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Looking Toward the Future
In the January issue of News for a
Change, Ken Case, president-elect of ASQ, began a
multipart report on the Futures Study that was
conducted during the summer of 2002. He shared the
seven key forces that are most likely to affect
quality in the foreseeable future. In this issue,
he’ll present the first of four scenarios that
project how society may look in the not-too-distant
future.
As I reported in January, the Institute for
Alternate Studies which guided our study was aided by
an international Delphi study—an electronic
method of gathering data, generating ideas, or
reaching consensus. By combining that information
with the seven key forces, the futures team developed
scenarios to describe four potential futures we may
encounter.
What purpose do we hope to achieve by creating
these scenarios? First and foremost, we hope to
stimulate the thinking of quality professionals. By
deeply considering each scenario, we can plan ways to
help it come to fruition or to prevent its
occurrence. Each of these scenarios is plausible;
what we do collectively as we move toward the future
will determine what portions of these scenarios
become reality.
Now, I’d like to review the first
scenario—the one that the futures team
considered mostly likely to occur. It’s called,
“The Fruits of Knowledge,” and it assumes
that the fundamental elements of quality management
have become instrumental in realizing the benefits
promised by technology advancements and the
dissemination of knowledge. In this scenario, the
world has become a safer and more equitable place for
most of humanity. Let’s look at some more
detailed aspects of this scenario by reviewing
several pertinent categories.
International
- The elevated profile of quality in the business
world has prompted governments to adopt proactive
quality policies, which accelerated democratic and
economic reforms.
- Economic turnarounds in Russia, Brazil, and
Cuba are major successes, helped in part by the
International Monetary Fund.
- Technology advancements, working hand-in-hand
with government reforms, have raised living
standards and spurred poor nations toward
self-sufficiency.
Security
- The terrorist attacks of the early 21st century
were a rallying call for the quality
profession.
- Quality professionals have become strategic
partners with other experts to design and develop
systems to ensure the security of our
communities’ infrastructures, their ability
to respond effectively to emergency situations to
significantly limit damage, and the world’s
ability to transport goods and information without
fear of terrorist manipulation.
- The quality profession also helps to ensure
personal security with respect to growing concerns
over privacy and identity theft.
Business and Consumers
- Mergers and alliances have revamped business.
Companies are complete value chains of interlocking
collaborative alliances, with three or four such
competitors in each industry.
- Every product and service is now couched as an
“experience” to appeal to
history’s most demanding consumer base.
Competitive differentiation centers on personal,
information-rich, and up-to-the-minute
service.
- Successful organizations have seamless
end-to-end distribution systems with consumer
demand visible from all points.
Social Responsibility
- Organizations must be exemplary corporate
citizens and environmental stewards because their
every move is monitored and broadcast by consumer
groups.
- Quality’s emphasis on performance
measurement has led to the development of social
responsibility measures for all institutions.
- In addition, quality has been integrated into
nearly every aspect of our personal, professional,
and community lives, creating a new model for
quality of life and civic responsibility.
The Quality Professional
- Quality professionals are fewer in number, but
higher in status. They serve as university
presidents or deans, or in business as strategic
change agents and knowledge managers who design and
manage quality systems, train other managers, and
monitor performance at their own and competing
organizations.
- They are expert at exploiting knowledge to
enhance their organizations’
performance.
- Organizations such as ASQ and AQP lead by
helping quality professionals (and others) in
personal development and providing “knowledge
hub” that allows them to translate
quality’s core messages throughout
society.
 KEN CASE is regents professor
of industrial engineering and management at Oklahoma
State University, where he also serves as executive
director of the master of science in engineering and
technology management program. He has doctorate and
master’s degrees in industrial engineering, and
a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering
from Oklahoma State University. Case is currently
ASQ’s president-elect and has served as board
treasurer, national director, editorial board member,
and Tulsa Section chair. An ASQ-certified quality
engineer, reliability engineer, quality auditor, and
quality manager, Case was named outstanding engineer
in Oklahoma in 1987. He is a past president of the
Institute of Industrial Engineers, a member of the
National Academy of Engineering, a Baldrige Judge
(1991-93), and an academician in the International
Academy for Quality.
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