Abstract

All quality issues have their sources in people. People cannot be perceived to be deliberately depressing quality, however, and are most likely part of a larger explanation for the issue that includes some measure of organizational culture, including bad communication, siloing or lack of planning. The MCI model—emphasizing mistake, corner cutting or inadvertence as sources of quality issues—incorporates rather than disconnects the logic or motivation behind a chronic quality problem. In pursuing a solution to the problem using MCI, therefore, a quality professional can separate one-off glitches from endemic problems with an organization's culture.