a professor's truest, surest and simplest test to ensure the perpetuity of quality of education in the university where he teaches :)

As a seasoned and battle-tested Industrial Engineer and a Kaizen super freak :), I understand, front and center, the brilliance and the practicality behind the theory of ensuring quality results means ensuring quality processes. I have preached that. And on many occasions, I have been financially blessed preaching and teaching that, too.

Industry, and now academe, had spent millions, if not billions, of Philippine Peso by now since the 80s, getting and holding on to the numerous certification and accreditation. Documents that announce to the whole wide world, to customers, to parents and to students that quality resides here. In this company. Some of this accreditation is nationally recognized. Some, even internationally.

Let me be clear, I am not against quality certification and accreditation. I am all for that. Quality and quality systems is part of my ways to earn a living.

What I am against is when we limit our concept of quality results and quality systems to getting the certification and accreditation.

Here's a question. With the proliferation of "quality", and now of "sustainability" concepts, why would plants and companies still close down? Or why and how could Toyota, the company that spawned Total Quality Management and of Continuous Improvement and who became the largest automaker in world a little over two years ago, be mired in a billion dollar product recall? Or why would Motorola, the company that developed the Six Sigma methodology, be a measly niche player in mobile handsets when they had StarTac (what?) and, more recently, Razr (a reloaded - what?) as early product successes in the, then, new product segments?

Why would they have a fall from grace?

Does a pride-sucking downfall absolutely happens after a glorious victory?

Or is because they are so enamored with winning a battle of being the largest automaker, Toyota, and of launching a great product, Motorola, that they forgot that they are at war?

And in speaking about my context, do I fully understand that getting ALL the valuable accreditation out there is simply one of the battle in a war? And that even if my school wins that battle, it is still in a perpetual war? That victory is not certain for it is still in a "perpetual" war against "pwede na" and against ningas-cogon?

So, with everything that's been said, what now? If my very culture and me very being set me up to fail and to fail miserably - how do I get myself out of this seemingly perpetual rut?

Simple.

But, mind you, this simple does not mean easy.

Ok?

:- )

I think it is better, if we pit our "pwede na" and "ningas cogon" tendencies with our love of family. The very love that drives a Filipino half way across the globe, battling loneliness and whatever, simply to send money home so that the next generation would have a better life.

Add to the many benefits of accreditation, this simple test - will I put my very own child in my own class? In the class of my co-faculty? In the school where I am a faculty? In the very university where I am a faculty?

In the intervention successes I have so far, a common denominator jumps out - a system has to be personal to the personnel involved in order for it to be perpetually successful. And the presence of genuine trust among stakeholders with one another spells a huge and stark difference between a perpetual failure and perpetual success. A huge and stark difference as wide and as obvious as night and day.

Will I have my child get his education at the school where I teach?

"... why think like mere men?"