Abstract

Quality professionals in an organization are accustomed to being the problem solvers for the organization, but if part of the job is to change the culture to a quality ecosystem, the more problem solvers in the organization the better. Taking an example from the 80/20 rule, if 20% are accomplishing all the work, 80% of the organization could be turned at the very least toward everyday, all-day problem solving. If the quality professional selects, therefore, to take a coaching stance to applying quality-related skills to the organization, he or she multiplies his or her efforts and changes the culture. Asking open-ended, nonjudgmental, coaching questions and helping coworkers to develop their own problem-solving skills elevates the quality bar across an organization.