About this Presentation
Management, quality work and TOC? Quality people shadowing in the corners or hunting for bottom line results? Why the management of companies is not regarding quality work as productive? For the management quality work is a way to make more money. The management and quality people perceive the targets and priorities of the company in different ways and it often happens that quality work is not supporting to achievement of the goal but is regarded more like inevitable waste. The quality certificate is justifying the quality work as long as it does not disturb the business. On the other hand, the quality people do not feel that their work is appreciated although they have valuable experience and operations understanding as well as competence on different development methods and approaches. This set up leads to develop isolated pockets and details of the company thus losing significant bottom line potential. This short presentation is an abstract of a well-received half-day workshop held in the 60th European Organization of Quality Congress in Helsinki in May 2016. On the presentation the conflict described above was first analyzed and then one direction of the solution was identified. The key question to break the conflict: what should be in place so that the quality work could be directed in most productive way? In the analysis different views of important stakeholders were considered. We claim that the TOC mind set and methods based focused quality development can strongly support the business and in addition the quality function can become ever more important and an appreciated partner for management. The TOC thinking processes were used when analyzing the conflict and creating the direction of the solution. Furthermore, it was also presented how TOC thinking and methods can be combined to boost e.g. Lean- and Six Sigma based development and results.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
Quality work is often seen as a necessary burden and is not effectively integrated with business strategy.
There is a need to shift from standard-based quality work to strategic quality work to bring substantial visible added value for business and its development.
Quality work should be directed to build operative competitive edge and it should be allowed and required to challenge dominant paradigms that are constraining the development.
Instructor(s)
Jennifer Eckman
Ms Alka Wadhwa
Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits.
Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams.
Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.
Dr Gary Wadhwa
Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.