The quality MOT will deliver a change programme to assure quality within your practice. Employee engagement is critical to a successful quality system. A leader needs to advocate the benefits of change, and at this stage, employees must hear consistent and clear messages.

It is likely that fear, uncertainty and doubt will exist, and the leader's role is to reduce these factors. It is also possible that employees may compare the programme to similar past initiatives or projects that failed. The message you want to put across should address:

1. Why we need to change together
2. What specifically will be achieved together
3. What we will do together
4. How we will work together
5. What the outcomes of the change will programme be.

In effect, the role of the leader is to sell the quality programme and to encourage a positive climate within the team.

A note of caution...

A quality MOT should be conducted before any improvements to current quality processes and/or systems are carried out. The time that any one organisation needs to spend at this initial stage will vary. However, if this stage is not first completed, the later quality system project is likely to be an academic exercise.

Remember that a quality system evolves over time and must be sustainable. It requires the leader to engage, motivate and sell the quality vision. A strong quality system does not have an end point €“ it carries on evolving.

Further reading

Garvin, D.A. €What Does Product Quality Really Mean?€ Sloan Management Review (Fall 1984): 2543