authority to achieve control, or the capacity to act independently and make choices. And importantly, a knowledge worker’s agency is influenced by their knowledge, skills and past experience with the thing having the valued added.

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I work in an industry that relies on a series of Australian Standards. Ours are written to be mostly performance-based and results-oriented, rather than prescriptive. I know that there are some (many?) who would prefer a prescriptive standard. By definition, a prescriptive standard prescribes, dictates, tells you: exactly what to do.

With a prescriptive standard, there’s little to no options or judgement. There is no requirement for thinking beyond the recipe. It removes the choice, there’s no judgement required, it just is. This is certainly an easier way to do work; but it eliminates the chance for innovation or improvements.

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I was recently reminded about this 2017 hoax.  A writer created a fake restaurant, seeded social media with stellar reviews, and posted news that tables were “sold out” for months, even though there were no tables to book.  It reached #1 on the crowd-sourced review sites and made the news for its unique ‘mood’ menu.

It’s obvious where I’m going here:  truth in numbers in the digital world is difficult (but not impossible) to verify.   Think of media reporting on:  emissions claims, virus numbers, poll results. 

The effort to seek the source input numbers is very daunting. So few do. 

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There is a plethora of work that goes on around us that probably doesn’t get enough public appreciation:  the late night office cleaners (not so much in 2020), the council bus drivers, the school bus drivers (not so much in 2020), the rubbish collectors (which thankfully carried on steadfastly through 2020).

There are also a number of people over on LinkedIn who comment on or like these posts.  So, while my writing habit is solid, I’m not so good at responding to comments that follow.  Know that I read them, and I really appreciate your effort to comment/like.  Thank you.

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A known bias is the confirmation trap bias:  seeking information that confirms what we know, rather than challenge it with contradictory information.

In pursuing confirmational evidence that our past decisions were correct, or the consequences of a current decision will be positive, that excludes a wealth of information.

The information gained from seeking contradictions is valuable, but seeking it is definitely not easy.  But it’s not possible to be sure something is true without also checking that it might not be.  Like the scientific method:  try to prove a hypothesis (or decision) is wrong, and see what information is learned.

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What I like about paid (in-person) industry conferences and networking events is their equalness (recognising the cost barrier).

Socially capable or not socially capable, you can still go along to paid events, you can be seen, meet people, and practise your communication skills.

In-person ‘invitation only’ (obviously size-limited) events associated with online conferences might necessarily become part of the future. These are good for the invited, but it leaves out those who are not. If you’re not known (or are awkward socially), it’s harder to get invited.

There’s a real, unspoken, mental issue around ‘belonging’ (or not) to a group.

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Mostly, things “just work” in our built environment.  It’s easy to focus on the niggly things that aren’t functioning well, but mostly, built things just do their job.

When things really do go wrong in this built environment — a bridge collapses, the internet connection fails, a manufacturing facility leaks poison — a legitimate question is whether those involved with that part of our built environment were competent at their job.

It’s difficult (nearly impossible) to admit incompetence; no one wants that.  But the expectation is nothing less than the opposite.  There’s a large gap, though, with many landing points in between.

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If you produce good work, you will be talked about.

Anyone who does well in their career has been talked about by others. There’s no way around it: we tell others about good (or bad) experiences, be it with a product, a service, or a person.

If you want to excel, you have to be so good that people recommend you or your work to others. There’s no shortcut or hack; your work has to be good enough that someone recommending you is not risking their own reputation.

If you’re going to succeed, other people will have talked about you.

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