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Quality Careers@Risk

This blog will feature occasional articles for those in the Quality fields highlighting mega-trends and exploring possible actions in response.

The Missing Links

Tying Baldrige, quality values to increased employee engagement

By Henry J. Lindborg

The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence presents an ideal pattern of values to which quality professionals can aspire. Tracking its development throughout nearly a quarter century reveals shifts in the quality community’s thinking and language.

The term “performance excellence” is evidence of such [...]

Lesson Learned

Use Toyota’s recent troubles as an educational opportunity

by Henry J. Lindborg

Last fall, when I remarked to university educators that a particular decision-making tool was widely used at Toyota, their response was respectful interest. When I did the same in February, a similar group laughed derisively at the comment, as though I were being [...]

Changing Times

Adapting to a new market for quality, engineering professionals

by Henry J. Lindborg

In consulting and planning with not-for-profits—especially universities, which are unaccustomed to market turbulence—I often use the phrase “glacial change.” The phrase implies change that is large but so gradual that human beings don’t see it in their lifetimes.

But I’ve had to [...]

Survive and Thrive

Highly skilled quality pros can make it through hard times

by Hank Lindborg

No sector is immune. Manufacturing, IT, finance, healthcare, education, publishing and retail are being affected by economic conditions that range from slowdown to slow-motion collapse.

For many, a job search is no longer an optional step in career development—it’s a matter of [...]

Curbing Career Fears

Understand and use VUCA to manage threats

by Henry J. Lindborg

Books on careers usually contain some advice on strategic thinking. They suggest getting the big picture, sometimes by applying the tools and techniques of business planning.

This can be done, for example, by conducting a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of your [...]