The case of Segal Electric: Applying Deming’s 14 points to improve quality and reduce accidents
1. About the case
The case that happened at Segal Electric deserves attention and examination. A few months ago, Sharon Morse was promoted to be a supervisor of the production line in the company. The company started to have accidents and the work team was inefficient. George Mansfield, the president of Segal Electric, asked Sharon to investigate the situation and find out the root cause of the problems.
Sharon found out that there were several reasons for the accidents and inefficiencies:
– There was a lack of professional assemblers in the company.
– The work team was not able to solve problems.
– There was no training on the job.
– The strict division of workers into different departments prevented them from working together efficiently.
– The fear of being fired drove workers to work harder but also made them more careless and less likely to take initiative.
Sharon proposed several solutions to these problems:
– Hire more professional assemblers.
– Train the work team on how to solve problems.
– Introduce quality control measures.
– Encourage communication and collaboration between workers.
– Reduce fear by providing job security and better working conditions.
George Mansfield accepted Sharon’s proposals and implemented them in the company. As a result, the accidents decreased and the work team became more efficient. Segal Electric is now a model company for other businesses.
2. Deming’s 14 points
Deming’s 14 points are a set of principles for quality management that were first presented by W. Edwards Deming in 1986. These principles can be summarized as follows:
– Undertake a continual improvement process – Adopt the new philosophy – Cease relying on mass inspection – End the practice of awarding business on price tag alone instead, minimize total cost by constantly improving quality and productivity – Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production, and service – Institute training on the job – Adopt and institute leadership methods which help people do a better job – Drive out fear so that everyone may work effectively for the company – Break down barriers between departments – Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity – Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for management – Remove barriers that rob hourly workers, intellectual workers, and engineers of their pride of workmanship – Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for everyone – Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation The case of Segal Electric shows that these principles are effective in improving quality and reducing accidents in the workplace.
3. Quality
Quality is an important concept in Deming’s 14 points. It is defined as “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.” (ISO 9000:2005). In other words, it is a measure of how well a product or service meets its customers’ needs or expectations. Quality can be difficult to measure, but there are some methods that can be used: customer surveys, focus groups, user testing, etc. In Segal Electric’s case, quality was improved by introducing quality control measures and training the work team on how to solve problems.
4. Work team
A work team is a group of people who work together to achieve a common goal. In Segal Electric’s case, the work team was inefficient because there was a lack of professional assemblers, the team was not able to solve problems, and there was no training on the job. Sharon Morse proposed several solutions to these problems: hire more professional assemblers, train the work team on how to solve problems, and introduce quality control measures. As a result of these changes, the work team became more efficient and accidents decreased.
5. George Mansfield
George Mansfield is the president of Segal Electric. He asked Sharon Morse to investigate the situation and find out the root cause of the problems. Sharon found out that there were several reasons for the accidents and inefficiencies: a lack of professional assemblers, the work team being unable to solve problems, no training on the job, the strict division of workers into different departments, and the fear of being fired. Sharon proposed several solutions to these problems: hire more professional assemblers, train the work team on how to solve problems, introduce quality control measures, encourage communication and collaboration between workers, and reduce fear by providing job security and better working conditions. George Mansfield accepted Sharon’s proposals and implemented them in the company. As a result, the accidents decreased and the work team became more efficient. Segal Electric is now a model company for other businesses.
6. Sharon Morse
Sharon Morse is a supervisor of the production line in Segal Electric. She was asked by George Mansfield to investigate the situation and find out the root cause of the problems. Sharon found out that there were several reasons for the accidents and inefficiencies: a lack of professional assemblers, the work team being unable to solve problems, no training on the job, the strict division of workers into different departments, and the fear of being fired. Sharon proposed several solutions to these problems: hire more professional assemblers, train the work team on how to solve problems, introduce quality control measures, encourage communication and collaboration between workers, and reduce fear by providing job security and better working conditions. George Mansfield accepted Sharon’s proposals and implemented them in the company. As a result, the accidents decreased and the work team became more efficient. Segal Electric is now a model company for other businesses.
7. Conclusion
The case that happened at Segal Electric deserves attention and examination. This situation may help to prevent troubles in future and improve the work organization. The application of Deming’s 14 points led to positive changes in Segal Electric: quality increased, accidents decreased, communication improved, etc. These changes can be attributed to Sharon Morse’s efforts in investigating